C.E. Jottings

On being a parent

Sometimes, words I read touch me so closely, remind me how far we have to go in supporting parents of children with disabilities, and demonstrate how parents are the only ones who can ever really help other parents, that I have no words of my own. You must just read for yourself. Here is an extract to give you an idea of it: "The other parents sat around in the front yard and had a few beers. The kids ran... Read more →

Does anyone at Supporta know what best practice is?

As well as this blog, I keep another occasional blog recording our tribulations with our daughter's care agency. Other parents, I fear, will recognise a story of unprofessionalism and lack of integrity in a care organisation that is only exceptional in that it is unexceptional. I have decided to republish the posting on this blog, to give it the widest currency. Tonight, carers arrived with a clearly prepared speech that assisting our daughter to make transitions from chair to wheelchair... Read more →

An orthofunctional organisation?

On Saturday, I found myself in much the same situation as Jane, "Student Conductor" blogger at Birmingham, pondering answers to the question "what is conductive education". I was attending the spring meeting of the East Pennine Association of Churchill Fellows at Leeming, an association of which I am member as a result of being awarded a Travel fellowship by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. (You can register now to receive information when the Trust opens for applications for the 2009... Read more →

Parents Helping Parents

Let me say right from the outset that we will participate; that we will do so to the best of our ability, recognising the hard work of others that has created our opportunity to do so; hard work that has fallen, we strongly suspect, on the shoulders of just one Council officer; wanting to support her as well as wanting to take hold of any opportunity open to us as parents that will help lay the path toward independent living... Read more →

Special educational needs initial teacher training

An informative table comparing provision in 20 countries for the training of teachers of children with special educational needs can be downloaded from the INCA website. The countries in the table are listed in blocks: ‘UK and Ireland’ (5), ‘Europe’ (8) and ‘the rest of the world’ (7). Of the 20 countries, 9 offer "specialist initial teacher training": Germany, Spain, Hungary, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Singapore, USA. 18 of the 20 countries are said to offer "post qualification specialisation", the... Read more →

The First Step is Failure

One blog I link to regularly is Sharp Brains: "Your window into the emerging field of science-based Brain Fitness, its implications for Health & Wellness, Education, Leadership, and more." It challenges me to think 'outside of the box' of my prejudices and much, much further than my intellectual "comfort zone". With the stimulating Author Speaks Series Sharp Brains is seeking "to provide a platform for leading scientists and experts writing high-quality brain-related books to reach a wide audience". So far,... Read more →

Parents. Conductive Education. Western Australia

Trevor and Charmaine White have a campaigning weblog with the 'headline' mission statement: "To find a cure for Mitochondrial Disease and Save Our Son". Brave people whom we can only wish every success. Let's hope they avoid the burn out that afflicts so many parents who set out on similar courses. I have lost count of the number of times over the past years that I have wondered whether, if I had known what I know now, I would have... Read more →

PageFlakes - The Conductive Web (2) CE Forums

My earlier posting announced the "The Conductive Web" on PageFlakes. There, I am aiming to compile a page of feeds from CE blogs. I have now opened a new page, aiming to do the same for CE discussion Forums. If you know of any discussion Forums with a conductive education focus, in any language, please alert me to them and I will add them to The Conductive Web. You can leave the URL as a link on the message board... Read more →

The ideological tug-of-war over our schools

This posting I have emailed to "The Independent" columnist, Johann Hari, in response to his article yesterday, "The idealogical tug-of-war over our schools". Dear Johann Hari Somewhere at work I have a large box of floppy discs. You may remember the uproar when Apple removed floppy disc drives from their computers. How would we cope? Who has floppy discs now? “Thinking different” can be difficult. You may not have noticed, in Thursday’s “Independent”, on the “Letters” page opposite your own... Read more →

A new children's services Director for Sheffield

A new Director, Children and Young People Directorate, has been appointed by Sheffield City Council. "Sonia Sharp, Strategic Director for Children and Young People's Services at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for the last three years is to be the new Executive Director for Children and Young People's Services. She will have responsibility for services supporting schools, as well as children's social care services and support services for vulnerable children." "Having trained as an educational psychologist, Sonia worked in Barnsley, Lincolnshire... Read more →