It’s a long one but so worth a read 😜 On may 25th, I'm wing-walking at over 500ft and around 90mph....crazy right?! But here's why......

A SEND-betweener is a child whose needs are neither significant enough to warrant 1:1 support in schools nor insignificant enough to be ignored meaning that child can be left to their own devices. Due to the classic ‘lack of funding’ and ‘minimal resources’, these children often go unnoticed with their needs unmet until their anxieties become so great that they start displaying behavioural problems, struggling to get themselves into school, or simply disengage with learning altogether. This applies to around 1/3 of every class!

Neurodiversity is not becoming ‘popular’, it’s not a trend or the latest craze, it’s real, it’s huge and luckily more people are being recognized as having a different way of thinking and processing everyday tasks and expectations. BUT the education system is not yet set up to accommodate these SEND-betweeners’ needs. Parents are told daily that their children ‘seem fine when they’re in school,’ yet have explosive meltdowns at home, that ‘other children have greater needs and must take priority’. This is absolutely NOT the teacher's fault but the system, the insufficient training and lack of funding from the government.

Well, who is prioritising those sitting in the middle of the Special Educational Needs scale? Who is fighting to get them the help they so desperately need before they suffer anymore trauma which will stay with them long into their adulthood?

Me, that’s who!

I want to raise much-need funds to support two incredible organisations that not only support parents of neurodiverse children but the whole family by going into schools to be that much-needed voice of the child, creating and delivering talks, courses and handouts to increase knowledge for the wider community, making safe spaces for those that are not able to access things already available and also provide the invaluable knowledge and support that so may parents are crying out for when they feel they have nowhere else to turn.

Having been there ourselves, parenting neurodiverse children can be a scary and lonely place. Let’s fight hard to not make the norm anymore.

Thank you so much for reading, I know it was a long read but genuinely, anything you are able to offer would be so very much appreciated.

To find out more ⬇️:

💜Basildon Parents4Parents - We aim to improve the outcomes of children and families through access to trained volunteers who provide community support to parents living in the Basildon area who are facing everyday challenges. We operate several Projects during each School Term that include an ESOL Group, Art Cafe, Coffee morning/Drop In and an After School Youth project. We also host specialised training events throughout the year.

https://www.moreincommonbb.co.uk/charity/62/basildon-parents-4-parents

💙 ADHD+ Support, Chelmsford Essex - We are charitable organisation with a primary aim of providing information, support and services to those with ADHD and its many associated and co-existing conditions. We are primarily run by volunteers who have a personal connection with these conditions.

Our work is with those who have or are in the process of obtaining a diagnosis of ADHD, their families, parents/guardians, and professionals, to help find and provide better ways to help cope with the day-to-day struggles.

https://adhd-support.org.uk/