Please come talk to MNHQ about Special Needs topics: better with fewer of them or not?

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

We're looking into streamlining/reorganising our Topics list to make it easier for people to find the best topic for their thread, and to make it easier for everyone to find their way around Talk.

And, following on from some of the points raised on this Site stuff thread, we wanted to ask you folks about the range of SN Topics in Talk.

Currently, as you know, we have...
Parents with disabilities
Special needs support sessions
Special needs: children
Special needs: education
Special needs: legal/financial
Special needs: recommendations
Special needs: teens and pre-teens

Do you think it might be a good idea to lose some of these, given that some of them (legal, education, recommendations, in particular) are quite underused?

Would it be better to have fewer topics, so that every OP was more likely to get replies to their threads?

Or do you think the balance of Topics is fine just as it is?

Please do let us know...

I would vote for a single 'Special Needs and Disabilities' topic.

Parents with Disabilities gets so little traffic it's not worth having a topic to itself. (I speak as a parent with a disability and also as a parent of a child with a form of special need.)

The thread titles give you an idea of whether a thread looks relevant to you or not.

MN topics need serious rationalisation.

Or we could just all get cross and flounce and then we won't need any categories at all.

if you look back through my posts fallen you may pick up with where and what I have agreed with you

I'm a bit lost tbh.

Is THIS a discussion summary?

SN teens gets little traffic
SN children regular posters suggest it is merged with the board that does.
A couple of SN teen posters don't want that whilst expressing upset that teens gets little traffic.

that's it in a nutshell Star

but that's another argument for some...................it should be all about support, being able to give it as well as feeling you have it. It's about not making some feel isolated as well as not isolating some etc etc

It also shows as with all SN, one size doesn't fit all and life is never perfect or easy with a child with SN.

I fail to see how my expression of sadness that you view things the way you do is mean, 2Shoes.

This is a really simple issue. You can dress it up, you can strip it down. But either way, there will be no more 'traffic' in an area just because there is a section for it.

I like the suggestion by Ben10

ACTIVE SN (all posts within sub-topic displayed)
---Special needs: parents with disabilities
---Special needs: children and education
---Special needs: teens and adults

Surely this would cover all needs - teens and young adults are facing similar issues - either looking forward or going through the post 16/19 stuff. This wwould be inclusive for those who want to talk to people understanding the new issues they are facing.

I may be talking out of my arse but have we cosidered what our SN DC's feel. My 2 DD's now adult can read but have limited intellect. They would be affronted to be thought as children. I am not trying to protect parents with younger children they can still browse and offer advice.

@WetAugust

Which is why I started this thread...

Actually, we at MNHQ started this thread, WetAugust. As part of a general consultation with our users about reorganising the Topics list.

@2shoesqueenofeverything

I wish I could get this across , But I seem to fail every time, maybe it is my wording , but will try again. my dd is 17, we are facing 19 plus, it will be the biggest step we have ever made. someone with a 5 year old for instance will not be facing this, they will not know anything about it, anymore than I can now really advise someone with a 5 year old. so I suppose I was looking for a new home, I did hope the teens(sn) topic would work, but sadly it pre teens and teens.(strange that in the nt part of mn these are separate) I just wish there was a topic for people like me with older "children" sorry but I don't like the "oh well they are all children" if that is the case why so many topics on mn as a whole. it could all go in one topic.

We have no problem with a separate SN: young adults topic, 2shoes. We are just trying to gauge whether the majority would prefer fewer topics (with, therefore, a greater chance of most threads being answered) or more topics (with a chance that some topics will be very quiet).

We're and that anyone would think our aim is to exclude.

@2shoesqueenofeverything

sorry but I want to talk to people who are going through it, or have been through it, thats all really, I realise it isn't going to happen on the sn topic on mn. I think it is a shame, but mn hq have gone with the majority, fair enough.

;Lougle,
so why is there a teens topic and a pre teens topic in the nt part of mn?

And we haven't 'gone' with anything yet.

For me, it isn't that I WANT fewer threads, it is simply that I want fewer threads to go unanswered, because I have benefitted so much from this forum and have no idea what I would have done without it and am just gutted at the thought that there are people out there that don't know the ropes who get missed.

@zzzzz

Goodness! this has all got very emotional and a little involved.

We can disagree with each other without seeking to exclude or upset.

We can hold totally apposing views and still support and learn.

Whatever the outcome it does not imply that those who supported that idea are more welcome, or have more place here.

I post on sn children, because 2 of my children have sn. I also post on other non sn topics. I don't visit other sn topics and so don't see the need.

For the record my children will be my children (both sn and not) forever, and I will be their mother.

For the record I do not need anyone to candy coat my possible future for me, I am an adult and perfectly capable of not reading threads I find unhelpful.

Helen my advice would be to look at the stats for who is posting where, and see what makes sense. Change is not always a bad thing. I don't envy you at all.......who knew this would be such a huge deal?

Thank you, zzzzz.

We do look at the stats but that is not the basis for our decision-making here (though it might be elsewhere on the boards).

Our main aims are a) to arrange topics in a way that is as inclusive as possible b) to arrange topics in a way that ensures OPs stand the best possible change of getting a timely answer c) to be as welcoming as possible to newbies.

But we don't have to change anything at all.

@HotheadPaisan

Helen, can you make SN: Education appear within SN: Children?

Well, only by making it SN: Education and Children.

Is that what folks want?

We were actually wondering about SEN in the Education topic. And trying to make that a shared topic with SN: Education. How would that play, do you think?

@HotheadPaisan

It's tricky, SN Active Convos is what we need really!

The simplest way to have an SN Active Convos is to only have one MNSN topic (called Special Needs) and then make it so that the thread titles specify what specific area of Special Needs you're discussing.

Helen, in principle that's great.Would you be able to get around the fact that the SN section is 'opt-in'? I'm wondering if we'd end up with posters who have opted in seeing more post than those who haven't, so perhaps confusing?

Oh well, tech's great, I'm sure he'd be able to sort it.

I still think a SN active convoys would be fabulous!