Parents, 'normal' children and their lives

... Can be summed up like this: 

1- Will Henry/Melissa do well in school? I certainly hope Henry or Melissa get okay not good grades. Why must you be so pushy? Its not healthy for you. Just be grateful your child is not doing drugs, smoking or in trouble with the police. 

2- I hope Lyla/Pam do some sporty things. Of course they might. If not, NEVER force the issue, its not emotionally sensible. 

3- I want my child to be married. That is a possibility. Again, forcing is not a good option ever. 

Mums/Dads of children with needs lose on the 'expected' stuff. Maybe, not all but they do lose out on some. Over time, progress happens and goals are achieved. Parents of children with difficulties are more thankful than normal mamas/papas. 

Message for typical families- If the things above are your only concerns, be grateful and dont moan. Typical parents look at your child's accomplishments again and celebrate them with your offspring. 

I happened to read a excellent blog post on the subject a while ago. Today, I thought I would write my own version of it. 

Disclaimer- this is not a copy. Like I stated in a previous blog post, I hate copying. Its plagiarism, not sure how to spell it rightly. 

Schools, the problems with them and politicians

Over the past five days, I read a number of posts about the school system. It seems the politicians are only interested in grades, levels and exams. In the real world, we need to know about loans, mortgages, bills, contracts and percentages. 

Children also need to learn how to use electronic calculators to do fast calculations. They also need to know how to use a keyboard effectively. Algebra and geometry aren't essential. Unless of course you are doing a job which asks for that sort of maths. 

The not yet rolled out curriculum wants to teach pupils some sort of English grammar as well. I literally laughed at that one because let's be honest, English grammar is as useful to pupils as mud or grass, quite frankly.  

Boys/girls are taught unessential exam skills not vital conversation skills. Or, empathy, personal presentation or decision making. Neither are our kids being taught how to be assertive. 

Education should not be at the mercy of politicians. Clearly, they do not have teachers and learners best interests at heart. Nor, are they responsible. Instead, they are unresponsible, uncaring fools. 

Thank you Michael Gove. All praise the British education system. P.S If you want a different perspective, Ross Mountney has written a post about the same topic. The link is at the bottom of the post. 
http://rossmountney.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/curriculum-corsets-and-a-vintage-education/

A charity called Scope

Scope is a UK charity for disabled children and parents. They offer a range of services including therapies, breaks and conducive education. Conducive education takes the form of schools for parents. As well as that, they provide information, support and help for parents. 

You can contact Scope via the contact section of their website. The contact details page includes a telephone number and email address. Their online forum is used by thousands of UK parents everyday. Scope also run a manned helpline for parents eight hours a day Mon- Fri. 

The charity run a number of campaigns. The new one is Britain Cares and the details are on this page- http://www.scope.org.uk/campaigns. All you have to do is press the I care button, its blue. But, participating in the campaign is entirely optional. There is also a list of previous campaigns below the current one. 

Scope have a Facebook and a Twitter account. Scope's Facebook page is here- https://www.facebook.com/Scope?fref=ts. SIDE NOTE- You dont have to like it though, again it is not required. I think SCOPE have been in the news, not sure when and in which newspapers though, sorry. 

And you can find your local shop using the useful shop finder tool. There are loads more of useful features on the website. I cant list them all, it would take forever. If any of you want to contact Scope, here is their email address response@scope.org.uk 

Colin Brewer, the former councillor

On one of my favourite blogs, the owner wrote a post saying Colin Brewer has now officially resigns (for lack of a better phrase). 

I guess I feel sort of happy he has gone but I never gave much thought to him. It never really occurred to me, really. Many special needs parents will be over the moon and rightfully make a big deal of the fact he left. 

Not only that, he has been banned from working with disabled children ever again. I must say I have mixed feelings about that. He has been asked to take a media training course as well. Not sure who told him though, presumably some annoyed man. Or, a woman. 

This despicable incident has done 1 good thing, it brought the disabled community together. Lets hope he does not take part in any future elections ever again. Oh and it forced people to protest and organise campaigns etc. 

As another blogger says, attitudes like his needs to change, he should make a effort to see beyond the disabilities. In other words, he should look at the abilities and personality, not the disability of the child. 

If you're new to my blog, please read my previous post about the man- http://thararavishanker.blogspot.fr/2013/05/colin-brewer-is-behind-times.html. It makes sense to read it, then you will know who he is. And, what he said. 

Tips for when your child with Downs is beginning school

Its that time of the month when you are sending your daughter/son off to school. Maybe, you had to get a statement of special needs for the child. 

Here are some tips

1- Let your child meet his/her future classmates. Invite them round for tea or lunch at your house. And, vice verse.

2- Take photos of the staff and pupils. Glue them into a scrapbook and write the names on labels. Then put the labels below the photos.

3- Allow your child to set the pace. It is wiser to start off small than to start too big and find you are in over your head. 

4- Encourage your child to show interest in their school clothes. Purchase plenty of cheap 2nd hand uniform. Leave 2 changes of clothes in your child's classroom.

5- Be friendly with the teachers. Talk about your child's day. Also voice any naggling concerns as well. 

6- Suggest ideas you know your child responds to well. Every child has a unique learning style, find out what your child's preferred one is.