Social exclsuion in mainstream schools

[ericamac]

Hi all,
I am a final year student occupational therapist. I am hoping to develop a service commission within Social Care to help over come social exclusion of kids with learning difficulties such as dyspraxia in mainstream schools.

Firstly I'd like for you the experts to tell me is segregation still alive here in the UK in the 21st century ?

If your answer is YES, do you feel if the OT developed the childs co-ordination and balance for example they would be integrated better as they would be able to engage in play activities?

If your answer is NO, how is your child socially included?

Have of you experienced occupational therapy intervention? If so what did they do good/bad ?

Thanks,
Much appreciated x

Hello! I'm a third yr student nurse and feel like I have to write here. (Sorry if it's a lot of waffle and not at all helpful)
I don't know about "now" but I was diagnosed with dyspraxia at 8, they bought an OT to my primary school and I was kept in every break and lunch time for eight weeks at a time with a four week break (I know because I checked on my medical notes!) to use things like balance boards and throw bean bags in hoops, very useful in improving my balance maybe, but I was also socially excluded from my peers. I didn't have any friends throughout my entire school time and I don't think this exclusion helped at all.
I also remember doing other things like having to find countries on maps but I'm not sure that was OT implemented!
I also went to the local hospital on a Tuesday afternoon and received OT and physio support, but if my memory serves me correctly (my medical notes are brief!) they did much the same there and they sent you home each week with a game/puzzle for improving fine motor skills. - The school used to keep me in doing these too :(

Hopefully things have improved since then, I left primary school 13 yrs ago!

Hi,
My DD is 13 at M/S secondary. She has SPLD's and although she has not been diagnosed with Dyspraxia she struggles and feels different. She has a statement and one of the things is to support her sensory issues. OT from Barnados goes in once a term and set a plan for school to carry out. This involves doing a sensory diet, we do it at home before school and then it is done at scool before the afternoon sessions.
She is now socially exlcuded from her peers and says she has no friends from her peer group. During the form time each day she does special needs intervention, she misses assembly. At lunch times she has an early lunch pass and goes in with other special needs children and then goes straight to the support room where she does her sensory diet. However she does seem happy enough and gets on with the other girls in the support room and it is a hang out place with TA's to chat to.

I feel so upset that she is missing out trying to make friends with her peer group and she does not do any activities out of school where she is interacting with other children and she does not get invited to friends nor does she feel comfortable having anyone round to ours. School have mentioned to me that they are concerned that she has no chill out time and interaction with her form group, but they don't come up with a solution! She is already disqualified for MFL 3 hours a week to do intervention. I am beginning to wonder if this is enough.