Shortly after we moved to Northamptonshire, Charles began a thorough
assessment for 'Special Needs', and over the course of the last
year we have come to a diagnosis of Pervasive Development Disorder
(PDD, similar to autism) and Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD).
For most of our 11 year marriage, our work has involved people
with Special Needs, (either in social care settings, or in mainstream
education), but we never imagined it would be something that touched
our own family. Through our work we thought we had developed empathy
and understanding for people with Special Needs and their families,
but living the experience has made us think again.
Pride & Prejudice:
Our diary isn't a weekly account of everything that's happened;
it's just our reflections on some of things that we've experienced:
our thoughts and feelings as we are finding our way through. We
find it helpful to write some of these things down and share them
with others, and we hope other families touched by Special Needs
will find them helpful too.
Parentalk Help & Advice:
As well as coming to terms daily with the impact Charles' special
needs have upon our family life, there have also been lots of extra
things we've had to do or find out about:
- Special needs assessment
- Dealing with all the different health and social care professionals
- Applying for benefits
- Finding out about SEN provision for starting school
As we are going through these processes we are trying to build
up a guide to help other families through. In each case, we're getting
professional advice, and linking this to parents' experiences, to
try and provide a realistic starting point from which parents can
begin to find further information and help.
If you or someone you know and love is struggling with a child's
special needs we hope you will find these things helpful.
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Feature:
Pride & Prejudice