Special Needs

[007]

I think Lankou was referring to acorns and apple trees.

No he was stalking me around the forum with a view to hurling more abuse, telling more lies and making more threats!

[007]

Actually it is acorns and oak trees.

Or ip addresses and sending explosives to my house?

[angelman]

Oh dear. Brain has gone to mush. Apple trees!!!! Not sure where that one came from!!! Time for bed.

[lorraine]

007 I am afraid that I cannot agree with you. My son has PMLD (profound and multiple learning disabilities) so has to be "segregated" (although that isn't the word that I would use) in order to receive the specialised teaching that he needs. The school he goes to has a different curriculum to the main stream.

Lorraine, I have learned to approach this subject with a wee bit of caution as it is never quite as simple as it first appears. The classic example seems to be ADHD. On the face of it, it might seem that this is down to bad parenting and the parents looking for an excuse for their failings. While I am sure that that is the case in some examples, I think it dangerous to label all in that manner.

Angelman I understand that some children do have learning disabilities, some more than others, while others may show some disabilities in primary school which can disappear as they mature. Some children maybe on the special needs register in high school, when really they have shown by their grades and their ability to tackle problems that they couldn't have done when they were diagnosed with the problem, show that these children have outgrown the disability. If these children had the chance to move into main stream, then there would surely be more time to concentrate on children that do need extra help. I am not saying abandon the children that are moved from the register, they can still have help if they need it, but surely it is a huge step forward.

I apologise for the word segregated, you're right, that was totally the wrong word to use, my thoughts were, that as children mature with age they change, and some children who have slight disabilities, with the help of one to one can actually move off the register.

I would never look towards the idea of bad parenting, this does no one any favours, I watched the morning programme of a mother with a child with asperger syndrome, her approach on the subject lifted my spirits, her positive approach enlightened me, she listened to her child and he told her some of the positive things of having asperger syndrome.

[angelman]

007 brings up a rather interesting aspect of this, which is the opposite of what you were talking about Lorraine. I have heard of many parents who won't have their children classified as special needs, so that they can avoid being stigmatised as 007's son has. The system is broken if parents have to make up or deny conditions exist.

[lorraine]

Some people make up for whatever reason, some people may deny because of their attachment, they protect, but they don't see it, because sometimes, not always, they are on the in between level.
We are all different everyone of us, it's what makes us tick, in a good way, some people cossett the child, others look for ways to give the child more confidence, different people use different methods, and different methods work with different children.
If you give the child confidence and love in a good way, recognising good qualities always works, with most children.