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 have post on threads and been completely ignored, yet when someone further down says the same it's welcomed. It hurts and makes you feel not welcome/or valued and makes you refrain from posting

That happens all over this forum TBH. usually due to pace of a thread.

never used to and some of these are very small threads with not many posts, tend not to go on ones with large or numerous ones.

you know a lot of what I have said on this thread has been highlighted by others, proving to me you are not to have an opinion/experience. It verges on bullying, wanting me to leave...........

Now this could be just the way I am feeling on a very suicidal day, however it is still not giving me much hope in the board itself............yet again proving no change.

or maybe not bullying, can't think straight.............maybe singled out!

I'm not the only one in the thread to have said they felt a difference.

I can only speak for myself but im highlighting your posts because I am trying to understand and yes maybe resolve some of the issues here.

Im genuinely sorry that yoou dont feel supported here, im trying to show that I am willing as much as im able to show support.

All the traffic is in SN children.
It all depends on how you use MN, how you search. I always click 'Last Day' and then scroll down to SN from there. I have no idea how anyone elses searches !!

Dev, there's you, 2old and 2shoes that have raised similar issues.

2shoes said goodbye, so there is no point in responding directly to her, 2old has been answered but not posted since so the conversation with her is on hold.

I'm not sure what is going wrong for you though as you say that you're not getting the engagement, but then when posters take stock and try you feel singled out.

Tell us what you woukd want to happen, ideally, that woukd work for you?

Dev I certainly didn't mean to single you out - I was just responding to something specific you said about the board no longer being supportive, and truly ime nothing could be further from the truth. No, I don't really know what really went on at that point, but the thing is that now, the board is made up of genuinely helpful, supportive and kind posters who only want to help and be helped themselves. No hidden agendas as far as I can see.

I agree, it is annoying when you say somehting and it seems to be ignored, I think this happens to many of us (me included!) but I try not to don't take it personally, think it's just the nature of the board.

Honestly I think it's a huge shame for you and others who, because of past events, feel there is no longer a place for them on this board

I think most of us on this thread, and MNHQ by opening this discussion, are trying to ask you what would help and make you feel more inclined to post?

star I am still here but have been busy with DC's. I am thinking about this thread and I can see both sides and my DC's spread across the board. I have got broad experience of SN as have had 6 (sadly 1 DS died at 13) I try very hard to stay neutral (me I am a wuss) However I do think a lot more could be done to make people feel more included, personally I don't feel left out. But what can we do to keep people feeling more wanted.

can I come back to this??

I have a pounding headache, can't think straight and really could do with something light hearted atm.

2old I can see why people might feel the board is ASD-heavy atm, and that it might therefore feel irrelevant/useless/exclusive to parents dealing with other SN.

But anyway what could - or should? - be done about this?

I think that the Friday night type threads are a good start at encouraging people to chat to each other, without being focussed on a particularly diagnosis/therapy/age group etc.

@ devientenigma

thanks Amber or

Dev, truly sorry that you don't feel included-you and I used to 'speak', many moons ago. However, even when threads are started e.g. Kids who can't attend school, you always point out that your situation is too different from others'. Not saying that's wrong or untrue, but I think people do get put off replying if it will be rejected as 'you don't understand'. The other thing is that I have seen you start despairing threads and people ask what's up but you don't return. Just suggesting that perhaps these things don't make people put in the extra effort, and nor does posting at every opportunity how unsupportive everyone is. Hope you take this as the explanation it's meant to be x

thanks, I thought I have said what was wrong on my despairing threads. I think maybe I don't return as I feel the thread is over, it's gone way down and sometimes I just can't find it. The SW gets annoyed at us (me and DH) because we are very much live in the moment. So if DS is having a good minute, we are. Maybe this is where I am wrong. I do feel I don't explain right at times. I do feel we have a really long history and tbh find it so hard to write everything in a snippet. Maybe it's time I called it a day on MN too.

You've obviously name changed and I'm no good at games but you have me curious who you are, what we talked about and how many moons lol, anyway I hope all is well for you and your family, take care x

Devientenigma and 2shoes, can I just say, all the other stuff aside, that my view of both of you is the same:

I have always, and will always value and respect your posts and the experiences you share here. I noticed that you were 'gone', but as I mainly lurk here now, and myself feel somewhat isolated on the board (not as I would like to be, but nevertheless it is how it is), then it's not that logical for me to be saying where's....?

I'm sorry you both feel so isolated in an already lonely world. I do too, just not sure how I can change it.

Deeply sincere and unmumsnetty hugs to you both.

(((hugs))) lougle, you have me crying again now.

lougle what you have said sums up my feelings To devient and 2 shoes more hugs unmumsnetty to you both and for you lougle. Let's all try and be supportive because we really need it.

Dev, I know what you mean; sometimes it's hard to sum up everything in a post, and threads do move really quickly. I post less now- I used to post daily - partly because I hated all the off-site bitching like TTR and on Facebook BUT I know that the important thing is what binds us all, regardless of the type of SN or age of child, is the need for support in finding our children's place in the world. Because of that, I know that people on here might not be able to empathise 100 per cent of the time, but it's better than most can manage in RL.x

Am sorry to see so many people who feel so isolated and unsupported.
I very much apprecieted Lougle's p-o-v, on my recent 'why bother getting as AS statement'. I had no idea you felt like this Lougle. If I didn't tell you at the time, that I valued your opinion, let me say it now.
This is not good. We need to make sure this isolation/unsupported feelings by Lougle, Dev, and others, is addressed.

to all for a start.