What’s in a name
For a few weeks now I have been clear that my DPhil is about the learning journeys of those involved with supporting and caring for children and young people on the autistic spectrum. Having read a...
View ArticleMore reflecting on stories and complexity
I’m reading Merrill and West’s book on using biographical methods and working through the first set of transcriptions. Perhaps inevitably, there is a lot of stuff going on in my head. Perhaps one of...
View Article“I’m only a parent”
Last Thursday I was sitting, talking to a woman at the drop-in centre I facilitate for parents with children with SENs. Her son, aged 14 and currently out of school, was playing with duplo on the floor...
View ArticleWho wins?
I’m working through my interview data at the moment and a phrase struck me. The participant was talking about parents of children on the autistic spectrum, and she said: “… or you are deemed to be a...
View ArticleElevator pitch
Not sure how long it would take to share this, but I think I actually am finding the plot! It seems to have moved a long way from virtual worlds and learning journey though. My research examines why...
View ArticleSEN Green Paper – some initial thoughts
The long-awaited government consultation document “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability” was published last Tuesday. I have now had time to read it and and...
View ArticleConflict of interests
I facilitate a drop-in group for parents of children with SENs. Most of the parents who attend have children who have high functioning autism or Aspergers amongst their diagnoses. Even though my...
View ArticleBeing an insider
I am an insider in my research domain. Reading an article recommended by a colleague on insider research (Hellawell, 2006) raises the possibility of there being different dimensions to insider...
View ArticleDisability Discrimination and possible Harrassment
My son is twenty and preparing to start his degree studies in September. He has diagnoses of Asperger’s syndrome and dyslexia, but has worked hard to develop coping mechanisms, and neither presents an...
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‘Special Needs’ what’s in a word
A couple of tweets from @sarasiobhan have got me thinking this morning. Basically, she deprecates the term ‘special needs’: I am currently using the term ‘special needs’ in my thesis as a way of...
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