Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Original poster

bizarre advice in Junior magazine

47 replies

Jimjams · 07/01/2004 19:49

This month's Junior has a section on developmental problems. So far only read the section on autism.

Anyway under "what can parents do" it says mentions SALT, art therapy and cranial osteopathy. No mention of PECS or ABA or Son Rise or anything like that. It mentions diet but only in terms of hyperactivity.

It then goes onto say "If she (sic) has difficulty speaking give her the words she needs "oh so you want a chocolate biscuit?" Don't give the biscuit until the child has made some effort to use the words rather than merely pointing and screaming."

what???? which planet? "merely pointing" blimey if my son could "merely point" easily life would be heck of a lot easier here. And as for waiting for him to speak- he'd put his head through the window!!!! dear oh dear oh dear.
It then goes onto say

"autistic children often benefit from a changed environment. A holiday by the seaside, a ride on a train or a drive in the country can encourage an autistic child to talk more and communicate more freely"

OK at this point I fell off my chair laughing.

In some bizarre twist of reality it also goes onto say "with help, many autistic children can learn to cope with their problems, they can live independently, get jobs and so forth". Well I;m all for positive thinking but really? (There is a seperate section for AS by the way- I haven't read it yet- haven't dared!)

It also says that you shouldn't out an autistic child in nursery and you shouldn't try to get anyone else to help. "The consensus is that its easier for mothers to do the work themselves, rather than spend huge amounts of time trying to put together packages of care for a problematic child. In addition, it can be almost impossible to arrange help for an older child, who may be difficult, given to tantrums and not yet potty trained".

No mention of what happens when the mother has a nervous breakdown then! Seriously have these people spent 5 minutes in the company of an autistic child? The older children are too difficult to look after but the mother is expected to do it 24/7.

Oh hilarious. I''m off to read the rest. Respond and I'll email the responses to the editor. Honestly!

OP posts:
fio2 · 07/01/2004 19:54

pardon???? FFS!!!Sad

popsycal · 07/01/2004 20:00

oh
my
god
What is this person on?
We need to write a big joint letter to this obviously barmy magazine.......
Seriously I thikn we need to respond to this!

Hulababy · 07/01/2004 20:15

I agree with Popsycal. This is ridiculous an it needs redressing by people who actually know what they are talking about - people just like you JimJams. Maybe then the readers will find out how they can get help/assistance/support.

eidsvold · 07/01/2004 20:16

even to my very minute knowledge of ADHD and autism this is utter twaddle. What kind of a ridiculously ignorant person is spreading this gross misinformation?

misdee · 07/01/2004 20:19

what is JUNIOR?

sounds like they need education.

popsycal · 07/01/2004 20:21

we need to do something.....i will await jimjams coming back

Hulababy · 07/01/2004 20:29

misdee - Junior is a parenting magazine

Original poster
Jimjams · 07/01/2004 20:33

actually I;ve been unfair- I jumped a section- they do mention diet in more detail.

it was the bit about "autistic children often benefit from a changed environment" that I found really hilarious.

Honestly this has cheered me up no end- it is the most bizarre piece I have seen in ages. They have an "expert" child pschotherpist Jill Curtis who dishes out the most biazrre advice all the way through. In the seciton on AS she talks about the importance of limiting computer games. HAs she ever tried to limit an AS child's access to a computer? HAs she read anything by Luke jackson?

There's a really bizarre bit about how parents should go into school at lunch time to make sure their child copes and eats properly and isn't bullied (can just see the school's loving that). No mention of statementing or mealtime assistants. Also (you'll love this popsycal) "because of thoughtless teachers they may find themselves being belittled int he classroom". OK I know it happens sometimes but I'd rather read about statementing than that.

Misdee Junior is a bizarre magazine often descrbed as mini-vogue. It has kiddie fashion shoots where they wear tops costing 50 quid, or in this months issue polka dot dresses for 160 quid.

OP posts:
Original poster
Jimjams · 07/01/2004 20:33

I seem to be using the word bizarre a lot tonight

OP posts:
hmb · 07/01/2004 20:35

What a damn fool! Yes, much better to let mother struggle on alone, after all, you are all saints! Yes, well all know that autistc children just love change! This is so bad it almost makes the Times look good.

popsycal · 07/01/2004 20:38

you are right jimjams - I LOVE that quote.....

suedonim · 07/01/2004 20:47

I'l keep my 3.95 or whatever-it-costs in my purse then, shall I, Jimjams?? Junior is pretty off the wall at the best of times.

JJ · 07/01/2004 20:50

Being nosey, I found this article on the lovely Ms Curtis' home page (for some reason a .org.uk site, although it seems extremely commercial to me -- bugs me when people/companies do that). Anyway, that article is very similar to another one with probably an unwanted stereotype of autism illustrating it. Both articles tell you to buy the book (a book that seems irrelevant for the topics discussed) to "find out more", ie, the articles are teasers for the book. I think I dislike that woman on the basis of her website alone.

Haven't read the article and don't know too much about autism but "wtf?" was my initial reaction.

Original poster
Jimjams · 07/01/2004 20:59

ha ha on the bit "about Jill Curtis" she forgot to say that she is extremely patronising!. Thanks for that JJ.

I was thinking about the time we had a "holiday by the seaside" when ds1 refused to go anywhere near the sea or sand. He would run screaming from the beach and start headbutting the nearest hard object. Sure he really benefited from a changed environment. Now he likes the beach- he just won't sleep away from home (see my thread on travel about motorhomes) so we come home more tired than when we left.

OP posts:
katierocket · 07/01/2004 21:07

this kind of thing really annoys me because it can't be that hard for journalists and particularly so called 'experts' to find out what the correct advice is.

write in to them jimjams, if you'd just had a child diagnosed with autism and you read that it could totally send you off along the wrong track.

tamum · 07/01/2004 21:10

That really is staggering. A holiday by the seaside???? Gimme a break, I'm like eidsvold, no specialist knowledge but that one is blindingly obvious. At first I thought that they must have muddled autism up with Asperger's, but apparently not......

marthamoo · 07/01/2004 21:24

I remember a big fuss about an article in Junior a while back that described single Mums on benefits as all guzzling cans of lager while yelling at their kids (can't remember exact quote). They are really off in Cloud Cuckoo land a lot of the time re:fashion etc., but that article is beyond a joke.

Jimjams, you could write a letter and see if they will publish it in the next issue - or offer to write them an article (autism from the viewpoint of someone who actually knows something about it).

aloha · 07/01/2004 21:27

Oh, Jimjams, you know you just hate this article because you are far too lazy to do all of your ds's therapies yourself. After all, if you were a proper mother you'd also be a fulltime therapist and expert in everything and could also go into school with him and be his classroom assistant. And anyway, modern kids eat too much so if you refused to give your child any food until he asked for it you would find this an effective weight reducing regime for him. Anyway, I bet your son isn't autistic at all. You've just been far too persmissive with him....

(no seriously, do write to the editor. How else will they learn)

Original poster
Jimjams · 07/01/2004 21:36

This is a snip from the article mentioned by JJ below - from Junior's "expert"

"There is understandably the shock and disbelief on learning that your child is in anyway disadvantaged or handicapped. It is very hard to accept that this is so. And quite usual at the beginning for parents to block from their thoughts the fact that their child is going to need extra help and will have to be cared for in a special way, perhaps for life. It is as if denial of the problem will make it go away. If only that were so."

What patronising pile of cack. Now that made me annoyed whereas the Junior article made me laugh.

In the bit about AS they talk repeatedly about "sufferers" and "suffering" AS which will piss of many adult with AS that I know.

OP posts:
fio2 · 07/01/2004 21:39

arrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

making me mad, its like that woman saying my dd is like she is because i dont look after her properly....and then the gp saying she couldnt walk cos i carried her around too muchSad

JanH · 07/01/2004 21:45

Jimjams, you should offer to write a piece for them - a proper article I mean, for money, not just a letter! You write so well and are such a brilliant "mother from hell- advocating for my special needs child"

popsycal · 07/01/2004 21:46

go for it jimjams!

maddiemo · 07/01/2004 21:55

I also read this article. It covers all the old chestnuts such as "ability to perform great mental feats". "In a world of their own" etc.
The article doesn't stress enough issues such as lack of comprehension of language, lack of social understanding. Nor as you say Jimjams does it mention subtle indicators such as lack of pointing or showing.
Nowhere do they mention how hard it may be to access services. They make it sound as if the statmenting process is simple. Apparently "It is worth noting that if your child is statemented then you can take your pick of schools within your LEA" Yeah right.
Basically this is a tabloid fodder article.
What upsets me is that people read these articles and believe them and then assume they understand your childs condition.

Original poster
Jimjams · 07/01/2004 21:59

oh my goodness I got so overexicted I skim read and missed that bit about being able to take your pick of schools within your LEA.

That's why I ended up having to go out of LEA for my son's education then, and why so many schools said they were "full" or "didn't have the resources" (although he comes with a statement giving full time 1:1).

It's pretty shallow isn't it. If someone suggests we need a break by the sea to encourage ds1 "to talk more and communicate more freely" I'll know where they got the idea from!

OP posts:
coppertop · 07/01/2004 22:01

OMG!!!! What planet is the author from???