It’s the summer holidays so the podcast (and me) will be going on a break. I’m going to have more fabulous guests for you from the beginning of September but in the meantime I’m going to leave you with a montage of the advice from all of my amazing guests so far!
Tags: parenting podcast, additional needs, SEN parenting, SEND
-------- Â
29:21
--------
29:21
20: Becky Blount: Pectus Excavatum & ADHD
This week I’m chatting to Becky Blount about her son Bobby's health journey, including his diagnosis of pectus excavatum and ADHD. Becky shares her experiences with Bobby's surgery, recovery, and the significant changes in his quality of life post-operation. We talk about funding cuts for the pectus excavatum surgery and how Becky has campaigned to change the decision to not offer the operation to help other families in the future
 You can find the charity Becky talks about in this episode here:
www.pectusmatters.co.uk
 Tags: pectus excavatum, NHS cuts, surgery, ADHD, SEN SEND
-------- Â
55:18
--------
55:18
19: Lauren James: Accepting a Second Diagnosis Alongside Down Syndrome
Lauren James joins me to talk about her gorgeous 3 year old daughter Dottie. This is an emotional one for me because my Leo is only slightly younger than Dottie and a lot of Lauren’s initial feelings about a diagnosis of Down Syndrome mirror my own. We discuss acceptance, how to talk to siblings about a diagnosis – Dottie is one of 6, and how Lauren is dealing with developmental regression, likely caused by autism.
 You can find Lauren on Instagram here @keepingupwithdotz
The books Lauren mentions about how to talk to children about additional needs are here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=the+abilities+in+me+books&adgrpid=159542794286&gad_source=1&hvadid=696275714049&hvdev=c&hvexpln=69&hvlocphy=1007409&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=62791021235228350--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=62791021235228350&hvtargid=kwd-1105399785062&hydadcr=15245_2304951&mcid=c83807181e2e3906a0d1ff777d8041a6&tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_9r4jdif5dn_e_p69
Â
Tags: Down syndrome, autism, development regression, SEN SEND, parenting
This week I’m joined by Jessie Townz to talk about her son Max who has Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and high functioning autism. We discuss the challenges of navigating the school system and how hard it was to find Max a suitable setting where they understood his needs. We discuss the importance of advocacy, the impact of PDA on their family life, and why there is a need for greater awareness and understanding of PDA.Â
 You can find Jessie on Instagram @jessietownz
 Tags: PDA, autism, neurodiversity, sen, send
-------- Â
54:53
--------
54:53
17: Charlotte House: Managing a Rare Form of Epilepsy
My guest this week is Charlotte House, talking about her son Barnaby who has a rare form of epilepsy. Barnaby can have up to 70 seizures a day and we discuss how Charlotte manages that and what measures have had to be put in place to keep him safe. We talk about the on-going wait to find out what’s causing Barnaby’s seizures, how Charlotte finds researching everything helpful and she gives some great advice on how to keep track of information and appointments. We also discuss the mental toll of waiting for a big upcoming surgery and how she finds time for moments of self-care throughout the week.
 Tags: epilepsy, infantile spasms, brain surgery, SEN parenting
The SEND Mum Club is a parenting podcast with a difference. Made specifically for parents with children with all kinds of additional needs and/or disabilities. It's a place to share the joys and challenges of raising children with extra needs, with raw, honest conversations, designed to make you feel seen and heard on a journey none of us expected to be on.
Ireland