The SEND Mum Club

It’s another expert episode this week and I’m joined by Claire from The SEN Expert to answer your questions on all things SEN. We talk about how to get an EHCP if your child isn’t in school or nursery yet, appealing a DLA decision, EBSA (emotional based school avoidance), the challenges of trying to work and care for a child with complex needs and much more. Claire talks about the legal test in the SEND code of practice in the episode:Key Aspects of the Legal Test Definition: A child has SEN if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than others of the same age, or a disability preventing them from using standard educational facilities. Assessment Criteria: The local authority must consider evidence of academic attainment, the nature/extent of SEN, actions already taken by the school, and the child's health/developmental needs. "May Need" Threshold: The test is whether special provision may be necessary, not whether it is definitively required immediately. Evidence Basis: It is not necessary to have a formal diagnosis for an EHC assessment to be agreed. You can find The SEN Expert here:Instagram: @senexpertTikTok: @thesenexpertwww.thesenexpert.co.uk

Sam Prince is my guest this week talking about her daughter Immy who’s 15 and has autism. We chat about Immy’s difficult road to diagnosis and the life changing effect it had on her. Sam also discusses Immy’s ARFID, how it presents, the way in which it’s changed over the years and how it affects the whole family. We also talk about the autistic Barbie and why she’s dividing opinion. You can find Sam on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook @lifewithmothergoose Tags: ASD, SEN parenting, SEND, additional needs, EHCP

It’s Christmas so I thought I’d gift you a montage of advice my guests have shared over the past few months. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year (whatever that looks like for you) and I’ll be back in January with some more brilliant guests for you. Tags: parenting podcast, additional needs, SEN, SEND, autism, ADHD, Down syndrome

Kate Anderson is my guest this week, talking about her daughter Florence who has Aicardi Syndrome. Kate talks about exactly what that means and what a typical day looks like caring for a medically complex child. We talk about the toll of frequent, long hospital stays due to repeated chest infections and the importance of accepting help from people. Kate is also really honest about her desire to have another child to experience the typical version of motherhood.Kate is keen to raise awareness of North East based charities that have helped her family. You can find them all here and what Kate has used them for:https://northeastsightmattersltd.co.uk/ for day tripshttps://www.stoswaldsuk.org/ for respitehttps://thecharlieandcarterfoundation.co.uk/ for financial supporthttps://www.thesunshinefund.org/ for specialist equipmenthttps://www.rainbowtrust.org.uk/about/where-we-support/north-east-team for respitehttps://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/ for accommodation while Florence was is in hospitalhttps://macs.org.uk/ for emotional support and meet upshttps://www.sense.org.uk/ for monthly visits and tripshttps://www.elifarfoundation.org.uk/ for a specialised car seathttps://www.thedaisygarland.org.uk/ for sats monitor and epilepsy supporthttps://www.rnib.org.uk/ for support for Kate & George from a family worker

In this episode I’m joined by Kelly Hughes to chat about her daughter, 8 year old Gracie who has Down syndrome, autism, ADHD and PDA. We talk about the battle to find the right school for Gracie and the importance of having the right professionals involved in her care. We also discuss school refusal and Kelly opens up about a traumatic conversation she had with a doctor soon after Gracie’s birth. Kelly has set up the Merseyside SEND Support Network to help other parents with all of the challenges involved in raising a chid with additional needs and you can find out more about it here:https://www.merseyside-send-support-network.co.uk/You can find them on Instagram here:@merseysidesendsupportnetwork

This is the first of a slightly different type of episode (which will be occasionally dropped in amongst the usual ones) where I speak to experts in different fields that you may find helpful. This episode is all about therapy. I’m joined by Naomi Bateren who is a psychotherapist to talk though the different types of therapy and how to access them – both through the NHS and privately - how to pick which type of therapy will work best for you, and how to get the most out of your sessions. There is also a listener Q&A made up of questions sent in through Instagram, and Naomi gives her advice for anyone struggling with any aspect of SEND parenting.Naomi asked to clarify some of the differences between different professions here in the show notes…Clinical psychologists are trained to doctoral level and use more therapy models. They tend to work with more complexity (multiple goals, drawing more links, slower pace). Counselling is a space to be heard and validated and is less directive.CBT therapy is a specific training and is used for a faster paced single direction/focus.Psychotherapy is similar to clinical psychology. There can be different levels of training, many to masters level.The websites Naomi mentions to find a therapist are here:https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/counsellinghttps://www.bacp.co.uk/ You can find Naomi on Instagram @naomibaterentherapy

In this episode I’m joined by Zynab Al Bahrani to chat about her 2 boys Yaseen and Saleem who both have autism. We talk about how it feels getting a diagnosis with your second child, the many things that can trigger you as a parent, how to cope with regression, and the importance of understanding sensory processing. You can find Zynab on Instagram @chapter.thirty.five and @happychattersdeveloplanguage and online at www.chapterthirtyfive.com