To think this is a load of virtue signalling rubbish?

[drspouse]

The ADHD Foundation has several displays like this (we saw one at a specialist school we looked at for DS as well) and various mainstream schools promote this.
Yet children with ADHD are 8 times more likely to be permanently excluded from school.
My DS is one of them.
If any of these schools are like his previous school (which just told us to take him out, didn't actually exclude him) the parents will all give lip service to inclusion and said our DCs would still be friends but have vanished in a puff of smoke.
DS has his only friend coming round tomorrow to play Mario. He's so excited but he hasn't seen him since October.

I see so many on here saying "why should my child make friends with this child who has a disability" "why should they have to sit with that child in class" "take your child off to a specialist school where they belong and don't bother the rest of us".

I know I'm going to get a load of "yes but" and "we have an excuse" and "it's better for him to be out of sight" but this is my lovely son. Who's on his third school and hates it and needs another one before he finishes primary, but we can't find one that is in any way suitable.
And honestly I really think the only point of school for him is to make friends.
This is his childhood and what is the point of childhood if you have no friends?
Anyway the point of this post is that if you have any ideas that children with disabilities should be treated equally - put your money where your mouth is.

adhdfoundation.org.uk/2021/06/25/adhd-foundations-iconic-umbrella-project-returns-to-liverpool-for-summer/

Are you in Liverpool or Knowsley?
I do agree though that the lack of friends, feelings of isolation is very difficult for children and young people who are neurodiverse.

@Ponoka7

Are you in Liverpool or Knowsley? I do agree though that the lack of friends, feelings of isolation is very difficult for children and young people who are neurodiverse.

We aren't, we are NW though not in that area, but this charity covers our area too.

I see so many on here saying "why should my child make friends with this child who has a disability" "why should they have to sit with that child in class" "take your child off to a specialist school where they belong and don't bother the rest of us".

I genuinely have never seen posts like this apart from possibly the occasional troll.

It's so difficult. When I was in primary school (I'm mid 30s now), ADHD was just starting to come to people's (or maybe my) attention. Unfortunately I heard more than one parent drawing a correlation between "ADHD" (they would use sarcastic air quotes) and e-numbers

In Year 5 there was a boy in my class who was well known for being the 'naughty' one and still sticks in my mind now, it was classic ADHD. He had some friends but they kind of kept him at arms length and especially looking back, it was so sad. He was ostracised.

I'm sorry you think it's virtue signalling, which maybe it is because it's not actually translating to help and support in real terms. Change starts with awareness though. You must feel so frustrated and sad for your son.

I organised a fifth birthday party for my adhd ds1 and invited his school friends and nobody turned up.

An Alpha Mum got him blackballed from the scout group.

Ds2, who's aspergers, had to change primary school three times due to being bullied then had to leave secondary school after only a few weeks due to extreme bullying.

It's sickening the way some students are treated.

That's so sad @fakehuman. I thought we were doing OK because until he left his first school he had a lot of friends. But that all went out the window when they told him to leave.

@Sparklfairy I have seen loads of "why should my child play with this other child" and "why should they invite the other child to their birthday party". Usually "they are too boisterous" or "they won't like it".