Can we remove the "Special Needs" out of the Forum Index to "Neurodiversity and Disabilities"

[Anonymous]

DP, SN mom, vote for status quo. Forum name is fine as is.

[Anonymous]

Special needs only has a negative connotation because jerks have historically used it as an insult. I think it's better than "disabilities" which clearly implies a deficit or being less than. I am in favor of reclaiming/embracing "special needs"

There really isn't going to be a better term that includes the same people.

[Anonymous]

How about "Children With Truly Unique and Extraordinary Challenges Without Which Their Mothers Would Not Be Spending Thousand of Dollars on Therapies, Books, and Specialists For Said Children"

[Anonymous]

So if we call it neurodiversity then NT kids should also be included

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about kids with special needs and disabilities. Covers everyone.

I prefer not changing too. I think people see only ASD and ADHD when they see neurodiversity because those are the loudest voices right now. I think special needs covers much more.

DD has Level 1 ASD and anxiety. DS has anxiety. I also prefer SN and Disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Special needs only has a negative connotation because jerks have historically used it as an insult. I think it's better than "disabilities" which clearly implies a deficit or being less than. I am in favor of reclaiming/embracing "special needs"

There really isn't going to be a better term that includes the same people.

Are you disabled? Because disability rights advocates don't agree with you and prefer the word disability over special needs. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disability-pride-month-july-2022/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special needs only has a negative connotation because jerks have historically used it as an insult. I think it's better than "disabilities" which clearly implies a deficit or being less than. I am in favor of reclaiming/embracing "special needs"

There really isn't going to be a better term that includes the same people.

Are you disabled? Because disability rights advocates don't agree with you and prefer the word disability over special needs. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disability-pride-month-july-2022/

I think the disability rights community is not a monolith and some prefer using disability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special needs only has a negative connotation because jerks have historically used it as an insult. I think it's better than "disabilities" which clearly implies a deficit or being less than. I am in favor of reclaiming/embracing "special needs"

There really isn't going to be a better term that includes the same people.

Are you disabled? Because disability rights advocates don't agree with you and prefer the word disability over special needs. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disability-pride-month-july-2022/

I think the disability rights community is not a monolith and some prefer using disability.

I haven't seen anything written by a disabled person who prefers "special needs." Can you point to anything?

[Anonymous]

I’m in favor of keeping the forum title as is.

If we are making any changes, can we consider taking the forum out of recent topics to reduce the number of moms who wander if and say the real issue is your kids are brats because you just don’t know how to parent? I often cringe when posters don’t make it clear in the title that the thread is about a kid who has special needs/disability/neurodivergence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in favor of keeping the forum title as is.

If we are making any changes, can we consider taking the forum out of recent topics to reduce the number of moms who wander if and say the real issue is your kids are brats because you just don’t know how to parent? I often cringe when posters don’t make it clear in the title that the thread is about a kid who has special needs/disability/neurodivergence.

A number of those posts you are complaining about are from posters who are parents of kids with SN.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special needs only has a negative connotation because jerks have historically used it as an insult. I think it's better than "disabilities" which clearly implies a deficit or being less than. I am in favor of reclaiming/embracing "special needs"

There really isn't going to be a better term that includes the same people.

Are you disabled? Because disability rights advocates don't agree with you and prefer the word disability over special needs. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disability-pride-month-july-2022/

I think the disability rights community is not a monolith and some prefer using disability.

I haven't seen anything written by a disabled person who prefers "special needs." Can you point to anything?

Many of the students with IEPs or 504’s (and their parents) do not refer to themselves as disabled, they would not identify themselves that way- some would not identify as neurodiverse either. That is why I like the title that includes both Special Needs and Disability. I would be fine if the proposal was to add Neurodiversity to the Special Needs and Disabilities title.

[Anonymous]

"As long as we don’t turn this into a forum for parents of gifted children. It will be overrun.

My own standard is if your kid will be applying to T-20 colleges, maybe their needs aren’t so special after all."

Ouch! I went to HSYP for college and wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until I was in my thirties. I suffered and didn't understand what was wrong with me even though I could ace any test and charm my way into getting my professors to accept my late papers. There's a whole thing now called 2E.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"As long as we don’t turn this into a forum for parents of gifted children. It will be overrun.

My own standard is if your kid will be applying to T-20 colleges, maybe their needs aren’t so special after all."

Ouch! I went to HSYP for college and wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until I was in my thirties. I suffered and didn't understand what was wrong with me even though I could ace any test and charm my way into getting my professors to accept my late papers. There's a whole thing now called 2E.

I could not possibly give this a strong enough eye-roll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s next, you demand the schools change the name and spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours reprinting reports and anything with the phrase on it?

Who will be expected to do that? Teachers, admin? Will it take additional time from their day or will they hire new teachers to compensate?

If you’re reprinting an old report will someone be offended if the phrase appears and chastise you for it?

Do you expect them to rename special education teachers and change all the university level curriculum as well?

Is this really so important to you that you think the time and money that could otherwise be used by a child with special needs is better spent canceling the phrase “special needs”?

Special needs isn't a term that schools use. Disabilities is.

Special Education isn't the term that disabled people find offensive. Special needs is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EunIsEh6Atw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special needs only has a negative connotation because jerks have historically used it as an insult. I think it's better than "disabilities" which clearly implies a deficit or being less than. I am in favor of reclaiming/embracing "special needs"

There really isn't going to be a better term that includes the same people.

Are you disabled? Because disability rights advocates don't agree with you and prefer the word disability over special needs. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disability-pride-month-july-2022/

I think the disability rights community is not a monolith and some prefer using disability.

I haven't seen anything written by a disabled person who prefers "special needs." Can you point to anything?

Many of the students with IEPs or 504’s (and their parents) do not refer to themselves as disabled, they would not identify themselves that way- some would not identify as neurodiverse either. That is why I like the title that includes both Special Needs and Disability. I would be fine if the proposal was to add Neurodiversity to the Special Needs and Disabilities title.

The kids who don't identify that way generally don't because they have been taught self hate, including by their parents who reject any connection with disabilities.

"I don't see you as disabled" is offensive in the same way that telling someone "I don't see you as a woman because you're smart" is.