Janet O'Keefe, Speech and Language Therapist

This book is essential reading for anyone currently involved in the upbringing and education of a child or children with special needs. In this well documented and skillfully edited volume, our current process for ensuring a ‘special’ child is appropriately educated is clearly and comprehensively explained. 15 real life stories of special needs children illustrate perfectly the many facets of the problems that face those who are intimately involved with educating children with special needs. We have all known the frustration and coldness of bureaucrats who count the pennies and tick the boxes with scant regard for the identity and needs of the individual’s life they are affecting. The personal accounts in this book bring home the difficulties many have experienced in understanding exactly what was wrong with their child, what effective and positive steps could have been or were taken to address their child’s needs and how these were (or were not) applied (promptly or otherwise). No punches are pulled. There is no kowtowing to those authoritative officials who have learned to become more efficient in their job by making hard and fast decisions that have ignored the human, emotional needs of the people involved. Reading such stories should give new heart to people who may be struggling to cope with a cumbersome, and seemingly cold and indifferent system. They are not alone. I write not as an entirely uninvolved individual, for I have had my own 19-year battle with authorities in seeing to the needs of my husband who has had increased requisites as his health has deteriorated and I have been observing the difficulties my own daughter has been having with her severely disabled child. To return to this excellent book: by way of essential contrast, it also highlights the positive side of the children’s achievements, no matter how small. It makes clear how it is important for us to change our attitudes in dealing with our children’s individual impairments and with the authorities that seem to be at odds with their statutory role to support these needy children. The final mission statements exhorting us to be the instigators of positive reform in this field are inspiring and worthy of adopting. It is not ‘the system’ but ‘we’ who can effectively improve matters. Armed with the expert knowledge and lists of supportive organizations and people in this book, and driven by our passionate involvement, we should be able to ensure that the future of our special needs children will be much improved.

Written by Dr Rosemary Westwell PhD, MA TESOL, MA Ed, B Mus, BA Hons

PhD thesis “The development of language acquisition in a mature learner” : http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/48/

www.reviewsrjw.wordpress.com

www.elyforlanguage.wordpress.com

As an SLT working both for the NHS, Privately and for a major Charity I must say a huge thank you for all the time you have invested writing this book.

Put simply it’s a fantastic reference point for any professional working with children and adolescents with SEN and their families.

I like how the vastly complicated process of statementing is clearly described in terms of not simply what happens but when it should happen. When I was a newly qualified SLT I wish I had such a resource to refer back to as it has taken years of experience to get my head around (and I still don’t feel overly confident). I will definitely recommend this resource to NQT (and experienced) professionals who work with children with SEN.

Whilst the book does not expect a particular level of prior understanding of SEN having some certainly helps. The majority of (affected) families greet having more information on the SEN ‘with open arms’ however I do feel that due to the complexity of the process, and hence the complexity of the book itself, it is not accessible to all families. Personally I would recommend reading particular chapters to some of my families and the whole book to others.

I think the icing of the cake are the inspirational stories. Whilst they are heart breaking at points, the positive messages found are clear. I like the way they are categorised into SLCN diagnoses/disorders as it helps the reader to relate to particular children they know.

Finally, with all the cuts and changes happening across the UK it is very easy to become disillusioned; the ‘making it happen’ has lit my fire of enthusiasm and I can’t wait to go into work tomorrow and begin to make a difference!

by Chris Wade

When editing the forthcoming book ‘ Towards a Positive Future: Stories, Ideas and Inspiration from children with special educational needs, their families and professionals’ there were 10 things that cropped up repeatedly in the personal stories of the 14 families featured that made a positive difference to their well-being and the educational and life outcomes for the students.  These are:

• having a clear description of all of the child’s needs
• schools and services that focus on the child’s abilities and strengths
• productive activity for the child throughout the day to promote learning rather than a differentiated but meaningless curriculum
• safe, secure, appropriate physical environment which minimises the disability for the child and enables them to learn
• integrated therapy and teaching
• a positive and close relationship between parents and school
• social care working in partnership with parents and schools
• appropriate individual specialist programmes available as part of the curriculum
• appropriate medication and nutrition available in school
• access to specialist solicitors, barristers, advocates, representatives, expert witnesses and tribunal to achieve all of the above as early in the child’s life as possible

The book is available to pre-order from www.jr-press.co.uk and will be launched on Friday 14th October 2011.  To book your place at either the Book launch, the Conference or both please go to http://www.wordswell.co.uk/conference/