'special educational needs' still implies that those who have them are a bit 'odd'. They're not. They simply learn in a different way because their brains function in a different way. 'learning differences' applies to all of us, thus not excluding anyone from the 'Club of We Know Best'.

"They are ordinary, normal children just like we were and like our children were."

Yes, many are and that is even more reason why they struggle in this emotionally violent society, where bullying is rife in our schools.

"I have every sympathy with your friend but would say that her son has been sadly led astray at a very vunerable age by the popular press and the people who are crying foul at every opportunity."

My friend is hugely intelligent, as is her son, and her husband. Her daughter is the one with severe autism whom I spoke of in another thread. No, he was not led astray by anyone, he simply did it to protect himself. He is now out of school, in Uni, studying to become an architect, like his father, and he is far happier there than he ever was at school, where for many months he locked himself in his room, away from the world, because he could not cope with what was happening in school.


"Education is the answer, not in the way suggested, but education to ensure that youngsters such as him know that it is only demonisation and panic that has brought about his paranoia."

He was not, and is not suffering from paranoia. The paranoia comes from those who cry that it is NOT happening, when it is. Sadly.

Nope, this is not about education, but about looking at things from a different angle, changing the view...we have merely sidetracked to this point because of a few posts earlier on. It is very easy to sidetrack to another subject, if you should want to, David, that is within the topic of the thread.