A mum is fighting to have more inclusion for SEN children after her son was turned away from a play group.
Georgia Bolan, 22, from Whiston is a mum to two little boys. Her oldest son, Lennie, three, has autism, ADHD and a global development delay and sensory processing issues.
The mum and son have recently been left feeling isolated after the little boy was turned away from an SEN play group - despite Georgia struggling to find one in the first place. She was told that "due to funding and resources it wasn’t possible at that moment" to accommodate her Lennie.
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Speaking to the ECHO, the mum explained Lennie has "severe" SEN needs. She said: "I went somewhere a while ago with Lennie and was told that they can only facilitate mild to moderate children and since Lennie was severe, they said they wish they could but due to funding and resources it wasn’t possible at that moment in time to accommodate him.
"It really knocked me back and I felt so isolated that I couldn’t even take him out to enjoy himself to a place where up until then I felt comfortable. Knowsley has no special needs groups for children like Lennie, only big centres like Spaceworld and other soft plays that state they are inclusive but actually aren’t.
"They can try their best but they can’t physically meet the needs of every child that goes in with SEN needs. But then us SEN parents feel isolated and as though we can’t take our children places like this because of the stigma and the lack of education other parents have."
Georgia added: "I’ve spoken to so many MPs and it goes in one ear and out the other. So many SEN children and their parents are so isolated at the minute because there is nowhere we can go."
Prescot Liberal Democrat councillor, Carl Cashman, said: "The activities or groups for SEN do not seem to be specific to those with SEN needs and not promoted widely enough for families. From my experience having a close colleague with SEN who grew up in Knowsley, there’s not enough support and activities and more could be done."
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