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...

As a mum of 3 DC's adults with SN &2 DC's with SN I wonder if a different site
would be helpful so transitional help would be helpful plus moving on to independent living.

I think 'SN: children', 'parents with disabilities' and 'carers' should cover most aspects. With some sort of signposting between the three, as (for example) much of the practical stuff on the SN board would be relevant to someone giving up work to look after an adult relative.

Hi All
I'd go for just Special Needs, full stop.
There's so much knowledge here and thirst for knowledge here, that I think it would be best to stay here, on this well-sought-after site, where all can find it!

sorry disagree that teens are still children
I know they are
but what you face at 16 plus is a lot different to what to face with a 5 year old.
I know the teens topic isn't a success, perhaps be cause it is for preteens as well. I gave up posting in the sn topic, one of the reasons being is that it is mainly about young children
I would love for there to be a place that people like me with over 16's could talk.

2old2beamum Sat 05-May-12 21:37:34
As a mum of 3 DC's adults with SN &2 DC's with SN I wonder if a different site
would be helpful so transitional help would be helpful plus moving on to independent living.

sums it up well

I tell you what would be absolutely fab Helen, but it might be a bit tricky to achieve

It would be great if posters could post in, say, SN Education, or SN Legal, and for it to be flagged appropriately for archive searching, etc., but to appear on the one 'SN page'.

That way, we could find all the juicy links to LGO findings, Tribunal information, SEN Code of Practice excerpts etc, because they would be appropriately grouped, but we could see all the new posts because they appear under SN, so we only have to look at one board.

Is that even remotely possible??? I know tech is amazing

I would actually recommend to have an ASD threat and a GDD category.
The SN children thread is dominated by former, which is fine, but it's hard to find
and follow the few other SN threads. Thing is the issues related to the two categories can be just the opposite, especially in regard to social behavior.

I think keep it all under special needs. I don't know if seperating the disabilities is the right thing to do. Quite a lot of children have co morbid and multi disabilities so don't just fit in one section iyswim. This would eliminate support for some.

stick with the 2

I only really use the sn childrens board, tbh so i think probably 2 boards, one for children and one for adults would be good.

As for the teenagers, i would prefer to put the with the children because some of us have a mixture of ages in the family and want to discuss all the children together. Also the children are all heading towards teens and we get to know each other on the children's board so they kind of grow together.

Sorry if this is rambling nonsense

I like Lougle's idea of a mothership where all topics appear but the different categories still exist on satellite boards.

Yes, exactly Hot. I think the other sections may well get used more that way and people can find people with similar issues as they will be flagged up, rather than having to click elsewhere. It will 'hook' people in more and may sort out the issue with teens, in that people want it but it doesn't get the traffic yet etc.

I think separating sn into dx's would be a mistake.
yes it is sometimes dominating by certain sn's, but there are a lot of cross overs.
if people are objecting to a proper Teens section why?
I feel sad that I have no where to ask about post 19

Absolutely! A SN 'Active Convos', which I also think would eliminate a lot of the tumbleweed effect. For example, if 2shoes posted in SN:teenagers, I might not feel I can contribute because I don't have that experience. But if it was on a SN active convos, I would, even though if I then did a search for it, it would be correctly classified.

It also comes into its own when a new poster is asking a question which they think is about education, but in reality they haven't even had good advice about diagnosis, therapies, benefits, etc.

Finally, for those of us who like to know the SEN CoP, for example, it will be easier to find the threads.

Yes introducing an "SN active conversations" would be the way to go. Plus making "teens" into "teens and transition to adult services" or just adding a "transition plus adult dcs with sn" section would be good.

please can I beg you not to add the transition part into the pre teen section, I know no one is listening but honestly 19 plus is not something you can discuss in teh same place as 11 plus.

I agree with 2shoes, its worth continuing the sn teens sub board, in future years hopefully there will be more traffic as existing posters kids get older, and it is still a useful place if someone wants to ask a transition etc specific question somewhere quieter than main sn board

Well I'm listening, 2shoes. Would a carers of teens to adults with SN do it? Unless we don't need the carers bit, but that would distinguish it from the adults with disabilities section, which is somewhat different?

I hear you 2shoes, I just don't quite understand what difference it makes? As far as I'm aware, there is no restriction to posting on any of the boards, so you would not be guaranteed only to have Post-16 discussions on the Post-16s board, etc.

I like the idea of having a SN active convos.

I am less keen on a SN chat (although can see why people would want it) as almost any thread that 'gets going' invariably has a lot of useful info posted, and it would be a real shame if that was then lost. I know that threads can always be moved, but that would defeat the object of having them 'disappearable' in the first place...

re: the teens and transitions etc. I don't know. I have a dsd with additional needs, and I have posted on the main SN children board for advice before, as that is where the traffic is. No point, imo, havingn the separate sections if no one (or not many) people are checking them.

obviously as the current cohort (of what seems like an ASD takeover) grows up, there will be more people about who have first hand knowledge of teen/transition issues.

but until there are more posters about, with teens, facing these issues, wanting to post about them, then the topics will remain a bit tumbelweed-y. if the threads were on the main SN children board, then you might get some more advice - from peopel with first hand experience who don't check elsewhere, from people who might have an idea or two, etc

Agree with 2shoes I think most of us are very concerned about our SN's when we are older and dare I say it when we are dead. Realistically is there any help for my 32 year old dear DS, 27 and 23 year old DD's I need people like you to mull things over with sorry I am getting emotional

I dislike the thought of a SN Chat where threads disappear. It has been invaluable for me reading previous posts to help me learn about helping DD. Personally I would be happy with two threads, SN children and teens and SN adults with disabilities.

don't like the idea of separating into sections for different diagnosis
the active topics thing is good