Was thinking tonight....

[supportman]

How utterly sad it is when the powers that be are failing children and adults with special needs. This evening I was working with a child who, for example, is non-verbal and dosent use makaton or pecs and has to be spoon fed. A child that I feel with the right input can achieve so much more.

If they had intensive one to one support for a period of time with set goals then I think that they can feed themself, can communicate, can use the toilet and so much more. The mum of one of the families I work with summed it up perfectly, that they should teach kids to speak english first as, in a special school, they was trying to teach them FRENCH as it was part of the curiculum

Its sad and frustrating when you see people who can't do things for themselves and worse when you see those that can if there was systems in place to back up the fine work that is done at home.

Hi christie, dont get me wrong, I know teachers and assistants work hard to do the things they do with the resources they have. Thats the problem though, I think alot more money needs to be spent, particually with providing high level one to one support to focus on the basics. I am all for sensory teaching where appropriate, but as far as I am aware they was trying to teach a child with very limited english language to speak french, and I feel that time is best spent doing other things in that case. I cant say too much about any individual child, but the one I mentioned has the potential for so much more if he had more support.

I think it's far more usual for NC lessons to be adapted to make sense for the child in the way Christie describes. Certainly that's what happens in my son's SLD/PMLD school.

Absolutly christy, repetition is the key. But is there the resources for someone to do that for long enough and over a period of time to have an effect? I have worked with many autistic children and adults who, in my opinion, can learn so much more but i dont think they have recieved the level of support that would have helped them. A good example of this is I managed to potty train an 8 year old in a few months and, as far as I am aware, no one had even tried with him. It was not easy to say the least but got there in the end.

And thats my point exactly riven, one hour every six weeks, useless.

I agree with you supportman. My DS (4.5) has been at a SN preschool since October, and he's been having around 20 hours of 1-1 ABA therapy alongside it, since last April. Before he started ABA he had no idea how to imitate, and therefore no ability to learn anything from anybody. Teaching him to imitate took WEEKS of intensive 1-1 work, but once he got it it opened so many doors.

Through ABA he's learned to say enough words to get his needs met by anybody who knows him at all well. We've just taught him to label colours and body parts and he's just astonished us by being able to count to 6 - all things he just WOULDN'T be able to do if he'd only had access to SN preschool. I hate to think where he'd be if he hadn't had ABA (or something like it), and it makes me sick that our LEA has stopped funding it for new families...

Yes christy I am a carer. Thats what I have been trying to get across, if you have 6 one to one kids then you need 6 staff and not 3.

And yes, I was working with him one to one for 12 hours and no other responsibilities.

It depends though doesn't it. DS1's class has a ratio of around 2:1. I like the things he learns in school- how to go to cafes, swimming, trips out, communication, etc etc. We're teaching him to read and write at home working with someone from the States. It's not something that I could expect school to do- his learning styles is too particular - it's a pilot program (so no guarantees). I have said to them that if we get it up and running (so he;s using typing to communicate) then I would want it to be used at school- but I'd never expect them to teach it- it's far too specialised.

Plus we can do it in 30 mins to an hour at home each day- things like going to cafes, watching assemblies, WAITING, horse riding, computers, swimming, behaviour etc is harder to teach- I'd rather they concentrated on that (as they do)- and we can then use that at home- makes our life easier.

There was an article in a local paper about a boy who had recently been discovered to be profoundly deaf ( he had passed normal tests but some new test proved he was actually deaf). Up 'til that point, he had received no help ( at least that was the implication of the article) but once at deaf school using Makaton, he really flourished. It's great that he's getting help now but when he was seen as 'learning disabled' he wasn't helped. It seemed to be that when he was discovered to be 'normal underneath', he started to get help. I wonder how common that is >

I think the paper is in the re cycling bin now but I will check it out online if possible ! In any case, most likely a lot of the true story was missing from the article. My concern was not really whether the facts were exactly as stated but more the tone of the article - that seemed to think it was acceptable/normal that nothing had been done for the child until he was school age.