Janet O'Keefe

My blog has moved

Janet — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:45:52 +0000

My blog has moved to it’s new location at:
http://www.wordswell.co.uk/janetsblog/

Please update your bookmarks accordingly.

Review of Towards a Positive Future: stories, ideas and inspiration from children with special educational needs, their parents and professionals – published by J&R Press on 14th October 2011

Janet — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:15:30 +0000

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

Review of the Conference – Towards a Positive Future – 14th October 2011 by ‘Special Needs Mum’ Tania Tirraoro and orginally published on her site ‘Special Needs Jungle’

Janet — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:26:13 +0000

The event was held at the Mary Hare School for hearing impaired children near Newbury. The school does inspirational work in providing an education for its pupils, helping each through individually designed hearing equipment. As a non-maintained state school, the school’s head, Tony Shaw, said they are ‘not considered to be part of inclusion’ and have had their funding cut by central government. This, despite the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, himself having a sister with a hearing impairment.

The school has had to diversify to survive, establishing an ear mould lab that services the NHS. Despite this, Mr Shaw says they never forget what they’re there for. He said, “At the core are the children we have the passion of serving.” It’s a sad fact that, in the politics and cost-cutting of government both local and national, this message is too often overlooked.

Another speaker was Kevin Geeson, CEO of Dyslexia Action, who talked about the opportunities and risks of the Green Paper. He highlighted concerns about the assessment of hidden disabilities such as dyslexia in that it may not be picked up early enough and the question of who will control the personal budgets given to children to provide for their SEN. Mr Geeson said the Green paper brought an opportunity to provide the proper skills and support for teachers to include all children in the curriculum. He said, “Good teaching for children with hidden disabilities is good teaching for all.”

Education solicitor, Inez Brown of Anthony Collins solicitors, set out the legal framework and funding of special needs and pointed out the problem with parents appealing against SEN decisions for children at the new Academies because the Academies do not fall within the Education Act. She also pointed out that the Green paper removes speech and language and occupational therapy out of educational provision – something every parent of a statemented child should be aware of. This means that the local authority cannot be challenged about these things at a Tribunal.

The conference also heard from internationally acclaimed academic, Professor Heather Van Der Lely who has developed an early-identification test for dyslexia called GAPS. The professor pointed out that seven per cent of children have a specific language impairment – seven times the incidence of autism. She is trying to bring about the widespread use of GAPS which, she says, is quick, efficient and highly accurate. The crucial issue is, of course, that there are not enough Speech and Language Therapists to help all those that the test could identify.

Former Head Teacher, Charlie Mead is a consultant Child and Educational Psychologist, advising schools, the NAS and health and prison services about working effectively with young people with complex needs. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of helping children with special needs and makes the analogy of how the system is like an egg timer – with all the resources at the top not being able to filter down to those who need them at the bottom – ie, children. He spoke of how he had introduced nurture groups to a school in Birmingham where children with special needs were taught, mainly in the same classroom without the need to move around the school and given the help they needed, and how this had greatly improved their outcomes and allowed them to participate and be included within the mainstream of education. This is a fascinating idea that, with a some effort and will, could be adopted by every school in the country. It deserves greater public attention than it so far seems to have had.

One form of ‘hidden disability’ is that of acquired brain injury – that is, an injury not present at birth that occurs by illness or accident during childhood. Often these injuries present in a similar manner to developmental disorders. Every year it is estimated that at least 50,000 children and young people acquire a brain injury. Often, it is not until some time after the injury that a connection is made between a behavioural or learning deficit in the young person and the injury or illness that previously occurred. Research shows that 50% of those in custody have some kind of ABI. Louise Wilkinson, Training Manager of the Child Brain Injury Trust spoke at the conference of the issues faces by people with ABI. Her charity has been working to educate teachers on how to deal with such children. The charity is holding a conference in 2012 on the issue.

Finally, conflict resolution & NLP coach, Ian Ross and Lynne Kerry of Vievolve held a session about how to approach and deal with conflict and negotiations. They explained how to negotiate on ‘interests’ rather than ‘positions’ and how to maintain your cool when involved in a difficult discussion. One of the pieces of advice was to put yourself in your ‘opponent’s’ shoes and think what they are thinking. The company offers NLP coaching to businesses and individuals and has a number of courses at its South Oxfordshire venue coming up.

The site for the conference, where a DVD of the presentations will soon be available to purchase can be found here: http://www.towardsapositivefuture.wordpress.com. Another event is being scheduled for next April.

All in all there was great concern over what the future for special needs might bring. It is clear that the green paper is far from perfect and that changes will need to be made. But it is heartening that there are plenty of people who are concerned with SEN that do not forget that the child is at the heart of everything. It is impossible to ignore the fact that money is always an issue, especially in these times, but our priority must surely be with the most vulnerable and childrenwith special needs are undeniably that.

Ian Ross from Vievolve will be leading a seminar on negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:49:24 +0000

Ian Ross from Vievolve will be leading a seminar on negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution. Ian’s skill is built on a long and successful commercial career spanning senior posts in a variety of organisations that include British European Airways and Team Training Europe. He is an experienced facilitator, negotiator, and executive coach based in the UK and working internationally. As a Director of Vievolve Ltd, he offers a rare combination of the highest accreditations possible in NLP (INLPTA Master Trainer), together with negotiation and conflict resolution studies at Harvard. With over 18 years experience of applying NLP in commercial contexts he provides access to learning from the absolute cutting edge of human leadership and personal development technology, alongside the academic rigour of negotiation and conflict resolution models and strategies available from the Harvard Law School.

Book your place now at http://towardsapositivefuture.wordpress.com

Louise Wilkinson, Training Manager at the charity Child Brain Injury Trust, will raise awareness about the issues that children, young people and their families face following the devastation of childhood acquired brain injury ‘The Hidden Disability’.

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:44:27 +0000

Louise is Training Manager at the charity Child Brain Injury Trust; her role is to raise awareness about the issues that children, young people and their families face following the devastation of childhood acquired brain injury. She has trained over 2,000 professionals across Education, Healthcare, Social Services and more recently with those working with young offenders and those at risk of offending. The aim of the training is to highlight that 90% of those affected by childhood acquired brain injury (ABI) have no physical sign of their disability and because of the hidden nature and lack of knowledge of ABI there injury is often unnoticed or even misdiagnosed. Louise has also spoken at many conferences on this subject including SEN, Youth Offending and ABI conferences. Since joining the Child Brain Injury Trust in 2008 Louise’s passion for ensuring that these children and young people receive the appropriate support to enable them to achieve their full potential in life, has helped raise the profile of this hidden disability.

Book your place to hear Louise at http://towardsapositivefuture.wordpress.com

“The grammar and phonology screening (GAPS) test: quick, simple, affordable and accurate: so why isn’t there national screening?”

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:39:36 +0000

Professor Heather van der Lely is Director of the Centre for Developmental Language Disorders and Cognitive Neuroscience and is one of Britain’s leading researchers into Specific Language Impairment. She will lead a presentation titled, “The grammar and phonology screening (GAPS) test: quick, simple, affordable and accurate: so why isn’t there national screening?”

Book your place now at http://towardsapositivefuture.wordpress.com

Charlie Mead will deliver a presentation which will cover the practical implications of meeting the needs of children and young people in the changing financial and social climate we find ourselves in.

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:35:41 +0000

Charlie was the youngest Headteacher in the West Midlands to run SEBD schools for teenagers who been excluded from the mainstream system. Twenty five years later he is now a Consultant Child and Educational Psychologist providing hands-on services to the National Autistic Society, Mainstream Academies and Health and Prison services on working effectively with students with complex needs – especially those with Autism and damaging behaviour difficulties.

Inez Brown, a senior associate with Anthony Collins LLP, will lead a seminar on the legal implications for children with special needs, current funding arrangements and future funding arrangements.

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:28:01 +0000

Inez Brown is a Senior Associate with Anthony Collins LLP in Birmingham where she leads on the educational support for individuals. She has vast experience in educational matters providing support on statutory assessment of children with special educational needs and admission/exclusion issues arising from maintained schools. She has experience of dealing with appeals to the SEN and Disability Panel. In the wider field, Inez has also been involved in a number of judicial review cases appealing a failure to comply with the provisions of SEN statements together with a failure to undertake the relevant social care assessments or produce a care plan. Inez has experience of dealing with the practical side of litigation – of issuing proceedings, liaising with the court, other solicitors and Counsel. Inez also has extensive experience representing claimants in Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury claims with a proven track record of achieving successful outcomes for her clients. Currently she leads on a wide range of cases including medical misdiagnosis, obstetric cases resulting in severe brain injury including cerebral palsy, road traffic accidents resulting in brain damage, fatal accident claims and hospital acquired infections. Clients praise her proactive approach and ability to explain the law in simple terms. Inez’s excellent approach to individuals ensures that their needs are always her primary concern.

Kevin Geeson is CEO of Dyslexia Action and will be a keynote speaker on ‘The impact the SEN Green Paper could have on literacy and the long term economic and social problems that getting it wrong could cause’

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:22:20 +0000

Kevin joined Dyslexia Action as CEO on 1st April 2011 from the NHS, prior to that he was with the RNIB as Chief Operating Officer and has spent most of his career in the public sector. He has worked with the Open University as a tutor, was a trustee/governor of City Lit FE College for eight years and is currently a trustee of the Institute of Fundraising and of Contact a Family. Kevin has enormous experience, not only of the third sector, but of managing complex organisations with a strong set of values. Kevin is passionate about education and values how life changing education can enable people to stretch themselves and lead enriched lives.

Book Launch: Towards a Positive Future: stories, ideas and inspiration from children with special educational needs, their families and professionals

Janet — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:36:33 +0000

This book describes the present legal process for establishing an adequate educational ‘statement’ of the needs of a child with a disability, or appealing against one that is deemed to be inadequate. The author has gathered together parental accounts of their experiences of that process and these form the main body of the book. It does not make an entirely easy read emotionally: some of the stories are raw in the telling but in sum form a tribute to all the parents and professionals who have dedicated themselves to enhancing children’s prospects without compromise.

This book forms the precursor to a weightier volume which will be written when radical reform of the present special needs education legislation (in England) has been settled. The road to the point where reform has been acknowledged as necessary has sometimes been rocky. The present legislation, although working well for many, has caused anguish for some parents as they saw their child’s needs go unrecognised or compromised by provision that did not suit them. They have had to fight their way through a lengthy and complex process to gain the right level of provision for their child, sometimes supported by expert professionals, sometimes alone.

In producing this book, the editor and her team hope that we can learn from experience and, despite the present economic challenge, move towards a system that is workable and honest in its ambition. We can all (both parent and professional) contribute towards that positive future by making our voices heard, telling it as it is and saying how it should be.

Dr Hilary Gardner, Department of Human Communication Sciences, The University of Sheffield, September 2011

Please join us at the book launch in Newbury Berkshire at 7pm on Friday 14th October 2011. Cost £50 including a 3 course meal.

http://towardsapositivefuture.wordpress.com