Boys More Likely To Have 'special Needs' Than Girls

[HappyMaz]

I've just seen this article on twitter. Apparently it says that in primary school boys are two and a half times more likely than girls to have statements at primary school. At secondary school, they were nearly three times more likely to have statements compared to girls.

 

Interesting reading!

 

Maz

[Inge]

we were told that when we had an abundance of girls with special needs who we went though the process to get a statement for them, 3 in 4 years, never had one boy with us!

 

Inge

[Guest]

I did find this interesting coming on the heels of the recent report that too many children are labeled as SEN in schools when in fact they weren't. I'm not saying I agree with that report but isn't it interesting that the majority of primary teachers are female and the majority of SEN in primary is in boys? Without wanting to continue stereotypes could this be connected to the fact that the boys don't conform to what the teachers expect at specific ages?

[HappyMaz]

isn't it interesting that the majority of primary teachers are female and the majority of SEN in primary is in boys? Without wanting to continue stereotypes could this be connected to the fact that the boys don't conform to what the teachers expect at specific ages?

Sounds an interesting hypothesis - maybe someone should do some research!

[Guest]

Ahh, erm, yes but [backing out of room quickly], not me hey

[mundia]

I think this is quite well documented in research (just thinking names..it will come to me), that school environments are 'girl friendly', and the things that are seen as important are often things that girls do younger or more easily (reading and writing being two examples). I used to get really irritated by the 'criteria' being used to assess SEN in my old school in these areas because boys would often come out as the ones with SEN, when I just felt we were using the wrong measure.... bit like trying to weigh a pig with a kitchen scale.

 

The question for me would always be what criteria are we using to determine SEN especially for young children in schools?

 

Stephen Biddulph.. raising boys or similar. Whole chapter on 'boy friendly' schooling

[Guest]

I do have plenty of experience of sending lovely, lively little boys off to primary school working at perfectly respectable levels in my setting, and then getting reports back that school are looking to assess them for SEN if things don't settle down. These are usually summer born boys who we have reported are (very) active learners. Our knowledge gets trampled and the parents have often come back to see us really upset about the labeling. Fortunatley I have some resources I now share with these parents to help them judge for themselves and to promote the skills their child is allegedly lacking through activities at home.

[Sue R]

Hi there!!

 

Don't get me started!!!

 

My own summer-born boy was judged to be 2 years behind at age 8. I had helped in the school since his older sister started (two years before) and had actually been a volunteer two afternoons a week in his class before the teacher dropped that bombshell at the end of the summer term. Could she not have had a word?? It was all very informal and friendly in the volunteer set-up!

 

There were lots of issues in my son's situation, however, he is now 28 and a very successful light/sound technician in the theatre, having worked with some highly regarded companies and gathered his own reputation.

 

Nothing really helpful, I suppose, except the frustration of a mum knowing that insufficient, proper support (which was not SO available in those days) was unhelpful - but it CAN be done?

 

Sue

[Shiny]

I do have plenty of experience of sending lovely, lively little boys off to primary school working at perfectly respectable levels in my setting, and then getting reports back that school are looking to assess them for SEN if things don't settle down. These are usually summer born boys who we have reported are (very) active learners.

We have been having the same problem over the last 4 years.

 

I am fed up with hearing how we should have intervened before they got to school!!! They were fine with us learning through play almost completely outdoors with a high ratio of adults to children.

 

Sit them in a classroom with a huge list of 'work' for them to do and they are lost, fed up and down right miserable!!!! Who can blame them for being a little disruptive!!!!

[Guest]

I had to have just the teeniest of smiles when I read this thread because just yesterday a parent blamed her sons behaviour on us, because in nursery we are just not FORMAL enough for his needs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cait]

Isn't it true though that all blokes are on the Autistm Spectrum?

 

 

It's an interesting article Maz, and made me look back at our Preschoolers. With the exception of one girl who had severe speech delay, all the others have been boys (7).

[Aunt Sally]

I have worked in special needs schools for the past 10 years and there has always been a gender imbalance. However ironically in the last couple of years I have noticed it balancing out. The children we get are diagnosed with syndromes etc and are identified as having an sen at a young age. It is thought that pediatricians find that more boy babies than girl babies are likely to be born with vision problems, hearing impairment, and gross motor disabilities, which can interfere with learning.

[Guest]

Thanks for that input debbington. It is a comfort to me to know there is some scientific basis for the imbalance.

[Guest jenpercy]

Isn't it the case that boys having only one x cromosome can suffer from things that girls are carriers of?

[Aunt Sally]

Yes i think you are right.

 

Some conditions such as FragileX, Klinefelters and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy mainly affects males. Some other syndromes such as Coffin Lowry affect boys more severely than girls.