lbj

Yes, I've watched the trailer (very good) and hopefully I'll remember to tune in to the show! janine

Thank-you. Well, my application has gone in now and I know I probably didn't give it as much attention as it deserved but I'll just have to wait and see if anything comes of it (I used to be CAB advisor so I know the theory of a "good" application) janine

I want to apply for DLA for my son and I see that I can do it online (this is a good thing!). It says about the governmanet gateway ID... now I do have a govt gateway ID somewhere but I can't work out if I need to use my ID or if I need to obtain a new one in my son's name. Can anybody tell me? janine

Just wanted to add one other little perspective on this. I think that maybe if your child doesn't have severe sensory or anxiety problems which would likely make mainstream school a lot like torture for them then it might be helpful to the other children to have the experience of an ASD child in their class. My son is only marginally verbal (recently turned four and still will only come out with single words generally and his receptive language isn't great) and he doesn't respond fantastically well to other children but he is generally happy, chilled and fairly co-operative when handled with a modicum of sensitivity. When he started his pre-school class in January the staff floundered in the first month without any input from the autism advisory service and I got a constant stream of little girls telling me that my DS was silly or naughty or had been crying etc. After the advisory teacher had been in, things started to settle down and now a lot of the children respond favourably to him and the other day he was actually invited to a birthday party at a play centre and he did very well and a little girl was talking to me about he she liked him and how everybody helps him to learn how to behave. It was very sweet and I think it's very valuable for the class to be learning to accept difference. If it reaches the point where I think my son is suffering either emotionally or (significantly) developmentall/intellectually I will try my best to get him into more specialised provision but there are benefits to inclusion. janine

I must try and remember that (and not get distracted by Big Brother ). Thank-you for letting us know. janine

In a lot of areas there's so much flu that they're not doing the swabbing anymore and neiter are they giving out Tamiflu as though it was sweeties. If you're in an at risk group you should still be offered Tamiflu otherwise they should just log you as a presumed case and you should treat yourself as for any other flu (fluids, rest, paracetamol and watch for escalating symptoms). It seems to be rife in my neck of the woods (Herts) and I guess it's just a matter of time for me and my boys! Hope you're feeling better soon. janine

Much less colourful but I did stand up in assembly (aged 5) to correct the headmaster because he was talking about how he wanted us to make up harvest festival hampers to give to the elderly and he suggested (amongst other things) that we could put in orange squash. I felt moved to inform him that old people drink tea or perhaps coffee but that they were definitely not interested in orange squash! Actually, it's not even all that similar is it really? Just a kid with a fixed idea janine

It's Prozac (generic name for). janine

This is the worst time ever for kids who don't fit-in easily. I have 2+2 kids (the two older ones are in their early 20s now). When the top two were little, about one third to a half of the children in their class would have a party or a trip with friends for their birthday. Usually they would invite three to maybe 15 of their best friends so those excluded wouldn't feel so singled out. Now it seems practically everyone has a party and they invite near to all the class so it's horrible on any child left out - I wouldn't have the gall to do it but it seems that many do. Maybe a bit of credit crunching will scale their parties back I was never popular and I've learned to celebrate that fact but I have to try and think back and realise that outsider status rarely appeals to under 12s! janine

What Pippin said

Single (widowed). I've nothing but respect for people making the best of a bad job if their partner upped and left and equally I've nothing but respect for people who mutually realised that things weren't working between them and separated by consent. A child is best off in a family with two parents who are happy together but is better off with just one parent than with two who continue to co-habit as their erstwhile relationship turns bitter and corrosive. janine

It's great that your son's doing so well and I know that feeling of relief when the teacher is full or paraise and understanding when you were expecting something disasterous! I get the sense that my son's teacher is really happy to have him and enjoys both his differences and also seeing the chjanges/improvements brought about when employing certain strategies (suggested by the autism team). I'm starting to think that even with the risk of over-diagnosing this push for early diagnosis is a very good thing so that our children aren't perceived as mysteriously "wrong" but interestingly different. janine

Good luck with that - you're very brave! janine

No, not if the paediatrician says "I think what we're looking at is a communication disorder... on the autistic spectrum but he's young yet and it could be stemming from his language difficulties so we'll wait and see him in a while just to be sure." And you (the parent) then go away and read serious literature on ASDs and realise that yes, that does seem to pretty well fit your child then, in the intereststs of not having a blathering paragraph of explanation of what may or may not be going on with your child, you're quite entitled to say we're waiting for a diagnosis of ASD (you can throw in a "likely" perhaps to try and keep the peace. Also although the professionals get these things right most of the time (they should, it's their job), they're not infallible and people don't have to always swallow unquestioningly what a particular professional has told them. I agree though that the focus should be on the child and his/her needs and not a label which may or may not be forthcoming. janine

I always liked Jade anyway but even those who think of her as unimportant in the greater scheme of things must be impressed at what her plight has done to raise awareness of cervical cancer. janine