To think Katie Hopkins has officially lost the plot and special needs children do have genuine medical disorders

[Arnie123]

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/katie-hopkins/why-must-everything-be-a-medical-condition_b_3751096.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

I know she is just a gobby professional troll but this time she has gone way too far. So special needs don't exist and it is just crap parenting? Unbelievable

From Kitty 'I have to agree with KH which has never happened before, there seems to be lots of children with special educational needs compared to 30 years ago, it does seem in part an excuse if you have a naughty child. People seem to like labels now and it is in the schools interest to label childred as having special needs as they get money money from central government. Why have the number of children with special needs increased so much!! Seems very odd if it is really the case.'

errr, because many more survive? 30 years ago my dd would not have survived her brain damage or would have been shut away in an institution. And a paediatrician diagnosed severe cerebral palsy. Mind you, even an ignoramous like rent a gob Hopkins could spot it.
So not odd really is it/ Perhaps you should read the campaign before typing such shite?

"errr, because many more survive? 30 years ago my dd would not have survived her brain damage or would have been shut away in an institution."

It's not just survival rates either though (though yes that will make a difference)

Without speech therapy I have no doubt at all that my DS would still only be able to be understood by his immediate family, without computers he wouldn't be in mainstream school because he basically can't write, he probably wouldn't be in school at all - he definitely wouldn't be applying to unis for next year.

Things like speech therapy, occupational therapy, early interventions, computers and inclusion are all fairly modern inventions - without them schools were very different places. That's why older people had a different school experience.

35 years ago I was at school with a girl who had a total inability to control her impulses and didn't understand social rules. She was endlessly in trouble, tricked and encouraged by other pupils to worse and worse behaviour because itwas funny and the disruption was more entertaining than geography or science. She was an oddball, an oddity. She never learnt, never seemed to connect action with consequence even through to 16 years old.She had quiet gentle parents and a smart yet reserved older brother.
I remember her clearly weeping with frustration and confusion through another telling off, more detention, more lectures upon how disappointed everyone was with her.
She committed suicide in her late 20s.
She led a short tragic life. I have no doubt she was one of the children with SN that supposedly didn't exist back then.

Thrush is in the DM again talking utter shite about school run mums.

She looks like a pig in a dress.

Tire That's the trouble w/ Thrush- bloody hard to eliminate it once it gets a hold, it thrives on vulnerable 'run down' people/society and it is caused by an imbalance in ones own 'personal' environment.

Always with the "address the behaviour" first line. Bad parenting is all it is!

Please come spend a day with my family and explain to me why one of my twin sons has behavioural issues in certain situations and one is impeccably behaved.

According to you, nothing to do with his Autism... it's all about my parenting!

We have just returned from a family holiday (our family, plus two of my siblings family's). First time they have really spent any decent amount of time with my ds as we live too far apart. I've had apologies from all of them for not offering to help me more after seeing first hand how his Autism affects every aspect of his daily life, and I don't just mean his behaviour, which by the way is just a small part of his disability.

My ds has Autism and every fucking day is a challenge for him... It's not some made up fucking disability to absolve bad behaviour.

Go get yourself educated.

That last post was or kitty In case anyone missed that...

She really is clueless. She is complaining about them displaying the very behaviour that SHE is exhibiting. Ironic.

I have found this thread very interesting. I can remember children at school in the 80s who were just written off but they may well have been diagnosed with a condition now (and may have had the help they needed). It's like many things, these conditions weren't known about then. Way back, people with depression were thrown in asylums - fortunately we know better now.

And reading about all the hoops that some of you have had to go through to get the support, that is terrible. Putting behaviours down to lack of discipline is surely too 'easy' that would mean you could 'fix' it. Am genuinely to read some of this. I have not been through it but I would like to offer you all - what you are doing for your DC is amazing!

In dc's school, the children with SN included a girl with cystic fibrosis, a girl with a connective tissue disorder, a boy with autism and a girl with Downs syndrome.

The group of children with SEN included only two of the above but also the boy who had been traumatised by watching his father murder his mother- you could see how that might interfere with one's ability to concentrate on the times table. In fact, this boy's behaviour was so disturbed that he had to have extra support to function in the classroom at all. The only funding for such support is in the SEN budget, so any child who is to have access to it has to be labelled SEN. I wonder what Ofsted think the HT should have done instead.

There was nothing medically wrong with him, but his educational needs were far, far greater than those of the children who merely had physical disabilities but no learning difficulties or behavioural problems.

Again, the boy with autism could not be safely left without 1-1 supervision, so a TA had to be allocated.

Pagwatch I used to work with a lad with poor impulse control - the bosses treated him like shit as a result - and yet he was the brightest, funniest guy I have ever known and very good at his job, he just used to get distracted and act without thinking things through.. I had to weigh in a couple of times on his behalf

8dayweek

Sorry I was off pretending to be a grown up but I see jake has already given you the gov link re the fraud figures so I don't have to find it myself.

What your talking about regarding historical claims....

The extra need benefit that is now called DLA/PIP before the early 70's was just called mobility allowence and was only paid afaik for mobility related disabilities and attendance allowence was for care needs (but introduced a few years before mobility)

Supplementary benefits were prior to IS was weirdly called supplementary benefit amd if you were to sick to work was invalidity benefit two types one contribution based or previous employment based the other none contribution based but this was deamed to be so discriminatory against women that in the late 70's changed to sever disablement allowence.

They also had benefits (and still do in some format as your aware) designed to compensate for disability things like war disability pensions.

Prior to about 1971 people who couldn't work due to disability had no additional support and were treated much the same as people who just didnt work.

When mobility allowence and attendance started going life time awards were rare unless it was rather obvious you wouldn't get better and in about 92 they started reforming them. Under 65's with life time awards were reassessed and many switched over to annual renewal DLA or 3/5/8 year renewals but those who were assessed as needing lifetime awards were often left on MA/AA with a long term staggered automatic change over.

It would have been highly unlikely for someone with a bad back likely to mend to have been able to first be awarded the circa 70's version and even more unlikely to retain it during the changes.

However I will agree that its a high possibility with the old means tested supplementary ones.

"I have to agree with KH which has never happened before, there seems to be lots of children with special educational needs compared to 30 years ago, it does seem in part an excuse if you have a naughty child People seem to like labels now

FUCK OFF, just FUCK OFF.

That is to Kitty1976 by the way.

We seem to be going round in circles a lot now - circles which begin and end with a fuck off. I think it is quite obvious that there are many people (sadly including other mothers) who cannot demonstrate sympathy, compassion or understanding towards SN children and are completely unreceptive to the efforts put in to educate them. They cannot see how learning about our children and exercising tolerance would actually make them better human beings all round

Sorry, I just caught up with this thread. I never tell people where to go, I just couldn't help myself

Don't apologise thorn. I am usually immune to comments from the likes of kitty.

Tonight after a very trying day, she caught me off guard too.

I just find it astonishing that supposedly intelligent people spouts such crap especially when their only source is probably some ill formed tabloid article that is taken as gospel. Obviously as parents of children with a disability, we know absolutely nothing!

It's astonishing and it's also actually made me cry.

I'm generally really resilient but I am exhausted trying to educate my own family let alone losers on the bloody Internet.

Firstly, I can not stand this woman's opinions and as a child with special needs I find it quite shocking.

Secondly, it is not easy to get a diagnosis at all, my dd as ADHD and she was seeing a peaditition for 3 years before she was diagnosed.

Thirdly, I do agree that there are parents out there that are quick to label their child themselves without a diagnosis and to use it as an excuse for their behaviour ( I know some with formal diagnosises too that do this), I however with 99% of parents of children with special needs dont see it as this and discipline them etc, we just find a way to manage it that works for us.

I find it really hard work trying to explain to people that special needs like ADHD do exist, particularly the older generation.

Sorry my rant over.

No, no web chats with that madam. Personally, I would like all media organizations to ignore her and her bile, and not give her any more 'work'.

If only she would crawl back under the bridge and sod off.

Does she ever think of the damage she is inflicting on her own children by being such a hateful snob?

'Thank you! Sadly I think we will soon see a huge spike in DLA "fraud" as PIP reassessment comes into play.'

I suspect stats will be used that way but they will be wrong.

PIP isn't judged on same criteria, therefore they are not comparable in this manner.

For example, my eldest gets HR DLA as he has to be watched all day and night due to aggression; 1-1 supervision clause. This simply does not exist under PIP, in 2.5 years it is conceivable that he will find himself financially unsupported yet with same level of needs that necessitate a significant disability in that he cannot go out alone, speak to strangers (eg in a shop or bus driver), tell the time.

It is desirable that people who use stats know how to do it properly but IDS has been chastised time and time again over this with no obvious results.

'I am exhausted trying to educate my own family let alone losers on the bloody Internet.'

Yes, that. Exactly that.

Pag I have poor impulse control, it is a nasty thing to have to live with. Some things Ic an get help with- eg I can hand DH my bank card- but other things- for example I knew a friend's future son in law was sleeping around and combined with my very black and white thinking ended up telling Grandma to keep an eye. It cost me most of my social life, my mental health for some while and pinpointed me as a vulnerable target that could be manipulated by a very nasty gang of older women with motivations that preceeded my appearance on that scene by a decade.