adults with learning difficulties on small childrens' play area.

[Bethshine82]

Took DS to the play area on Friday, it is not a huge play area and has one of those signs saying it is designed for use by children 14 and under.
Whilst we were there a group of around eight adults with learning difficulties and their carers arrived. The adults proceeded to go onto the playground.
AIBU to think this isn't very fair? They were adults and they weren't really aware of their strength and size. The carers weren't supervising brilliantly and twice I saw one of the adults just shove the children out of the way. Also some of the adults were shouting and screaming which frightened some of the toddlers. Many of the children left. I'm not in any way suggesting that adults with learning difficulties shouldn't be able to go out and enjoy themselves or that they shouldn't be part of the community, I'm just not sure a small childrens' play area is the place for an adults' afternoon out.

I think that the playground should only be used by children, it isn't safe otherwise really. AIBU?

She doesn't harm anyone

DD1 is similar, Fanjo. Only once in the baby section, she crawls sneakily onto my lap and falls asleep sucking her thumb. She gets a lot of funny looks but nobody seems to be able to pin down what there is to complain about for long enough to complain about it. She seems mildly perplexed that it is more difficult now she is 8 than it used to be, and I can see her still trying to creep onto my lap undetected when she's 18...

She sounds lovely :)

My DD is far more likely to get hurt by the toddlers than to hurt them too

YANBU

It isn't appropriate for a group of adults to use a children's play area, LDs or not.

I would also say if a playground is split into a toddler area and an older children/teen area then it isn't appropriate for teens to be using the toddler equipment if toddlers are trying to play there. A bit of common sense is needed.

I have asked older children/teens to move away from toddler play equipment if they seemed to pose a risk to little ones.

YANBU.

Of course the equipment on a small childrens play area is unsuitable for adults.

The safety features of the equipment are inadequate (for eg the sides of the 'high bridge' stop a child climbing over but not an adult).

I've seen this happen in a park here. The carers were a disgrace. They literally sat down and turned their backs.

and everything tiggyhat said

my 14 year old is taller than me and the weight of many adults, so I doubt that the equipment in the main part of the play area was not safe for adults. Whether it was appropriately designed for their abilities and whether they were properly supervise is another matter.

Poorly trained carers who are totally insensitive to how large and loud an adult with LD seems to a small child can be a real problem.

One of the group who used our local pool used to make odd noises and a nod and a smile from his carer to say your Mum's right its OK he won't hurt you would have been so helpful.

As a former carer, now deputy manager for adults with LD I have to say I can see both sides here.

firstly, I do where possible try to find age appropriate activities for the people we support. That said, they like what they like and sometimes, other people may find this odd, disturbing, inappropriate etc.

I have used play areas with the people I support on occasion but it is always risk assessed first. (this takes into account the equipment with advise been sought from relevant people as to its suitability) I would expect a better staff to client ratio of 1:1 in such an environment as its easy for over stimulation. The carer should take full responsibility to ensure the safety of the client and that of other users, however I wouldn't remove a client from having fun on the basis that a child was present. I would be mindful of childs whereabouts and the clients to ensure that risks are kept low.

I was stopped once when supporting an autistic 25 year old in a ball pool in a soft play area by a parent who wanted us to get out so her 4 year old could come in.
I pointed out there was plenty of room for all and she was quite safe to get in should she wish. The parent angrily told me the play area was for kids, I pointed out there where no signs to say that adults could not enter, and more to the fact other adults where in there supporting their children. The parent then said "yes well I don't want her being near him... he is one of them artistics isnt he?" I replied that I think she meant autistic and I was not at liberty to be able to discuss his needs with her but could assure her her child was quite safe. In the end the manager came and told us we had to move, so I had to go down the discrimination route which was quite annoying.

I said to the lady in the end that I felt she was very blinkered and the best thing she could do would be to allow her child to socialise with all types of people so her prejudiced ways and feelings where not passed down the generations.

careers now have to not only look after those they are taking care (in a swimming pool) of but make sure precious little children are not scared of them

oh for fucks sake teach your child yourself, yes another child or adult with ld shouting out may frighten them initially but it is surely down to you to teach them that no harm is meant and no harm will come to them that some people communicate in different ways

Yabu.

I took my son to softplay a few years ago. A group of women, part of a hen party, came in to play. I asked management if this was appropriate?
They said "We want to encourage adults to play on the equipment with the kids, and we want adults to take part and supervise the kids, so we cant have an outright ban. This means we do get the occasional Hen party, we will only restrict if they are drunk". I dont really think you can argue with that.
Although, my son was slightly perturbed by playing next to adult women in baby gros, dummies and baby bottles....

There are always some adults on the equipment with their kids when we go to the playground. So, I dont think you can say it is not safe for adults. I am sure this group had been risk assessed before setting out.

i think children should be around disabled people, it is up to the parent to discuss that everyone should be treated equal.

and before any spout crap about children not understanding......well when an adult with a mentallity of a similiar age how do you explain to them. the diffrence is that the child will mentally grow up....this adult will not

DD1 is the least precious little kid you are ever likely to meet and being a little eccentric herself one of the most tolerant.

I didn't want the carer to speak to her, simply a smile and a reassuring nod, when we were the only other people in the pool.

Now the completely irresponsibly carer who somehow managed to have a naked adult male with LD in the girls changing room during gym club, I would have spoken to. However, DD2 had shot out of the room and I needed to catch her.

I can only assume, that since the school changing rooms are very poorly labeled, rabbit warren, that this was a genuine mistake.

really so a career who is taking care of an adult or child with ld in a swimming pool of all places where there are a number of possible dangers should have to reassure another child who is there with their parent

Well said, tiggy

I must say, I find people's faith in risk assessments quite amusing.

Just because someone has done a "risk assessment" doesn't mean there is no risk. It just shows that probably some pen-pusher felt there was a chance if risk and an unqualified box ticker explained to them that the risks were acceptable.

I'll assess the risks posed to my own children by adults using toddler equipment as children would.

Poorly trained carers who are totally insensitive to how large and loud an adult with LD seems to a small child can be a real problem.

Wtaf? I'm sorry but I leave it to the parents to educate their children that people with learning disabilities rather than vulnerable. The last thing I'm bothered about doing when I'm reassuring the ignorant. If someone is ignorant due to their age it us up to their parents to teach them not me fgs. My teen son needs my full attention.

As for naked men with learning disabilities in changing rooms - how timely - perhaps you'd like to read my thread from yesterday. It seems my comments about 'people will soon be complaining' are correct. And I think you have just convinced me I need to complain today about the lack of privacy for our club and not wait to see what happens next week. Thread here from yesterday describing how naked people with learning disabilities end up being bothered by the easily offended in the first place:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1450605-To-think-that-just-occasionally-the-able-of-body-mind-could-accept-a-little-disruption-if-it-makes-the-life-of-this-with-disabilities-easier

If I had asked about children with ld in the play area I would have being absolutely horrifically awfully unreasonable. It's a none starter.
If I had asked about adults with ld using facilities open to adults without ld again, totally awfully unreasonable. Another none starter.

I was asking about a group of adults, who were much much bigger than the average 14 year old, using facilities for children. And in some cases small children as they were also using the equipment in the toddler part of the play area. Would I have liked a number of teenagers or adults without ld boisterously racing around where there were two and three year olds? No. Possibly the carers could have encouraged the group to use the bigger facilities but they mostly stayed huddled in a group, although two were pushing adults on swings at some points.

I will say that even the older childrens' playground was not really suitable imo as there was one larger gentleman who was really struggling to climb up the ladder and came back down a number of times before giving up and becoming frustrated. I felt that someone probably should have been helping him. But again that was down to those supervising.

YANBU my brother cares for adults with SN and he takes them to the zoo, the pub, shopping etc....things adults do! His charges would not want to go on the seesaw! They like a pint and a look at the reptile house!

i think if the LD adults whete clearly almost breaking the equipment you have a point but if not yabu

my ds id louder and more shouty than any one i know, and had scared other little children at times. surely teaching your little ones that they are not going to harm them and you being extra vigilant do there not knocked over is more appropriate.

i have been known to be monthe other end of a see saw and I'm way bigger than 14

on the not monthe

Have to admit I go on playground equipment sometimes, I'm about the size of a 13 year old a way so not "too big" for the equipment! I think the age restriction isn't about size as many 13/14 year olds are as big as adults, but to prevent large groups of older teens gathering and all crowding on to the same bit of equipment at once and maybe breaking it. Or all crowding round together, running onto the slide etc and not watching out for young dc, this happened once when we were at a playground and we ending up leaving early. Our dds were put off by this as they were monopolising the equipment and they weren't looking where they were going.

In the op's scenario it wouldn't have been such an issue if the careers had been supervising properly and stepping in when needed, which it seems they weren't.

It wasn't ideal and I can see that it made using the play area with your DCs difficult that time.

However unless they are going to be there each and everytime you want to go to the swings and slides, YABU. You could have taken the opportunity to discuss with you DCs differences, and disappointments if they were sad at not boing able to play that day. This is also a non starter.

I see this is turning itto a omg I saw this thread.
do get over yourselves, a man in a changing room, what next....

It's not the risks to the equipment that are important here. It's the risks to the children using the equipment.

A 4 year old should not ever have to compete for play equipment with a man in his thirties who is unaware of the risks he poses.

I can see that if equipment is designed for children under a certain size there are hazards associated with larger people using it, but I just wanted to mention that a group of learning-disabled adults regularly comes to the little playpark opposite my house and there never seems to be any problem.

I know that doesn't mean problems don't happen. But sometimes we can focus too much on risks and difficulties, and the normal everyday experience of successful use of a facility disappears from view a bit.