Let's support each other's businesses!

[NatalieSNM]

I came across this idea in another forum and thought it would be good idea to share it here.

I know there are many Special needs Mom?s who stay at home, but also run part time business?s from home, that non of us know about, but many of us can benefit from, and we can support each other in our endeavours.

There are so many people doing independent sales, and so many awesome new companies everywhere that we don?t know about.

So come on?.share your company here, tell us what you do and for which company?

I am in the process of building a website, called The Special needs child.com.

Here you can get information, tips and techniques for raising, loving and parenting a child with special needs. Special families need to share stories, resources, and information to inspire and motivate each other on this long journey full of ups and downs, raising a child with special needs.

Pop in, have a look around! I would love to hear from you if you have any ideas or would like to contribute to my site.

Natalie
The-special-needs-child.com

Who?s next?

Sorry but youc an'y actually do this without paying MN an advertising fee

nice idea though

Can I add a few points about the website?

Apart from the fact that you seriously have to do something about the spelling and apostrophes, as it is actually quite hard to understand in parts, the thing that bugs me is the stereotypes.

You start by defining SN in a very wide way as anything from learning disabilities to terminal illnesses, but once you speak about the needs of the child with SN you seem to assume that they are all the same. They are not, and certainly not if your definition involves more than one type of SN.

Not all children with SN have "an uncanny ability to press buttons", at least not more than all children in general. Some do, some don't. Not all children with SN need routines more than other children, that depends on the SN.

If there is one thing children with SN do not need more of it is stereotypes of what SN children "are like"! (Am tempted to let SN dd write response to this, but feel she might be a little unkind).

Make up your mind what the website is about- is it about children on the autistic spectrum, children with learning difficulties or children with SN in general? Also, make it clear what articles are yours and which come from other websites.

Also, is this about conditions in the US, the UK or where? The idea that there are plenty of special schools for children with orthopaedic impairments sounds very outlandish from a UK perspective: ime children with this type of SN are educated in mainstream, as are many children on the autistic spectrum. The site you link to is about Special Needs education in the US, whilst Mumsnet is primarily a UK forum. Again, make it clearer what you are talking about!

I look at this site and I find

a) lots of stereotypes

b) lots of general parenting platitudes that do not particularly relate to SN

c) links to information which is no use because I am not even told to what country it applies (certainly not to the UK)

d) lots of poor writing

Shall I do a UK one?

Lot of people can help.

Actually, I think it might be more fun to do a spoof one between us. Shall we?

Sorry OP, but mental retardation isn't an acceptable term in the UK.

Missed the mental retardation one, Star OP, that is absolutely not acceptable in the UK.

Mom is at least correct American English. Writing "piece of mind" when you mean "peace of mind" or "say's" for "says" isn't correct anywhere in the world.

I think we should do a spoof one, Star, crammed full of all the stereotypes we can think of.

Yay, just let me get through this damn tribunal and I'll get onto it.

I think a user guide to how to start a PECS programme in the most confusing way possible for a fully verbal child is definately the place to start, followed by issuing wheelchairs with no rain cover, no wait, that is real life, er, so is the first one.

This is hard

If the OPs website is anything to go by, we could find a space for ds' teacher who could not see the need for aids to enable ds to write "as he is not doing worse than some of the other children". Seeing that all disabled children have the same level of understanding, you couldn't ever expect a disabled child to do better than any one non-disabled child, could you; that would be totally unreasonable.

(though in fairness to ds' teacher, she has now seen the light)

Poor OP. Prolly spent AGES working on the site, and with good intentions.

But, - should have got it proof read, and had a consultation group.

Yes, I feel a bit mean too. But then I think of dcs and how it affects their lives that people like the OP jump to conclusions about them because they sometimes use a wheelchair and then my heart hardens. Basically, it is a website I would have taken care to hide from my own two disabled children.

I did smile about the bit at the beginning, being on a special journey. Actually it was more of a LOL!

Sorry OP. This is us, blunt and far too used to cutting through platitudes thrown at us by professionals to get us to accept their piss poor provision with some vague belief that they have only our interests at heart.

T'aint like that here. Dunno about where you are.

I did smile about the bit at the beginning, being on a special journey. Actually it was more of a LOL!

Sorry OP. This is us, blunt and far too used to cutting through platitudes thrown at us by professionals to get us to accept their piss poor provision with some vague belief that they have only our interests at heart.

T'aint like that here. Dunno about where you are.

Battle scarred and life ahrdened eh?

MN said they would delete OP though as advertising. Bit confused why they have not.

TBH unless it's someone I know on here I assume random thread trawling advertising and just switch off.

Unless of course they are amrketing a cure when of course I hand over 6 months worth of DLA

I expect they haven;t deleted it because the OP has learnt a lesson!?

Why do you ahve to pay a FEE to try and help one another?

I spent the fee £500,000 to keep my son out of care!! Bet none of you can top that.

What the hell is wrong with some of you Moms do you really have SEN children my son is under great Ormond Street sounds like you just want a label for your own cock ups

Anyway just read this tonight well done to the lady who set up the site SHE HAS a real child with a real need as for the rest of you?

all I can say is yuck....sorry but I hate the fluffy bunny web sites.
think mn hq should pull the blatent advert

Sounds good to me,have a look at my blog bobdearden.wordpress.com It's brand new but i am still getting to grips with the technology

runt1234 Mon 07-Jun-10 22:35:08

"What the hell is wrong with some of you Moms do you really have SEN children my son is under great Ormond Street sounds like you just want a label for your own cock ups"

What is wrong with us is that we can see how our SN children's lives are daily made more difficult by people assuming that all children with SN are exactly the same and have exactly the same needs and abilities and this is a website that is touting exactly this opinion.

Would you really think I was being helpful if I started a website saying that all children with SN should be expected to expected to get As in their exams but must have writing aids and access to strong painkillers- because that happens to be the case with my SN child?

Do you think it gets easier to get proper access and help in a mainstream school if the internet abounds with websites telling us that there are specialist schools for every type of learning need and disability. a) it is not true b) for many types of SN it would actually be a rotten solution. But it was precisely this idea that made dd's head teacher try to hound us out of his school: he thought there would be some kind of special school that took physically disabled children away from the rest, so headteachers of "normal" schools wouldn't have to be troubled with them. Would I be happy for him to read this website? Well, guess....

It's the generalisations that do damage, because they are what makes school authorities, medical professionals etc etc less willing to ask parents what their situation is like or how they need help. There is no need, is there, if they can already know what all these "little miracles" are like?

And btw, the website did not say SEN children, it said SN children- and it did specifically include children with visual and other physical impairments. But then went on to assume that they, as well as children with SEN, all have exactly the same needs.

bobbyla Have you read this thread?

runt I have no idea what has got into you. Your comments on this thread don't make any sense. I can see you are angry about something but from your other posts you are usually in agreement about not generalising and making grave assumptions about disabilities and behvaiours and all for a unique approach to a unique child.

That site is damaging, despite the good intentions. And I have never had £500k so no I haven't spent that on my child.

runt what an offensive and stupid post

hmm let me see Runt.Ds is under addenbrooks,Gosh , physio ,Ot Neuro , orthapaedic,Paedtrician has Ep involvement so yep think i qulaify as parent with a dc with Sn .
But would not presume just becuase someone elses child is not under a hospital or a paticular proffesionals thay they to dont have a child with sn or Sen ,
this is the bit your missing that everyone else is trying to explain

I would just presume that there dc have differnt sn or sen to my dc as no two dc are alike be that Nt or Sn

Finding it a little overwhelming and in places difficult to understand. I have set up a blog in the hope of either organsing a conference aimed at identifying the full range of disatisfaction with services (some I already know)and I guess there would be many different categories for us D... Heads to come to terms with and do something about. I care very deeply about my clients and their carers and I too am a parent of 5, one of whom has AS and another with agoraphobia but feel without organisation and unity of thought we have to maintain the status Quo. Alternatively I am attempting to design a questionnaire to post on the Blog but I favour face to face contact. Being a wrinkly old git I sometimes struggle with the technology but I will make my mind up soon. Perhaps influenced by peoples comments on here or on my blog (although not sure how to retrieve them). Nothing really on it except a little about me and a dreadful photo. Take a look it's bobdearden.wordpress.com. Leave a comment, don,t hold back let me know your opinions and your beefs about services. Help me try and do something to help you. Kind regards

Well I am really pleased that my post got a response I would hate to offend

Everyone is unique and what is difficult to one child or adult is or not to another - I loved the fact my conterversial post got a the repsonse it did I apologise to those I offended but it does show we live in a democracy.

MONEY is nothing in terms of a child or families lives what is importnat is that we all stand together with the unique stories and children we have and help one another.

I set up a school becuase son who is highly violent was to go into care I AM SO LUCKY I try evry day of my life to help children and their families who ahve unique needs please feel free to rant at me or call me on [email protected] or 01189 500 190.

I