Does any one actually know kids like this?

[westcoastnortherner]

Yes, Yes I know it's a Daily Mail article, but are there really that many kids like this out there?!

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101292/They-wear-nappies-drink-cola--dont-know-open-book-One-teachers-terrifying-insight-5-year-olds-failed-parents.html#comments

I just found it so sad :(

I think maybe its poor parenting skills across the board, i dont think it has anything to do with the amount if money the family has.

Jeez the Daily Fail really hates parents, doesn't it! I suspect that, on the whole, parenting is better now than it has ever been in the past, but the DM refuses to admit how a majority of parents were total shite 30/40 years ago - smoking in pregnancy, no seat belts let alone car seats, limited hygienic facilities, little interaction with children, secret abuse widespread but tacitly accepted...

So this thread is going to be a list of posters saying it's all bollocks, interspersed with people saying yes, I've taught children like that, or I'm a sw and I know families like this. Then it will just end up with biscuits and tea if we're lucky, or a slanging match.
What's the point?

A child who can use a computer like a "whiz" can't open a book? Please, 6 month old babies can open books.

I know some.

Children in nappies (no SN), or who regularly soil themselves (3 or 4 times a day). Coke and a choc bar for breakfast on the way to school, no idea of how to hold a paint brush/pencil/book. Very little imagination or concentration span. Complete inability to dress themselves for PE or even put on their own coat. Communication is usually a huge issue for these poor children too.

There's usually a back story though (other issues within the home) which I don't think has been suggested at all in that article.

No I don't know any like that. Also the tone of the article is really judgy, although what can we expect from daily mail but just suggesting that any delays with children's development is purely down to crap parenting. Maybe I am oversensitive as one of mine is behind in speech, although he is 2 yrs not 5 but the teacher in this article is making out that if children can not do everything on target then clearly the parents shove them infront of the tv and never speak to them - which is a little bit over simplified and rude imo, although may apply to some

Funny how the people who say 'yes this is sometimes the case' seem to be the ones who are teachers or social workers

Perhaps because we are the ones dealing with some of the cases. Rather than saying 'My friends and I don't do this, so it can't be true'

Funny how the ones who live on sink estates are always called crap parents

Dust - exactly. Denials from people in no position to debunk, and sad agreement from people who know what they're talking about. Which kind of blows the 'This is bollocks and just the Daily Mail being evil' thing out of the water.

Well I guess that would be because they see more children than a standard mum!!

I don't know how common it is in general but I will say the level of deprivation experienced by some children is still absolutely horrifying. And unbelievable. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it for myself. There were children in my class who were sleeping on the floor under curtains. There were children who had to use their school jumpers to dry themselves after washing as there were no towels in their houses. There were children who came to school starving because the last meal they had eaten was the previous lunchtime, at school. There were children who were absolutely filthy who had to sleep in their school clothes and would some mornings have to be clothed entirely in lost property because they had wet themselves during the night and their uniform was still wet.

The fact this level of deprivation and neglect still happens I still find shocking.

I am not sw or teacher but work in a very deprived area within a nursery, and its a daily job to sort out cases like this. Sometimes the parents are on board and just dont know what to do or struggle because they havent had the best upbringing. Many dont even think about singing to the childen, or reading them stories and its why we heavily encourage bookstart and try and take them to the library. Many dont know how to care for the books and just rip them up so we have group times on things like taking care or books.

Some it is becuse they are in homes with parents with alcohol/drug dependencies. It can be turned around though with support/intervention.

Don't know any kids like this personally, but sister-in-law is a primary school teacher and has mentioned a few cases like this - mostly special needs kids or kids in care in the cases she's mentioned.

But I was surprised to read that the teacher in the article visits the homes of the kids before they start school - is this normal?

I work in the early years profession in one of the 10% most deprived wards in the country, and live in a 15% one. While yes there is the odd child that has one or two of these issues, but as a rule, no? There was one family but the children are now in foster care.

My son is nearly 4 and in a pre-school nursery class, and I don't think any of the children in his class have any of these problems either?

Daily Fail.

My nephew (sil child) could not do shoe laces or cut his food up at 11.

Now he's 12 and can just about manage it.

He was never taught because "he's the baby". Err, no he's not.

The family isnt affected by any issues they just cba to teach him and it's quicker for sil and mil to do everything for him.

misslinnet - In the school local to me in a very deprived area the teacher goes to every childs house before they start school

I used to work in a community school. We visited every home of every child in our class at least every term, usually every half term.
Whether they were early Years or Y6.

Oh I read this article at my parents house this morning, I love how they got in the mention of plasma screen TV's

I mean, who has plasma TV's nowadays!

I do believe it, but I am a bit about the 2 in 5 figure... I've known two children like this having volunteered 2
Years in a school across numerous year

kid who can use computer like a whiz but can't open a book screams ASD to me.

My DD has ASD and can't open a book..mind you she can't use the computer like a whiz either

The primary school my DS went to had about a third of the class like this
We lived in a deprived area and the social problems were enormous. When my DS went in to the class in the morning the teachers were clearing away breakfast dishes as a large proportion of the class didn't have meals at home and were fed in the morning.
I think many people think that these kind of things are exaggerated but in my experience it is the opposite. There are whole communities of people neglecting their children or 'dragging them up' as my granny would have said.
It was only when I temporarily moved into the community(LP in council housing) that I realised the true extent.

No I don't. I think its judgey bullshit on the whole.

I think it depends on the place kayano we have 60 - 70% of our kids on the at risk register at any one time.

'but the DM refuses to admit how a majority of parents were total shite 30/40 years ago - smoking in pregnancy, no seat belts let alone car seats, limited hygienic facilities, little interaction with children, secret abuse widespread but tacitly accepted...'

The majority of parents were not total shite 30/40 years ago. Where did you get all that from?