Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

How many kids actually have SEN?

245 replies

justasking14 · 04/05/2020 08:09

Morning all, not trying to be offensive with this just genuinely interested.
A big proportion of people on MN seem to have DC with autism or SN of some kind, its mentioned in their posts & replies. Have other people noticed this too & do you think its representative of general population or do mums of DC with SN use this forum more for whatever reason?

OP posts:
DobbinAlong · 04/05/2020 22:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

x2boys · 04/05/2020 22:59

My son did get diagnosed fairly quickly it took seven months but his needs are very complex he's at a special school,non verbal etc ,but he still had to under go months of assessments and it was diagnosed at a BSCIP panel we didn't just pop along and get a diagnosis so anyone who thinks that they give a diagnosis " just in case" is quite frankly talking shit

Sirzy · 04/05/2020 23:01

Ds was 7 when he was diagnosed after being referred at 4. I was told “he is young to get a diagnosis here”

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

SEN
Mrsfrumble · 04/05/2020 23:16

It’s much easier for me to talk about DS having ASD and ADHD here than it is in “real life”, when I get comments like “but he seems totally normal!” and “are you sure? We don’t have autism in my country”. He’s not naughty and disruptive at school. He’s actually one of the best behaved children in his class and on the top tables for maths and literacy (he bottles up all his stress and anxiety for me).

As horrifying as some of the posts on this thread are, as a PP said I’m glad it exists because it highlights the kind of ignorance parents have to put with on a regular basis.

homeschoolchaos · 04/05/2020 23:18

It probably seems like MN is full of people with children who have SEN because some of us talk much more openly about our children’s needs on MN than IRL. Barely anyone IRL knows about my child’s diagnosis, and most of the people we interact with regularly would probably have no idea that he’s different. They are probably aware that he’s a handful and can be difficult but they definitely don’t know the extent of what we are going through.

FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue · 04/05/2020 23:23

I think because ASC has a genetic aspect, so many of the parents of ASC children also have ASC, albeit undiagnosed, and people with ASC are more likely to spend time on an online forum rather than out socialising. Hence higher proportion of DCs of posters have SEN, and probably higher than average proportion of posters themselves have SEN too.

Plus of course what people have said about SEN parents needing more support, so looking for something like MN.

nevertrustaninja · 04/05/2020 23:36

2007Millie - Sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity- it's a myth. You think that it does, because your belief that sugar affects behaviour is so strong. Studies have shown that when adults believe that a child has eaten sugar they are more likely to perceive their behaviour as 'hyperactive' - even when the child has actually had no sugar at all.

june2007 · 04/05/2020 23:43

Ok not saying sugar is the prob but foods def can have an effect. We all know the kid with probs who is given energy drink for breakfast don,t we. And the Child who can,t have this, that and th other because it effects there behaviour/reasoning/concetration. (Thiinking of two cases 1 child does have issues other had parenting issues.)

nevertrustaninja · 04/05/2020 23:46

'We all know the kid with probs who is given energy drink for breakfast don,t we.'
Do we? What kind of 'probs' does this kid have that we all know?

Chesneyhawkes1 · 04/05/2020 23:49

That's interesting and I didn't know that.

Because when I want to do a certain type of exercise, I take on board quick release sugar. As it gets into my bloodstream quicker than slow release foods. Glucose for instance.

I also get a spike if I eat sugary cereal and I'll be hungry a lot quicker and get a low - something that doesn't happen with eggs or toast for instance.

So sugar does have an effect on adults mood and energy, for me at least.

I'm obviously not saying it's true for anyone else or children.

PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock · 04/05/2020 23:49

We all know the kid with probs who is given energy drink for breakfast don,t we.

I know many kids with all kinds of issues from SEND to poor parenting (which is something completely different) and anything in between. I do not know that kid .

Brogley · 04/05/2020 23:54

We all know the kid with probs who is given energy drink for breakfast don,t we

I don't know any kids like that however let's do a little mythbusting.

Seeing as you don't specify which "probs" you're referring to, I'm going to out on a limb and say you're referring to ADHD. This is an assumption based on your post where you specifically reference caffeine and allude to its affect on behaviour and concentration.

One of the things that can actually help people with ADHD is the use of stimulants. Caffeine, being a stimulant, can actually help with some of the effects of ADHD and has the opposite effect that you would expect - effects such as improved focus, improved attention span, and greater control over impulsive behaviours. It's not generally recommended by doctors as a treatment because modern medications are far more effective however don't presume a child is jumping around the classroom just because they've had an energy drink for breakfast.

Brogley · 04/05/2020 23:57

Sorry for all the effect/effects/effectives in that post! In bed with a poorly DC and didn't realise how many times I'd typed it.

DobbinAlong · 04/05/2020 23:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JanMeyer · 04/05/2020 23:58

We all know the kid with probs who is given energy drink for breakfast don,t we. And the Child who can,t have this, that and th other because it effects there behaviour/reasoning/concetration.

Speak for yourself, what kind of people do you know that would do that? And what relevance does that have anyway? Unless of course you're one of those people who's trying to equate poor behaviour with SEN/SN. There's a bit more to it than that, and contrary to what some twats on this thread have claimed children don't get diagnosed with anything just because they are "badly behaved."

Haworthia · 05/05/2020 00:01

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

june2007 · 05/05/2020 00:01

Ok well I have met a few. The one who has behaviour probs and the parent says it,s this or that. (not because of the enrgy drin or chaotic lifestyle,)

DobbinAlong · 05/05/2020 00:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock · 05/05/2020 00:04

Even funnier when you consider that most ADHD (the probs that seem to be hinted at) medications are actually stimulants.

DobbinAlong · 05/05/2020 00:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DeeCeeCherry · 05/05/2020 00:05

A big proportion of people on MN seem to have DC with autism or SN of some kind, its mentioned in their posts & replies

Well..How many people are on MN in comparison to the amount of people in the UK tho?

It seems like a lot of parents here have SEN children yes, because this is a parents forum so they're drawn to the board for support.

I hope this isn't a TAAT regarding that post running at the moment, neighbours vs OP and her autistic son. Some horribly disablist attitudes on there.

fronttoback · 05/05/2020 00:06

I think that if I had been at school now rather than in the late 60's/early 70's I would have probably been diagnosed with some form of condition. It would have explained a lot. As it was, I was left to it.

PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock · 05/05/2020 00:07

Dobbin normally it's not recommended or advised because it's hard to measure caffeine levels depending in which form it comes in and to decide what dose would be beneficial. Adding in the fact that studies have shown it can impact brain development, I'd say it's only an option if you're desperate. If not, proper medication under the supervision of a professional is the best avenue.

Just my opinion.

june2007 · 05/05/2020 00:08

And I din,nt say which probs because 1 child had no diagnosed probs but did have behaviour isssues the other has diagnosed ASD issues and diet helps him a lot. And yes we did see the difference in the first child when he was given a caffein drink and when he wasn,t. When he had a stable home life and when it wasn,t.. I am not saying children don,t this disability or that disability but yes I have met parents.(aside from these children) who don,t recognise there own parenting probs as the issue.

PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock · 05/05/2020 00:12

The one who has behaviour probs and the parent says it,s this or that. (not because of the enrgy drin or chaotic lifestyle,)

Well since you can't "fix" the parents what do you propose happens to the child?

Would you reject a diabetes diagnosis too?
Or maybe a cancer one?
What about a broken leg?

Should we just stop bothering about all the bad parenting/chaotic lifestyle kids?