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Original poster

To take my SEN child to the beach?

250 replies

coronaandtired · 07/04/2020 18:30

DS is 7 and autistic and we live ten minutes from the beach. He is struggling greatly with being made to stay at home and is used to going out to the beach park etc every day. He also has sensory needs and obviously the beach provides a lot of input.

I'm not sure what the guidance is for SEN kids or if they are exempt from the 'only go out for exercise or to buy meds/food' rule. I wouldn't take DS unless I knew they were exempt, so don't think I'm going to just load him into my car and drive down there!

Just wondering if anyone has heard of a relaxation of the rules in this regard?

OP posts:
SmileEachDay · 07/04/2020 18:31

Why can’t the beach be your/DC exercise for the day?

ViciousJackdaw · 07/04/2020 18:32

I'm not sure what the guidance is for SEN kids

Guidance is the same for everybody. No exceptions.

Lolwhat · 07/04/2020 18:33

Guidance is the same, take him for a walk on the beach if it will do him good, stay away from people and don’t go if it’s packed

SinglePringle · 07/04/2020 18:33

There hasn’t been any ‘relaxation’ of the rules. For anyone.

That said, how long would it take / could you walk to the beach and go at a time when it’s likely to be empty?

It must be very hard having a child with or indeed having SEN oneself in these circumstances but it really is ‘One Size Fits All’. I do feel for you though.

bridgetreilly · 07/04/2020 18:34

There's no exemption for people with SEN, but also, he's allowed to go out for exercise daily, like everyone else. Take him to the beach if it's empty and you can let him run round as much as he likes.

PineappleDanish · 07/04/2020 18:34

No, you can't do this. We know it's tough. But there aren't exemptions.

LolaSmiles · 07/04/2020 18:34

They're not exempt.
Everyone has been told the same 4 reasons.

There's since been clarification by Matt Hancock that in some cases it is reasonable to drive for exercise. Some have taken this to mean that it's fine if it's not really safe to be exercising near home, others have taken it as a green light to drive to nice local places and hope they're quiet.
You'd probably have more of a reason than others, but if your area is anything like mine then the councils will have closed the car parks close to all local beaches precisely to discourage people from driving to the beach.

Prepare to have a bun fight though OP as some will insist it's your right to do whatever you like as long as it's not prohibited specifically in law (conveniently ignoring that nowhere in law does it give the exemption on driving to exercise), and others will insist that so much as breathing out your front door is tantamount to mass murder.

SachaStark · 07/04/2020 18:35

I walk on the beach every day, as it is within walking distance from my home.

If you wanted to do the same thing with your child, you would have to walk there, not drive, and keep moving whilst on the beach.

Where I live, there are signs all over the road to the beach reminding people that they should not be driving there, and I have seen police there a couple of times ensuring that people keep moving on the beach, not hanging around.

Original poster
coronaandtired · 07/04/2020 18:35

Thanks for being so clear, can anybody point to any evidence of there being no exemptions etc, as I heard there were (but haven't been able to find anything I'm writing)

OP posts:
NotExactlyHappyToHelp · 07/04/2020 18:35

Do you live in the UK? If so you’re well within your rights to take him to the park/beach for daily exercise regarding you maintain physical distance from people not in your household.

Driving there is a separate issue. Could you not walk there? Or walk to the park?

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 07/04/2020 18:35

No exemptions. He’s not less likely to catch it or pass it on. Exercise should be in your local area only so no driving to locations. This has been on the news a lot.

daisypond · 07/04/2020 18:35

Take him to the beach and have him walk and run around on it. But you can’t sit down and have picnics etc.

Ilovellamasandpenguins · 07/04/2020 18:36

SEN children are no different to the rest of us.

I’d take him to the beach as long as it’s quiet and let him run free - I can’t see this being a problem.

daisypond · 07/04/2020 18:36

You are allowed to drive a short distance to do your exercise.

SmileEachDay · 07/04/2020 18:38

Thanks for being so clear, can anybody point to any evidence of there being no exemptions etc, as I heard there were (but haven't been able to find anything I'm writing)

Why do you need an exemption- it could be your daily exercise?

Elpheba · 07/04/2020 18:38

I live by a beach and can walk there. Previous poster is right that certainly here they’ve closed all the car parks and vehicle access and police are doing regular patrols to check people aren’t in big groups and are actually moving- not sitting and playing. We’re fairly rural so I’ve seen more police here in the last week than I’ve ever seen since living here!!

Billyeyelash · 07/04/2020 18:39

I thought the rules were you can walk to a beach in your 1 hr exercise if it's local to you. Or drive 1 mile to a location for the 1hr a day exercise.

The only exemptions I know for SEN is of they are vunerable then it's total lock down.

I have a young one with SEN. I sympathise, it's tough but we need to keep them safe (be nice to keep sane as well but I hope if we do this right, then the quicker restrictions are removed.

daisypond · 07/04/2020 18:40

OP is only ten minutes from the beach.

GrumpyHoonMain · 07/04/2020 18:41

You can go out for medical reasons as often as needed and exercise could be that. Speak to your GP and they could write a letter you can show if anyone challenges you.

Nettleskeins · 07/04/2020 18:42

There is a.loophole in that you are not legally.prevented from driving for exercise if it is local. 7 mins sounds local to me, if the beach isnt closed. There is something else in the law which suggests that if you are at risk from illness and injury you.can go out, perhaps this.medical need would apply to your son. But tbh, you are going out for exercise locally, why is that against guidance, if there is no reasonable means of exercising within walking distance of home!

Ilikefresias · 07/04/2020 18:44

There are no exemptions. My friend has a son with autism who loves a drive in the car so she asked the police about this. She hoped they would say it was ok and perhaps put her numberplate on a list so as not to stop her. They said no way! Rules apply to everyone

SachaStark · 07/04/2020 18:44

But is that 10 minutes by walking, or 10 minutes by driving?

10 minutes walking is easy, that’s only half a mile away.

10 minutes driving would be a no-go, and you’d struggle to walk there and back with a child during daily exercise, I think.

blue25 · 07/04/2020 18:44

It’s the same rules for everybody.

Otherwise lots of people will find an excuse for the rules not to apply to them.

bigbluebus · 07/04/2020 18:45

I came across this yesterday so as it stands there are no exemptions
www.bindmans.com/news/disabled-people-and-carers-challenge-governments-limit-on-outdoor-exercise

Sennetti · 07/04/2020 18:45

doesn't matter op is only ten minutes from the beach....no,and NO exemptions

why do you think theres exemptions for your ds op? thousands of sen people in uk, nobody is exempt from the guidelines here!

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