SN area: possible topic re-jig - please let us know what you think

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

A while back, a few posters on SN suggested that we might consider closing off some of the less well-used SN topics, to make it easier for newbies and make it more likely that people's threads would be answered.

Having looked at the Google Analytics stats that tell us how well certain boards are used, the following four are pretty busy and we'd be reluctant to close them:

SN Chat
SN Children
SN Education
SN Teens and Young Adults

This leaves SN Support Sessions, SN Recommendations and SN Legal. We could close these to new threads so that the existing ones are still there and can be searched via the archive (and indicate to anyone trying to start a new thread there that they should go back to one of the four topics above).

Does this seem like a good idea? Does it answer users' concerns? All thoughts welcome...

DS has just come home from work, and I've sent him out again for crumpets.
He sighed when he saw me with the empty packet, he knew what was coming.

Bit late here as usual but totally agree with PolterGoose's first post they will always be our children however old they are and I value, despite being old, experienced parents support. Thanks

Where's the crumpets then?

You lot are mad and you are sucking me in!!

Maybe just sn and sn chat? I must admit I love the pub thread

I prefer disabled to special needs, but I think it would have to be disabled/special needs - as I think there is a grey area where people are just wondering if there is something going on with their child and I think disabled might be too big a leap in that position.

Agree with zzzzz about the word 'speshul' which I have seen several times on the main board and been shot down as PO when I have pointed out it's offensiveness.

Disabled/Special Needs - General
Disabled/Special Needs - Chat
Disabled/Special Needs - Crumpet Shop

How about that?

I prefer SN and SN chat. Just 2.

SN Education feels like a liability and I post there often to signpost to here. But I do so with annoyance.

I agree with just the 2 topics - SN chat and SN children (don't mind if title is changed to disabled).

I have had a teen/adult with SN who I am responsible for throughout the time the teens board has been there. to my knowledge, I haven't knowingly posted there - I am sure I may have responded to a post or two seen from Active convos (woud have clicked because of thread title, not because of topic it was in), but I haven't ever managed to remember to even check there, let alone post there.

agree with Goblinchild re: number of visits being misleading. I woud hate for visitors to be turning up, perhaps having heard of MNSN sections, looking in, seeing vast deserts, and wondering what all the fuss is about.

my dd1 is not that far off teenage years

I can't see that I'll change my posting habit at that time.

I still don't like the chat section, as I don't like the thought of valuable threads being lost (out of interest, how many threads have been moved across to avoid deletion, as this was floated as a potential outcome to avoid the loss of important info and links [obv with posters permission/at posters request, etc]), but I do see why people want it. it just doesn't work for me.

I think special or additional needs needs to be in the title if it is changed to disabilities because it can take a few years for some parents to think of their developmentally delayed children or those with developmental uncertainty as disabled. Well it took me a while anyway. What will you do with parents with disabilities? Would that be moved to the health board?

I just use SN children, mostly because I forget the other ones are there .

Disabled or SN, I don't know. I refer to DS2 as disabled as that's what he calls himself (he has severe hypermobility and hypotonia). I have dyspraxia and wouldn't call myself disabled though. I might say I have SEN. DS4 is technically disabled as he gets DLA but I would describe him as having a chronic illness at this stage. I think all these things come under SN although I hate the "speshul" thing too. Makes me think of a stereotypical image of a perfectly behaved child in a wheelchair, smiling sweetly while strangers pat them on the head. DS2 isn't like that at all and DS4, you can't tell there is anything wrong when you first look at him as babies his age would be in a buggy anyway. A lot of people when we first meet them just think he is a very large 2 month old instead of 10 months with development delay.

I have 4 boys so constantly find that someone has eaten the thing I was looking forward to. I've started putting the really nice waitrose ice lollies underneath the frozen veg in the freezer and leaving the cheap ones in the bottom drawer where we normally keep them .

Hello again

Over the same period, 'Chat' got 156,000 visits and 'Children' got over half a million - so obvs we totally accept that they're much better used.

That said, the numbers for 'Teens' and 'Education' are still pretty strong in an absolute sense, although as we said we realise that some of that is just people checking in and signposting to other areas.

As has been said, we introduced 'Teens' at the request of some MNSN posters not that long ago, and ideally we don't want to introduce/delete/reintroduce topics, which is why we're double-checking what you all think!

'Parents with Disabilities' was moved to 'Parenting' a couple of months ago, again by popular request.

We had a discussion a few months ago about the naming issue: a lot of this comes down to internet search. 'Special needs' is a very strong search term that leads parents with newly diagnosed children quite quickly to MNSN, which tbh is part of what we want. But if there's a way of incorporating that with language that suits the posters better (while still being reasonably concise) we're happy to take a look.

AlarmOnSnooze we're always happy to move threads over, so long as the OP is OK with it. Personally I don't think I've ever seen a request to move an MNSN Chat thread though.

Poor MNHQ. They try to get a serious discussion going and it descends into crumpets and naked cancans. :o

This is what SN reduces you to It is what keeps us going!

Or, in fact, thrying to explain to your child why a naked can-can whilst eating crumpets is inappropriate in a public setting.
Or a private one, if you are over a certain age.

What age would that be Goblin?

OMG, I just picked up my cup and there was NO TEA in it!!!!!

Can we have a sticky judicial review DIY please?

Only just noticed this thread. Just the two sections for me too. Something like Polter's suggestion upthread:

Disabilities and SN Support/Advice
Disabilities and SN Chat

Also agree that if SN Education is retained it would be better if it could be one board that's clickable from both the SN and Education sections.

My ds will be moving into teen territory very soon and I don't see myself changing posting in chat and SN children.

That is brilliant (trying to low carb here and now totally craving crumpets, THANKS A LOT!)