Please or to access all these features

SN children

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

Help help help help - my pants are on fire - blardy racist feckers.....

38 replies

StarlightMcKenzie · 26/02/2013 13:28

www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/278458/0083689.pdf

Last sentence at bottom of page 163.

I'm so Shock tbh I don't know what to say/do!?

OP posts:
babiki · 26/02/2013 15:59

Quite surprised to hear about Romania and ABA! I'm from the Czech Republic and while OT, Salt and especially Physio is excellent, ABA is only mentioned in academic writing.
Inclusion started few years back, but with no legal framework, it is a complete mess.
And attitudes of people are still much much worse than here, disablist language common, staring in the street etc. Financial support very difficult to get now. And don't get me started on Roma...

KOKOagainandagain · 26/02/2013 16:20

The matter can be further complicated in that the 'white' population has been known to express views that 'foreign' doctors are less likely to understand difficulties relating to social communication in a 'host' community ...

bochead · 26/02/2013 16:46

They don't call it "ABA", in Romania. Too inward looking a culture. They'd die before calling it ABA but it uses all the same principles. You are right too about the lack of legal framework, but then the all effort has been put into getting their sleeves rolled up and working with the kids rather than talking shop.

Their SN system just isn't saturated with trendy buzzwords and their whole approach is incredibly down to earth and about calling a spade a spade. There is no money at all for endless "professional meetings" and all the codswallop professionals over here have to wade through. Here people make a living out of being incomprehensible to the lay person through the use of jargon.

I think it translates as "intensive teaching", or "systematic evidence based" but having compared there and here with the help of an ex-MIL who is a primary teacher over there, the variations seem to be as small (or as wide) as you'd find between two different providers over here.

Just as an example lots of people will be familiar with - the very popular "write from the start" handwriting programme we use here is the standard mainstream way that ALL children are taught in Romania as the evidence proves it to be the most effective. (Author = Teodorescu & the clues in the name lol!).

I fully agree about the treatment of the Roma - to say professional & public attitudes are disgusting doesn't begin to cover it! Those awful orphanages are still being refilled with unwanted babies/children daily even though it no longer hits our press too. It's not all sunshine and roses over there, particularly in the current economic climate which has left a lot of E. Europe in a far bigger mess than Greece.

Some of the best professionals DS has come across (including his NHS SALT who deserves national recognition imho) have been from various ethnic minorities. The issue in my area is that the gatekeepers to professional services seem to have been the survivors from Noah's flood that somehow got stranded on their own little hill fort of bigotry and ignorance.

moondog · 26/02/2013 16:58

Very interesting Bochead and relevant points about not having the time or money to spout jargon and go to countless meetings. They just get on with it. I love 'Write from the Start' too.

Folk constantly bleat about inadequate staffing and resources.
I disagree.
There are too many people involved in this industry in this country.

Talking of meaningless jargon, the people who wrote the document Star refers to need shooting, purely for calling it a 'toolkit'. A toolkit is a large metal box full of useful tools ti fix and mend things, not a meaningless patronising write on diatribe that is neither use nor ornament.
Noone reads this stuff anyway-certainly not those charged with delivering a service.
I'd never read nor even seen the SN CofP until I realised it would be useful to me. None of the people I was dealing with had ever read it either.

babiki · 26/02/2013 17:02

Very interesting Bochead!
Agree with the meetings, nothing like that I know of too. In the Czech republic they are now 'discovering famous' British Teach system and visual aids (haha). Should have probably stuck with their own stuff.

babiki · 26/02/2013 17:10

Just checked the Write from the start, it's on my wish list - thanks.
You are right though - no fancy names for it, bit this is very similar to what every child would be doing in the kindergarten, led by university trained teachers... and start school when they are 6-7 and ready...
Fusion of the best bits from what is working in various countries would be the best.

zzzzz · 26/02/2013 17:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MareeyaDolores · 26/02/2013 19:41

I'm a big Montessori fan, when its done properly. Multisensory learning, structured environment with some choice, routines and visual cues, emphasis on social skills, look at the dc's needs and gifts rather than their date of birth.... this is effective universal teaching which also works well for dc with SN.

And TEACCH nicked it Wink

zzzzz · 26/02/2013 19:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

moondog · 26/02/2013 20:04

Aye.
Proper Montessori stuff is top notch.

EllenJaneisstillnotmyname · 26/02/2013 20:27

I skimmed the document and found it to be pretty good and honestly trying to improve matters for DC with autism?

I think that sentence in context is actually criticising the way ethnic minorities are treated in this predominantly white country and the 'white service provider' is just shorthand to describe how ethnic minorities feel, surely? If this is/was the perception then this document is challenging it and trying to make practitioners realise that this perception must not be allowed to become the truth.

StarlightMcKenzie · 26/02/2013 20:52

I think if the 'white service provider' blame their colour and not their attitude, - at least in my last LA for hostile receptions then they are being very naive indeed.

OP posts:
EllenJaneisstillnotmyname · 26/02/2013 21:01

It is a direct quote from Shah, though, and not their own words. But even good policies don't always translate into good practice, of course.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page