Just how common is it for a child to have "special needs" ?

[sameagain]

Both my Ds's (5 & 7) are judged to have SEN and go to special sessions to help with their difficulties. DS1 is an exceptional reader (talented & able list) does well in other subjects, but finds holding a pencil and writing difficult, so goes to gym trail which aims to help with fine and gross motor skills (he is generally uncoordinated, not just the pencil thing)

DS2 is very articulate, but one of the youngest in his class, struggles to apply himself and is trailing in reading, so goes to the SENCO for additional help.

I like the fact that they're offered this help, but also can't help thinking that they are probably problems that they will grow out of and that vast amounts on money may well be being spent on children who don't really need it.

I'm puzzled, Zazette. The paper by John Marks was not an experimental study requiring peer review, it was a series of statistics on SEN with all the sources well documented.

What educational agenda is it that you believe he wants to further by producing this paper?

I can see both sides. I am sure that Maverick would agree with me that a lot of reading problems are caused by dysteachia. Children should be taught to read by methods that proven to be effective.

My son's class were lucky in that the reception teacher used nothing but pure synthetic phonics to teach her class to read. However there were three children in my son's year who had hearing problems bad enough for them to have hearing aids. The school applied for and got local authority funding to get a soundfield system.

I am sure that without the soundfield system and digital hearing aids sythetic phonics would have been a flop. Surely this is an example of a special neeed that best met in a mainstream school using additional funding.

There are two in Ds's preschool (him included) but he manager has said there are children with needs that haven't been addressed as the parents show no interest or refuse accept.

"There are two in Ds's preschool (him included) but he manager has said there are children with needs that haven't been addressed as the parents show no interest or refuse accept. "

Often parents know more about their kids than childcare workers.

Prehaps the pre school are wrong about those children. Sometimes nursery nurses are too quite to make massive assumptions. They think just because they have attended a lecture as part of an NVQ in childcare they are experts. In many ways a small amount of knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge.

Glue ear is really common in pre schoolers and children do out grow glue ear. There are other children who development is a bit atypical without necessarily having long term problems.

TBH only a team of medical experts can diagnose a major developmental problems.

Then again, ReallyTired, not all parents are as caring and on the ball as we are. Some are even neglectful. My 10yo nephew's schooling has been disturbed for over a year by 3 children who appear to be on the autistic spectrum; the school is powerless to help as the parents don't want them examined. Noone has been learning much in the class, certainly not the three children mentioned.

Interesting thread..

FWIW, I agree with Lazymumofteenagesons - once dyslexic always dyslexic

Also agree with Reallytired - getting the right help early on can mean the ability to develop coping strategies.

My Ex BF (a lovely lovely chap - very successful, happily married with two kids) was terribly dylexic.

BUT, the help he got meant that he was able to get through his exams (wrote in mirror writing) and studied computer design... (something he is brilliant at)

He still IS dylexic, but it matters less, because he can cope with the things he struggles, and concentrates on the things he excels at.

If he'd been written off as lazy or slow when he was in primary school, I very much doubt his life would be as positive now.