Announcing the Green Paper, Miss Teather said: "We want to make sure that the most vulnerable children get the best quality of support and care.

“Children with special educational needs and disabilities should have the same opportunities as their peers.

“The system needs to be more family friendly so that parents don’t feel they have to battle to get the support their child needs."

surely if this is the main aim then it's a good thing, i'm not saying i agree with everything the new government (although i did vote for one half of it) is doing but i actually think it's important that we do look at things like the benefit system, the education system. from reading a lot of the posts on this forum it does seem to be a total postcode lottery. my daughter hasn't been diagnosed but i've been lucky in that we have a pre-school home visiting advisor who has helped us get her into a special needs nursery. i know in our local council (dundee) you don't need a diagnoses but if needs are identified then theres some who fights your corner. whereas i believe that in a lot of councils they won't send anone to see the child till they have a diagnoses. for us we didn't want chloe to be labelled as disruptive and difficult (which it can seem to other people) but that she is highly visual and advance in some of her years just delayed with speech and social skills.
also we're concerned cos we genuine. we see our children daily and know their needs and what battles we go through to get the services we need but unfortunately there are alot of people out there who do use their children to get more benefits or abuse services.

I think that labelling and diagonosing are where the difference come in.....I hear lots of parents saying things like Im sure he/she has ADHD because there children are misbehaving....as a nurse (LD) I have dealt with families who think that their children have ADHD when in fact with simple boundaries and discipline put in place it is apparent that they do not. This is where children who misbehave are labelled.
I doubt very much that children are being diagnosed as having ADHD if they don't as this would surely call in to doubt the competency of every child psych in the UK??
I have three children, i have worked with children with Learning Disabilities and without....all can be naughty and a handful...but there is a distinct difference beteween naughty and ADHD...I wouldnt say my son is always naughty.....he is impulsive, unable to concentrate for long periods, very very active,he has devloped OCD and anxiety, he has low self esteem and has expressed suicidal thoughts...but this does not make him naughty. When he is naughty I dont always blame his condition. But I have to take it in to account.
I think better education around ADHD is needed, and then people wouldnt be so quick as to try and place this label around their childrens neck.
I do believe that a brain scan reveals abnormality in the brain of children with ADHD and that this condition is a very real consequence of brain abnormality.
ADHD is more prevalent in boys than girls and could be hereditary.
I have fought hard, very very hard to get support for my son and found it really really difficult and I know the system and how it works...my friends who have worked with me have been amazed at the struggle we have had to get help. But I have finally got there.....any reforms made by this government to assist parents to get the support they and their children need should be applauded.

Schools are either over zelous in placing children on the SEN's register or ingore the problems at hand.

My daughter was diagnosed (by school) as having dsylexia in year 1, they wanted to put her on the SEN's register but I refused. She was born at 30 weeks in August and started school 1 year before she would have if she was born term and I thought she needed time to catch up and had a lets wait & see ethos

I asked the school about Jolly phonics and the decided to try her with it, she flew through it.

2 years ago she moved schools I was not happy with her old one. She has just finished year 4; she has been whats known as free reading (complted all her key stage books) for 18 months, her sat results were brilliant and she gained 2 4A (Englsih & Maths) and a 5c for reading. Dsylexia my ass.

My son on the other hand was "statemented" at the age of 3 at my request.

This is very difficult to debate i suppose, I hope i don;t offend anyone who's child has adhd, as i know that there truly are chldren out there with it but i think it is a very easy disability for a parent to say there child has it when they don't. i have worked with sn children since i was 16 (i'm now 28) i have come accross alot of children with ADHD and i can vouch that they are indeed hard work and i applaude the parents of these children who cope as its so much hard work. However where i live (benefit heaven!) alot of people are trying to claim theiur children have ADHD when there children are quite clearly not disciplind enough. They blame their childrens unruly behavaiour on ADHD but when you see the way the parents treat their children its hardly supprising they act the way they do. I hope the government will help to support the real families who have to endure the hard days and give parenting classes to those who think its a free meal (or fag) ticket to and an easy life instead of teaching their children how to behave in society.
Again i hope i haven't offended anyone!
x

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Also meant to say Lucie has a statement and it has been really good for her, It's helping her with her indepence and keeping her safe, its also good for the school as they can use the statement to help employ members of staff to help with the children that need extra support.
(This post was last modified: 07-25-2010 09:53 PM by luciesmum1.)

Our oldest has apparently got ODD and possible ADHD and shes on medication for it.
We dont claim DLA and she thrives at school education wise although freinds is another matter where she doesnt have one.
Its very hard work with Emily as shes so alive and demanding 24/7.
Whereas we also have Euan who is both medically demanding and resource demanding so we have it tough it our house
Hard work here i assure you and i do believe ADHD is very much real and from day one we have always felt that they do try to pin it on parenting skills with all the Tripple P classes etc they offer but i know from a personal prospective we give our Children everything they need to thrive from a good education level and support at home with homework etc through the cuddles in the hard times and the laughs in the good times.
To me and Lucy our life is the Children and at the moment our whole life revolves around the Children to the point where we have no time together (Something we are in the process of trying to resolve )
Having a child with ADHD is very demanding and i do worry that with the goverment taking this approach they are taking the ADHD argument backwards and those children that do struggle at school and home really do need help.
Regardless of if people think its a disability or special need or what my simple point with anything is
IF A CHILD IS STRUGGLING AT SCHOOL THEN THE SCHOOL AND THE PARENTS HAVE TO GET TOGETHER TO HELP THAT CHILD BY WHAT EVER MEANS THEY CAN.

I know when i was at school i was a nightmare both in Infant and Junior and then senior school and was suspended many times from every school in all levels including infant school.
But would i say it was ADHD it could have been because even now i have a "Wild side" or was it the result of my very messed up childhood which it may have been?

I dont know but what i do know is that at school i was given the label of the "Problem child" and written off by teachers as being the naughty boy and never once did they try to help or ask me why i was like i was.

By going down the bad behaviour route it will send many children back into the trap i found myself in back then and i remember feeling worthless and i wouldnt want any child to go through that so if there is a problem then it needs looking at in detail to find reasons for behaviour and i just pray that children with any difficulties are found a way to recieve whatever help they can get and those with ADHD are not swept under the carpet.