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

Send in your "taster" paragraphs for the the SEN book!

25 replies

ancientmiddleagedmum · 29/03/2008 12:45

Fiofio has now set up the email to send these to ( [email protected] ) and a few people have sent in their "taster" paragraphs, but I think there may be more to come. All we need is a few lines on your story - it doesn't have to be a perfect summary or even spelled or grammatically correct as we have fab editors and former journalists on board to help edit and tidy up. Just write from the heart what your SEN story is - what you'd write about if you had to sum up life with your child now, or how it has been getting a diagnosis, or how it has been sorting out education, or how it was to tell your family - whatever you really need to get off your chest. Our thought is that this is the antidote to Julia Hollander's book - this is about women who KEEP their SEN kids, and the joys and pain of life after that decision (which for most of us wasn't even a question, of course we keep our kids !!!!). Once we have the tasters, we are going to approach a publisher - but don't worry, we can all keep our anonymous mumsnet names if we want to. Must admit I found writing mine quite therapeutic, and if we help other mums through sharing our experience then even better!

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FioFio · 29/03/2008 12:48

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2shoes · 29/03/2008 13:17

done mine but have to admit I had no idea what to write.
incase I am not alone can you give a suggested idea please.

ancientmiddleagedmum · 29/03/2008 15:39

I think it could be what your life is like which is different from if you had a NF kid, or what it's like dealing with his/her medical needs, or how you felt when s/he was diagnosed, or how you first noticed your DC was different. It's really whatever you want to write which sums up what your life is like, or which might help someone cope if they have a child with a similar SEN. When I've read compilation books like this before, each story is very different and is written very differently, so one person might start with the diagnosis, while another person might just describe a typical day, or one person might describe their fight through tribunal to get their kid a decent education. Fio, what do you think, is there a way you would sum it up so people know what to write?

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Arabica · 29/03/2008 16:06

FioFio and ancientm-am, I would be happy to help. If there are one or two people out there who want to contribute but hate the idea of creating a taster paragraph or even a whole chapter, I'd be happy to talk to them on the phone, produce their chapter, and then send it to them for approval...just as soon as I have passed my latest deadline (4 April).

ancientmiddleagedmum · 29/03/2008 16:15

Arabica, what a kind offer, I think that is so good of you! I reckon if we could end up with chapters on all the main SEN covered on this chat board we'd have a really good, really HUMAN account of what it's like living with SEN.

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Arabica · 29/03/2008 16:23

I haven't read many accounts of life in special needs world (which is why a good British one is sorely needed) but the ones I have seen (one Australian, one American) wold have been so much better if they'd been properly edited.

Arabica · 29/03/2008 16:23

would

TotalChaos · 29/03/2008 16:25

ooops - have e-mailed but not put in my MN name!

ancientmiddleagedmum · 29/03/2008 16:26

don't worry, as Fio and I will never let real names go out

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coppertop · 29/03/2008 16:28

So do we write a paragraph saying what our chapter will be about or do we send a paragraph from the chapter itself?

Just re-read that and now I'm confusing myself too.

TotalChaos · 29/03/2008 16:29

god no was not casting aspersions about you and fio not preseving anonymity, more that you might be wonder who the hell has written the e-mail iyswim.

ancientmiddleagedmum · 29/03/2008 16:39

a para summing up what your chapter is about, or the opening para of the chapter (which is what I did) or just a few thoughts on what life is like with your DC. I think each can be different and the variety is good as it makes the book readable

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yurt1 · 29/03/2008 18:27

Will do tomorrow (off out tonight).

cory · 29/03/2008 18:28

Have sent mine- a para summing up the main gist of the chapter rather than actually from the chapter.

sphil · 29/03/2008 22:53

I'd love to contribute but not sure whether our story is distinctive enough iyswim. It's just plain old autism!

Though I suppose I could write about the different interventions we've tried and how Growing Minds/ABA has made such a huge difference to DS2.

yurt1 · 30/03/2008 09:10

Sphil I think your educational set up would be interesting to lots of people.

ancientmiddleagedmum · 30/03/2008 09:38

I think autism is a crucial one for the book Sphil and would love to read about Growing minds

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anniebear · 30/03/2008 10:50

If I started writing about us it was be soooo long lol

what size chapter are you wanting lol?

ancientmiddleagedmum · 30/03/2008 17:03

anniebear - I think we will all probably write too much in our chapters and our journalist experts can help with editing.

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cory · 30/03/2008 18:02

Yes, but it wouldn't hurt to have a sort of minmum/maximum word count set out. Being a professional writer myself, I prefer doing my own editing inasfar as I can. Much easier IME to plan a text if you know the parameters beforehand.

2shoes · 30/03/2008 18:09

word limit would be good please

monkeypie · 30/03/2008 20:57

I would love to contribute, is there a dead line? I am just awaiting assesment which is in 4 weeks for ASD, i am fairly sure ds will be dx with autism. I'm happy to put about experience up to now or if you can wait then i can include dx process. Maybe you'd prefer to only have stories from dx families? If so i understand and won't be offended.

yurt1 · 30/03/2008 21:18

Now have vomiting child- paragraph will be tomorrow...

FioFio · 30/03/2008 21:19

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Flamesparrow · 30/03/2008 21:23

Read this title as "photographs"!!!

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