The Autism Network site has lots of free resources for special needs teaching and learning. They also have an active forum with many like minded parents and professionals, all willing to share experiences and help.

www.autismnetwork.co.uk

The site also offers some useful information about Autism and related conditions like ADHD, PDD, PDA – look in the side bar on the left to find out more about these.

I’ve always been a fan of the BBC’s Newsround TV show and website, as they provide current news which is more appropriate for children to read. Simon Widdowson recently shared this fantastic version of the site which is even more accessible.

www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/newsreader

The site has a much simpler interface with less distractions and it will even read the news to you. It is also accessible to those to use switches to use a computer and you change the settings to make the site even more appropriate for your needs.

‘Everyday Adventures’ is a new collection of online short films and animations aimed at parents of primary school-age children being made available online. The films cover a wide range of subjects linked to children’s education, including how parents can get involved with their children’s schools and the availability of extended services in schools. They’re making them available online – talking with minority groups of parents (e.g. deaf, disabled, non-English speaking) since this information isn’t always obvious to find or easy to understand.
 
They have also run a survey which found that parents across England want greater involvement in their children’s education. Over 80% of the 1,010 parents who took part in the survey by Parentline Plus, Netmums and the Advisory Centre for Education said they wanted a bigger role, with the vast majority of 6-12 year olds polled saying they ‘love it’ when their parents come into school. More than 90% also said they enjoyed it when their parents helped with homework.
 

You can find out about the videos at www.myspace.com/everydayadventures09 and also on YouTube.  Here are two examples:

Louis, a young dad who despite being deaf now plays an active role in his children’s school lives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUsNzrILKx0); and

Jo, a mother who is bringing up her two children as well as suffering from MS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeM05fewDNw).

A Labour MP has claimed dyslexia is a myth invented by education chiefs to cover up poor teaching.  Backbencher Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley, describes the condition as a “cruel fiction” that should be consigned to the “dustbin of history”.  He believes the reason many children cannot read and write properly is that the wrong teaching methods are used.

You can read the full article here: http://www.manchesterconfidential.com/index.asp?Sessionx=IpqiNw86JD7rIpqiNwF6IHqi&realname=Dyslexia_is_a_myth

Ed Balls, announced earlier this week that The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children will receive £340,000 to provide schools across the country with information, advice and training materials on how best to support children and young people who stammer.

The Michael Palin Centre, a world leader in this field, will develop a stammering information programme that will be rolled out to all schools by 2010. The Centre will work with young people, their families, local speech and language therapy services and school staff to develop the materials and training packages.

It is estimated that around 5% of children experience some difficulty with their fluency at some time during the development of their speech and language. Stammering has a major impact on children’s academic and social lives – children with a stammer are more likely to become withdrawn or anxious and can become the focus of bullying. This funding will enable schools to better meet the needs of this vulnerable group of children and young people.

A study by Hull University academics of 1,300 children said dyslexia was a major cause of failure. 55% of those who did not achieve expected levels in SATS tests displayed all the signs of being dyslexic. The study, commissioned by dyslexia charity Xtraordinary People, claims to be the first to firmly identify dyslexia as a major cause of underachievement in primary schools.

The research has led to calls for more specially-trained teachers in schools as well as better diagnosis which the government is piloting.

To me this is just a way to label children – yes some children may have dyslexia, but 55% of those that don’t get a level 4 in the SATs? What do others think about this? What I know is that it will be another way to put pressure on schools already tight SEN budgets?

Link: http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2265283,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=8

Children with dyslexia are to receive extra help in 10 areas under a new £3m pilot scheme. The extra help will be given in catch-up reading lessons or one-to-one help from dyslexia specialists. If successful the scheme will be rolled out across England.

According to the BBC pupils who receive help under the scheme will not need to have been given a statement of special needs – a process which we all know can take years! The government has also announced it is giving £250,000 to Dyslexia Action over three years so it can expand pilots it already runs under the Partnership for Literacy scheme to another 10 schools.

After the mess up with the Child Benefit CD’s it appears that ministers might have seen a little sense by delaying by five-months the £224m system – ContactPoint. ContactPoint will hold name, address, date of birth, gender, parental contact information, details of school and any professionals working with the child. It does not include actual case records. The database came out of the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie and is designed to make it easier to co-ordinate the work of different child protection agencies.

Shadow Children’s Minister Maria Miller said: “The government should also use this opportunity to see whether it really is necessary to have a database for every single child in the country, accessible to 330,000 people, given the significant amount of concern that this could overload the system and lead to a dumbing down of information.

We as teachers will have access to it as well from the information that I’ve been told. It’s times like this when I wish computers hadn’t been invented.

Can we as parents (and I’m including me now) ask for our child’s details not to appear on this database? This is just a nightmare waiting to happen!

Andrew Adonis yesterday launched a new programme to maximise the potential of
children with special educational needs and support schools and early years
settings in managing their needs.

The Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) is a new £2million project of
confidence-raising training for teachers, support staff and early years
practitioners. Developed in
partnership with children’s communication charity I CAN and Dyslexia Action, it
will improve the skills of teachers by advising them on how to develop teaching
strategies for children with SEN and providing
guidance on dealing with common classroom challenges.

The training materials will initially focus on speech, language and
communication needs and dyslexia. Over the next four years training on autistic
spectrum disorders, behavioural issues and moderate learning difficulties will
be added.

A scheme to support pupils with dyslexia has been launched in London.

The project will work with schools and local authorities with a strong track record in helping dyslexic children and share their methods with other schools.

The scheme, called No to Failure, will offer specialist training for teachers and create links with charities and businesses to improve education.

Launching the initiative at Lyndhurst School in Southwark, Schools Minister Lord Adonis said it would help ensure the needs of children with dyslexia were recognised early and acted upon.

"This project, bringing government and charities together, will increase awareness of the benefits to be gained from improved access to specialist support," he said.

Founder of a participating dyslexia charity Xtraordinary People, Kate Griggs, said: "Lyndhurst School is a shining example of how even severely dyslexic children can be supported and succeed in mainstream school.

"Success for most dyslexics isn’t about specialist schools, it’s about getting specialist teachers in mainstream schools so they can identify and help these children early."

Read the full report here.