Toys in school

Of course Reception children understand that some children have different needs.
As do children in Nurseries right around the country.

I'm guessing you don't work with Early Years children ?

If a child gets to a stage where they have to have so many adjustments to cope, there's a point where mainstream may not be meeting their needs.

Hilarious that you think this might be news.
There are thousands upon thousands of children being stuffed into classes of 30 in mainstream schools, who don't have a cat in hell's chance of their needs being met. However, there are no alternatives. For every special school place in my LA, there are dozens of families whose child needs specialist provision.
However, needing an adjustment such as a particular toy or article with them, is not a reason for a child not to be able to access mainstream. That is a simple, and very reasonable adjustment.

OP, YABVVVU.

They might initially wonder, but when it's explained to them, they'll get it. That's how we all learn.

I taught 5 and 6 year olds in a special school. Some non-verbal. But even those children understood and showed in different ways, that they understood each others' issues, and that they were different from theirs.

It would be really quite moving to see a non verbal child reach for their classmate's comfort object to give to them when they saw that their friend was distressed.

So a NT 4 year old with no learning difficulties really shouldn't be underestimated. They absolutely can recognise that another child has different needs and finds things harder than they do.

I agree.. seems to be a full on attack from parents of SEN kids on here 🙄
It's totally understandable that a 4 YEAR OLD, will wonder why they aren't allowed but others are

Nonsense. You’d never dare say a reception child is too young to understand being a wheelchair user or having a hearing aid. A typical reception child is perfectly capable of grasping that just like each person’s body is different each person’s brain is different - and so just like some people’s bodies might need some extra help to do something (spectacles to see, a wheelchair to move around), some people’s brains need some help too, like ear defenders so they aren’t overwhelmed by noise or a toy to help them stay calm. You don’t have to go into the diagnostic criteria!

Instinctively I think a lot of reception age children are really accepting of differences and won’t have an issue once the reason for a fidget toy or whatever is properly explained to them. It’s usually the parents jumping all over any perceived advantage someone else’s child might have over theirs.

Its really sad that too many children do not get their needs met by the current system. Whatever we are doing it clearly isn't working at the moment.

Ha ha ha ha ha.

My friend's son is autistic. He has an EHCP and a 1:1 at school, was deferred for a year but is still struggling. It's not a definite that he will learn how to read and write. Yet he doesn't qualify for a place at a SEN school because he isn't performing badly enough yet, and in any case the waiting list for SEN schools in their area is 2 years long.

So going to school and interacting with different people helps them develop it

Agree. But it doesn't mean a child this age won't feel upset about this sort of thing. They will feel it is unfair and won't understand the reason why.

I said "if a child gets to a stage...* not suggesting at all that a comforter is thar stage.

But honestly i think you are all attributing comprehension for awareness. Autism & neurodiversity generallyis incredibly complex, subjective & variable, many adults don't understand it, how on earth could a four year old who could be quite immature and struggling with school themselves?

Children that age often notice another child is different. But they tend to lack real empathy and cannot imagine properly how someone else might feel.

Honestly i think their comprehension of it is much more physically focused than understandimg social & emotional needs.

Eg Tara needs to wear glasses because her eyes dont work so well

Tommy can't eat nuts because they make him sick

"Teddy needs to bring a toy to school to help him feel better" is much harder - because they want their comfort toy too, and would probably be happier with it, and its specifically not allowed, - so why do Teddy's feelings about it all trump theirs?

Are you fucking kidding?

A 4 year old can absolutely understand disabilities.

I hardly think taking a comforter into school is "so many adjustments" either.

But, yes, let's stick all the disabled kids together in socialist schools so we dont piss off the NT with reasonable adjustments hey.

So going to school and interacting with different people helps them develop it

Yabu, that child probably really needs the toy! My friends child has a sensory toy and she'd be lost without it.

I have to disagree with you. I have over 30 years experience as an Early Years teacher and they absolutely can understand that children have different needs.

They understand children have different needs.

No, they really don't. Not on this level. Their empathy and ability to understand other people don't have the same feelings as them is barely developed.

My child has classmates who he calls 'chart children' who I guess have SEN and have charts and when they meet certain targets they get rewards like time on the ipad or extra play outside. My child would like that too but I tell them they are lucky that they don't need a chart! And the child understands. Children see difference and can understand it at their level.

A reception aged child isn't too young to understand about autism at all, in fact its the perfect age to start educating them on different needs, although you may wish to educate yourself first.

Autism also isn't equivalent to being a bit anxious about school ffs.

It's amazing to me that you think reasonable adjustments for a disability is unequal. What you think is 'necessary' to allow access to education clearly means jack shit tbh.

A reception age child should be able to understand that her friend has austism so going to school is sometimes a bit harder for her

Are you fucking kidding? A 4 year old does not understand this, at all.

School should be managing it more carefully, so that the other children are less aware that this child has such an obvious exception from the rules.

If a child gets to a stage where they have to have so many adjustments to cope, there's a point where mainstream may not be meeting their needs.

The amount of time wasted on tears and tantrums and lost toys would be huge.

Indeed, significantly more disruptive to the whole class than allowing one autistic child to bring their toy in.

That just isn't true. They might not understand the word Autism but they don't need to. They understand children have different needs.

As my children's reception said to one child "some people just need a little bit extra"

End of my second paragraph should say that doesn't mean it was unfair on the rest of us who had to go upstairs to our office.

How on earth is a teacher going to police 30 toys, completely ridiculous. The amount of time wasted on tears and tantrums and lost toys would be huge. Even one lost jumper or coat eats into the day. I teach 5 & 6 year olds and they are great at accepting that some children are a little different and need special allowances. Children are often much more accepting that adults. Also we need to prepare our children for the real world and the real world is unfair. Children need to be able to handle disappointment. I have SEN children in my class every year that require special allowances and the rest of the children understand and support this.

A reception child is too young to understand about autism for goodness sake. Lots of young children are anxious about school. I think if they allow one to take a toy they should allow everyone. I don't think having unequal rules about toys is necessary to allow access to education.

This is a really uninformed opinion I'm afraid. An autistic child needing reasonable adjustments is not the same as a child who is a bit anxious about school. It shouldn't be seen as unequal, it's support that ensure all pupils can thrive.

A few years ago I worked with someone who had a chronic knee problem. We worked in a listed building with no lift so our employer made adjustments to allow her to have an office on the ground floor. That doesn't mean it

My son has hypermobile joints and struggles to hold a pen. He has use of a laptop in school, but the school don't have the budget for a laptop for every pupil. That doesn't mean it's "unfair".

Children who are getting their needs met in a classroom are also far less likely to disrupt a class. It benefits all pupils.

Not all disabilities are visible.

It would be totally unmanageable for the teacher though if every child in the class, which would then be every child in the school by your principal, bought in a toy.