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Original poster

special needs section

27 replies

Gab2 · 03/08/2021 15:43

Why have the special needs been moved to "education" on this site? I don't understand it because in moving it there it makes are children less important than any other category. Our kids arent an "education" they are children just like all the other categories of children. I'm very annoyed about this especially because our chat threads disappear in with the huge category of regular education. Can someone please explain??

OP posts:
NiceTwin · 03/08/2021 15:47

It isn't in education, it is a sub section of education. There is an education within education.

Isn't SEN intrinsically linked to education?

BridgetInHerBravery · 03/08/2021 15:51

It hasn't been moved, the SN boards are still under their own topic heading. There has been a separate SEN board under the Education topic for yonks.

Original poster
Gab2 · 03/08/2021 17:37

It has been moved ages ago because I posted on it quite a few times and there was a notice it had been deleted and added as education. Why would you think special needs means a subset of education? Then why isnt teenager or baby or child? Special needs parenting or the everyday problems or experiences of a child is not education related. We are parents, not teachers. Its insulting and ignorant.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General education General parenting
BertieBotts · 03/08/2021 17:42

It's not deleted. It's right here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs

There is another SEN section under education, as others have said.

The normal one is hidden from Active Convos unless you opt in. This is to prevent people from jumping on a thread giving inappropriate advice.

Kite22 · 03/08/2021 18:11

What Bertie said

Winemewhynot · 03/08/2021 18:17

I think you being rather precious. Theres a special needs category and then an SEN section within the education category.

10brokengreenbottles · 03/08/2021 20:25

If it's not education related you can post in SN chat, SN Children or SN teens and young people.

The SEN section has been under education for years. It's placement there is because SEN stands for Special Educational Needs.

Recently some of the SN boards have been merged, including SN education, but not moved out of the SN boards. Originally the SEN board was going to be merged as well but MNHQ decided to keep it separate.

BridgetInHerBravery · 03/08/2021 21:53

Oh right, yes, there was an SN education board but hardly anyone used it so I'm assuming it was subsumed into SEN under education.

Most parents of kids with SNs post in SN children and SN chat.

10brokengreenbottles · 04/08/2021 10:14

Actually SN education was the third busiest SN board. I had a conversation with Michaelmumsnet about it on this thread.

SN education threads were amalgated with SN Children.

Original poster
Gab2 · 05/08/2021 07:54

A lot of different opinions here but the last post here is seeing what im seeing. I don't understand why others need to post snotty responses here when they don't have kids with special needs. They feel the need to say a special needs parent is being "precious". Its just complete ignorance really. The section was much easier to find when it was there under children, teenagers etc. Thankyou greenbottles for clarifying that.

OP posts:
Original poster
Gab2 · 05/08/2021 08:15

Its actually extremely difficult to find the sn chat because its not listed under parenting or talk. Those parents coming on here for the first time do so to read threads to see if people are going through the same as them. New special needs parents will look at this site and think there is not special needs section at all. No parent of a typical child can understand how important our section is and why its important we have our own section under all the other types of parenting. Its intimidating for us to make threads under "my kids demand brand name shoes" or "am i a helicopter parent?". Our kids dont demand brand name shoes and some of our kids can't speak at all. And we have to be helicopter parents all the time 24/7. Our normal is not your normal. Claiming that im being "precious" is like saying im into special needs for the disabled parking.

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 05/08/2021 08:19

The problem is that in years gone by people would respond to a thread not understanding autism or whatever and suggesting completely inappropriate things, or claiming the parent was overreacting or being precious.

Hence the hidden section was created, so that you could be fairly sure that anyone reading and responding already got it.

I'm not sure that works now that the site is bigger. As you say - it makes it harder to find for newcomers.

But there was originally a reason for the sections to be separated.

BertieBotts · 05/08/2021 08:23

It's in the topic list when you click on talk. At least on mobile and desktop sites. I don't know about the app as don't use it.

special needs section
Original poster
Gab2 · 05/08/2021 08:27

Bertie botts, when we had a highlighted section called sn chat under talk we would only have sn parents talking. You will obviously getting idiots posting if sn disappeared into regular parenting sections which is my we need to have our own. I wish they would put it back to the way it was. Honestly, if what you suggested is true then the whole site should be closed incase a non expert comments on anybodys thread from breast feeding to puberty advise.

OP posts:
Original poster
Gab2 · 05/08/2021 08:33

When I click on it its not showing at all on my laptop. When you scrolled over talk with your mouse its was there in big writing special needs but it is no longer. It used to be under the list baby, child teenager pregnancy etc.

OP posts:
MrsMcTats · 05/08/2021 08:51

On the app it is very clear - 'special needs' on topics list and then 'sn chat' is second on the drop down list.

BertieBotts · 05/08/2021 10:31

Ah I see - you're not talking about the topic list for talk. We're just looking at different things that's all. I didn't notice it had gone from there but then I don't really think I've ever used that list. I assumed that went to the pages with articles etc instead.

BridgetInHerBravery · 05/08/2021 10:32

I'm confused, I've used the SN boards for over 10 years under various names and it's always had its own section in that time.

IonaLeg · 05/08/2021 10:53

I think it’s a fair point that now that the site is so large it’s very hard to navigate. I’ve felt for a long time that mumsnet needs a significant redesign to make it more user friendly, and this is a great example of that.

I’m not a parent to a SN child so don’t have direct experience of what OP is talking about, but I find it really difficult to locate certain forums (like infant feeding and sleep) unless I have them bookmarked. The site is generally unwieldy and unintuitive.

OP - I wonder if starting a post in Site Stuff would get you further? You could explain the issue to mumsnet and see if there are changes they could make which would make the board more accessible.

10brokengreenbottles · 05/08/2021 11:50

OP SN chat, SN children etc. have been under their own section for many, many years, and the SEN board has been under education for many, many years. That wasn't the change MNHQ recently made. All the recent change did was merge some of the boards in the special needs section with SN children.

I don't think it would work if the SN boards were under Being a parent. At the moment someone new can find the SN boards in one area, they don't have to search though other topics. It also means posters who can provide excellent advice only need to look in one place in order to provide advice. That wouldn't happen if the SN boards were moved to be included under Being a parent.

I'm on my phone now so I'm seeing the mobile version but on the laptop with the desktop version you can still see SN chat, SN teens and young people, SN children and more... next to special needs. So I think the fact you can't see the board names under the SN topic is more of a problem with your account so starting a thread in site stuff asking why you can't would help.

Out of interest can you see, for example, primary education and secondary education next to education or AIBU and AMA next to other stuff

BertieBotts · 05/08/2021 11:57

I think the confusion is coming from this. OP is talking about this section (circled in red). It's accessed by mousing-over the Talk button in the blue bar at the top.

It looks like the topics that are chosen to display here are probably picked by an algorithm and based on the topics which have the most posts/traffic. So not MN deciding to remove special needs as such but it simply isn't as commonly used as other sections and therefore doesn't show up on the list.

I don't think it's a way most people navigate the site, which might be why people are confused?

I know that for me personally, I tend to click on Active, and if I want to look at a specific topic then I click on Talk (the big blue Talk underneath this drop down menu) and then find the topic I'm interested in from that list. I don't use the hover-over Talk menu from the blue bar. In fact I tend to ignore that blue bar entirely.

special needs section
10brokengreenbottles · 05/08/2021 12:01

Oh, I understand now. I agree with Bertie, it's likely to be based on an algorithm and I doubt most navigate the site that way.

BridgetInHerBravery · 05/08/2021 12:07

Thanks Bertie, I've never seen that, can now see why this didn't make any sense to me at all.

OP just needs to go to the topics list.

steppemum · 05/08/2021 12:10

Hi OP,
So I just looked for it.
If I click on talk and get a list of topics, then Special Needs is there with all its subs groups (chat, children, teens)

If you click on education there is also there a subsection for SEN education.

That seems to me to be pretty clear?

None of the threads appear in 'active conversations' but any new person clicking on the talk topics would immedately see the Special Needs section?

steppemum · 05/08/2021 12:13

Bertie - but the very first thing on the talk list is - all talk topics, and when you click on it you get the complete list?

the top topics is clearly that, the hot topics of the moment

Swipe left for the next trending thread