If it's the Special Needs session at the local splash park and you're not a SN family, would you stay or go?

[Waitrosejunkie1]

What would you do?

*Today 20:13 Lilly948204

OP I have just briefly skimmed through this thread and personally your responses seem really rude. I understand your frustration but your initial post wasn't very clear and you can't just "shout" at people in capitals because they don't agree with you. The other parents probably had no idea of the upset they were causing, and as such the people who run the location need to make them aware that they shouldn't be there during this time.*

You think this is the moment to pull me up on my use of capitals? Seriously? I was about to type that I'm sorry that you think my responses have been rude, but actually that would be a lie. I'm not sorry in the slightest. Hope that clears that up!

If I knew this session was planned there is no way I would take my (NT) children. Just like DH wouldn't go to our local female only swimming session!

If we didn't know before hand and turned up on the day and realised the session was running we would turn around and go home/elsewhere.

But I would be incredibly annoyed if it wasn't advertised widely and we got in at 1645 having changed three kids under 5. We would probably stay until 1710 then leg it out .

Communication is key. It would help to have someone around after say 4pm informing those coming in that the SN session would start at 5pm.

Can't believe people are quibbling over two hours a month set aside for children and parents who often struggle to do things that parents of NT children take for granted.

Two hours a month

Peachpudding I know you mean well, but your children would be better served by you leaving the activity while giving them an explanation of why it is that the children with SN need that time set aside specifically for them. Not by staying and taking up space that could be used by a child that the two hour session is aimed at.

well done Waitrose
It took me a while to find the capitals, you should have used more.

Mouseylouse I didn't avoid your question, I was offline. I have no idea which families are NT and which are SN. It isn't my place to ask either. But in a civilised society assuming it's clear that there's a session for SN families, the NT ones should do the sensible thing and leave.

"Does my family have additional needs which mean they can't ordinarily access this service/facility?"

It isn't a difficult question.

Is it possible Waitrose that the session was just unusually busy with sn families due to the weather/holidays? I'm sure my ds would look nt to most people.

I think that's highly unlikely. SN families represent a tiny proportion of the population.

Urgh this thread makes for depressing reading. Some of the posts by both nt and sn parents are just spiteful and nasty.

The obvious answer is that the organisers of these sessions should be planning and supervising the sessions better. Of course sn children should have the opportunity to use the facilities and it should be for more than 2 hours a month but if the organisers are just relying on a sign then that's poor organisation.

I also don't quite understand how the op knows that all of the children there weren't entitled to be there or didn't have sn. What if the warm weather prompted some families with children with sn to access the service who may not have been before?

My child also struggles to cope around NT children in physical activities because she is very delayed. She gets knocked over as they charge around the soft play. She can't climb easily and kids push past her impatiently. It's not just about quietness or staring.

I don't think shark was meaning that disadvantaged kids can't access it another time, just that it so happens that this week has been the only good weather out of a pretty piss poor summer so far, so naturally there is going to be a hell of a lot more people wanting to use the park, and that for a poor family on a nice day, its naturally the kind of place they'd gravitate towards as its presumably free, and she would feel a little mean throwing kids out on one of the only fine days of the year. thats all that was meant.

i think this thread just goes to show that as a previous poster said, parents of children with SN do not have a hive mind, and what is ok for one family with SN is not necessarily right for another, nor to two people think the same way. from my own perspective, it just seems that setting a session in an un-manned place like a splash park, isn't going to work very well. lots will not have seen the signs, lots will maybe misinterpret the sign as there being things on for SN, but not that they should leave. and of course, some may just not care.

Adreamisawish do you have Sen kids? I dont think a lot of us with Sen kids on here are nasty or spiteful. Tired, isolated, exhausted, sad, guilty the list goes on but not spiteful or nasty. I feel very passionate that my kids get access to as much as they can via "normal" settings and Sen sessions but we do need the Sen sessions. I do agree better signs are needed. You'd hope it wouldn't need to be policed if signs were better and that people would respect it being a session for children with Sen. I don't want to use them. Hell I'd love to be able to go to whatever but the fact is I can't because we cant. Because of noise and sensory overload.

I think that's highly unlikely. SN families represent a tiny proportion of the population

Around 6% of children are 'disabled' - I wouldn't call that a tiny proportion. Also 'SN families' could involve a disability in the adult and 16% of young adults are disabled. Therefore many families are eligible to use this session.

Your definition of 'SN family' is not necessarily the same as how someone else might interpret the sign. For example, my dd on a good day could cope with that park. According to your definition, she therefore could not attend this session. I however would disagree with you.

Of course NT children should not attend the session. However you don't get to judge families and diagnose whether or not they qualify as a 'SN family'!

MissDuke please see my post of 22:49

queen why is it relevant if my children have sn or are nt? I do think comments from both sides have been nasty and spiteful.

I do hope the op has got in touch with the organisation and pointed out the issues she has faced accessing the session.

Does anyone actually have a copy of what the signs said? they may be ambigious, or anything. we really dont have enough information to assume that there were tons of NT kids there taking over.

Where are the spiteful comments, adreamisawish, from SN parents?

Adreamisawish do you have children with additional needs who can't always access things that kids without those needs, can easily use?

Without trawling back through the thread waitrose the special snowflake nt kid comment comes to mind as being bitchy and unnecessary.

You're rather missing the point then. When there are comments like this gem

It depends, if i had just arrived with my dc without prior notice it was a sn session i would stay as not to disappoint them but if i knew beforehand i would go another time. I am sure they would not be able to exclude nt kids anyway?

it rather raises ones' dander. But in any case "special snowflake" isn't spiteful, just sarcastic.

No Umbongo. It's sarcasm.

Why is it relevant if my kids have sn or are nt?

Borne of exhaustion and frustration.