Harmful media rhetoric attacking SEN parents and children

[JH0404]

I’m so upset after reading this drivel by Samantha Brick, a woman famous for dragging people down to get attention. On the face of it it seems to be a very questionable account about non Sen children not being toilet trained, however it doesn’t take long to get to the insinuation and actual accusation that parents aren’t toilet training their children because they want the SEN label to claim benefits. So many nonsense points in this article like if the teachers were male there would be safeguarding issues - if ANY adult is providing this kind of care for a child there are safeguarding procedures. You only have to read the comments to see how many people are lapping this up calling parents lazy (which is a strange way to view it as the children spend most of their time at home where their parents will change them). This disgusting rhetoric that is pushed by idiots like Samantha Brick whose ‘source’ probably doesn’t exist is so harmful to the most vulnerable children in our schools. It creates a prejudice against them for something they can’t understand or control. This puts us at risk of judgement and hostility for meeting our children’s needs. I’m sure there are rules for mainstream journalism where they can’t publish actual lies. This reads more as a factual than opinion piece, it needs to stop.
https://mol.im/a/15506241

I agree. The mental gymnastics that some people do in order to deny the challenging realities of SEND is very sad. I believe this damaging rhetoric will continue for some time yet, but I’d like to think that in a hundred years time society will look back on it and be horrified by the callousness with which disabled people (especially children!) were treated.

I can’t read the article as it’s subscription only.
From the points you raised above though, I feel there’s a crisis in our schools, whether this is down to lack of resources and funding (most likely) or some children who come from homes where they haven’t been prepared for school, whether this is toilet training/ attention/ behaviour whatever.

I think it is unfair that all ND children and their parents are stigmatised as this article appears to be doing. Your reaction would indicate that you are trying your best for your child and take offence at the suggestion that problems are down to bad parenting, as you should.

I also think that there are, and have always been parents who don’t parent and expect the schools to pick up where they can’t be bothered. There have always been disruptive children who prevent others from learning.

Attitudes to neurodiversity seem to be changing, but schools and the funding they receive do not seem to have kept up.

This makes it hard for teachers and classmates to give and get the education they go to school for. Unfortunately it’s the ND children and their parents who bear the blame for this.