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 snuck in when someone left the door open............

It wasn't me...

yeah silver you don't need to clarify why you need to be on the SN board unlike the essays we had to write lol

some of this won't be helpful at all, but here's how the NDCS (Nat. Deaf Children's Soc) break it down

www.ndcs.org.uk/applications/discussion/

CHILDHOOD DEAFNESS,

EDUCATION

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

EQUIPMENT

YOUR CHOICE

TEENAGE ISSUES

GLUE EAR

PARENTING

COMMUNICATION [1447]

FATHERS [95]

DEAF CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS [340]

GRANDPARENTS [1]

I only ever go on SN Children

I only ever go on the SN children but as only an occasional poster I should only get a quarter vote .

I totally get why a SN teens topic area is such a good idea but it seems they're are just not enough people posting there for people to get the support they're after. Would it be worth taking the opt out/in option off of the SN topics for a trial or would it quickly get messy?

OK - this consultation thread has run for a fortnight now.

Meanwhile the SN Education baord is still full of really desperate parents who are receiving no responses or many fewer than they wuld have had they posted in SN Children.

I find that really sad

When is a decsion on the way forward with these disperate SN Boards going to be taken please

I'm nearly always around, as a parent of a child with down syndrome, however most don't want my advice as he's more ASD/PDA.............so one size doesn't fit all.

when i first became a member of mn there was no sn section whatsoever...when the sn section was built up by mn it was a relief...i had somewhere to talk, somewhere to hopefully find answers, hoping someone could give me a little hope...a little advice....i have made some great friendships with some mnetters on here through...without actually meeting anyone face to face....ppl on here are supportive and may i say all in the same boat...we all worry for our kids with sn

may i just say...be happy what you have got because years ago on mn there was nothing.....

if my ds was still alive he would be 15...and i would of liked a teen section....it would actullay help and support others whose children are growing up and for newcomers......

support should be here for all...despite age, sex, dx, non dx etc it is called diversity....remember that plz ppl

If you have teens combined with children (as it used to be) it can freak out some people with younger kids. They don't want to read about how difficult life can be when our kids are older, about puberty and residential etc they are still full of hope and I'd hate to tread on that. I still go mostly on SN Children, although DS is 16, but I wouldn't start a thread or post something very teenage or for those further down the line on SN Children, I feel I should always try to be careful and sensitive to those with younger kids.

I still go mostly on SN Children, although DS is 16, but I wouldn't start a thread or post something very teenage or for those further down the line on SN Children, I feel I should always try to be careful and sensitive to those with younger kids

As the parent of a 9 yr old, TBH id rather you did post freely.

I dont think you can say that parents with younger children 'don't want to read about how difficult life can be when our kids are older' you really cant speak for anyone else!

I dont think anyone should inhibit their posting content to fit the perceived sensitivities of others.

I didn't mean they DON'T want to literally, I meant they often could do without it. I'm sure its not the case for everyone but I have found this to be the case in RL. In any situation on MN or in RL there are appropriate times to say things that can be helpful and times when it is not appropriate to share an opinion or experience.

OK, folks - thanks for all the suggestions and for the very interesting discussion.

To sum up, it looks like the majority would prefer:

Special needs: parents with disabilities
Special needs: children and young adults
Special needs: education - shared with Special Educational Needs in the Education topic (we'll figure out some way to do that)

With, possibly, also: Special needs: products

Sound about right?

Any mileage in a Special needs: newbies topic?

Or maybe a permanent sticky in Special needs: children and young adults, where we can welcome newbies?

I think a newbies sticky is an excellent idea.

I like this idea "permanent sticky in Special needs: children and young adults, where we can welcome newbies". Unchartered did start one but as it isn't sticky it gets lost in the posting frenzy.

oh well, i see no topic for post 16 so will give up

I'm not sure Helen. Education is the predominant topic in SN children and you'd find it hard to find a thread that didn't have some mention if school or the very least Local Authority.

I don't like the idea of education being in with special needs children.

Well thats one down, how many more mn's eliminated to get the balance in SN right. For all those not in the know and want a teen/post 16/post19 section try SK.

what is sk?

agree deviant..there should be post 16 section x