All parents want their children to do well at school. Some children may need more support than others to achieve their potential and this may be because they have a disability, medical condition or other additional needs. This podcast is an interview with two of Contact a Family's helpline advisers that provides information about the different levels of support for children with special educational needs (SEN) and what you can do if you are not happy with the support your child gets. If you need further clarification of any of the points discussed call the Contact a Family freephone helpline.
Special educational needs podcast

ESA came into effect in October 2008 and replaced Incapacity Benefit and Income Support. This podcast is an interview with a Contact a Family adviser and provides more details about this benefit.

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It costs more to raise a disabled child and some families need additional financial help. This podcast provides an overview of what the social fund is and the sort of things it can help fund.

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Contact a Family receives funding from a number of sources which help us provide a range of services for families. Our Lewisham Office, thanks to funding from the borough council, has been able to offer some families in the borough the opportunity to have a weekend away with other families. Listen to the parents talk about what the experience means to them and their families.

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This podcast is about Contact a Family's Cash Counts service, a new online service dedicated to ensuring families with disabled children are getting every penny.

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This podcast is an honest account of a parent's experience of having a child affected by Gorlin syndrome.

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This podcast is an honest account of a person affected by Niemann Picks disease, type B.

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This podcast is an honest account of a mother's experience of having a child with Soto Syndrome.

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This podcast is an honest account of a Mum's experience of having a child with Late Infantile Batten disease.

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Many parents find attending local support groups invaluable. Don't take our word for it, listen to some parents talking about what it means to them.

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Mae llawer o rieni yn gwerthfawrogi mynychu grwpiau cefnogi rhieni, allen nhw fod yn grwp lleol i bob un mynychu neu, grwp cenedlaethol sy'n cefnogi cyflwr penodol. Cliciwch yma i wrando ar brofiad rhiant o mynychu grwp cefnogi lleol. Mae'r recordiad yma yn Gymraeg.

Many parents find it invaluable to attend support groups whether they are a local group for anyone to attend or a national group who support a specific condition. Click here to listen to a parent's experience of attending a local support group. This recording is in Welsh.

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A mother discusses her experience of having one of her twins diagnosed with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.

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Read more medical information on Spina Bifida
Read more medical information on Hydrocephalus

Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency is an uncommon condition which occurs before a baby is born. The condition affects the bones in the lower limbs including the hip, knee and thigh bones. This podcast is a mother’s experience of having a son with the condition.

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Read more medical information on Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency

A mother and father discuss their experience of the process of diagnosis for their child with Pitt Hopkins syndrome. Pitt Hopkins is a rare genetic condition characterised by severe learning disability, breathing abnormalities and characteristic facial features.

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This podcast features a mothers experience of having a child with an undiagnosed condition and challenging behaviour.

Many families have children with special needs whose medical condition is often never diagnosed. This can make it difficult for the family to access information, support and services. Challenging behaviour can be a feature of many different conditions and it can vary from emotional to physical difficulties.

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Read more medical information on having an undiagnosed condition

This podcast is a father’s experience of having a child with TAR Syndrome.

In Thrombocytopenia and Absent Radius there are low platelets and absence of the radius on both sides (bilaterally). The radius and the ulna are the two bones in the forearm. The radius is the bone that is on the side of the forearm where the thumb is. There may be other bones involved as well but the unique feature of Thrombocytopenia and Absent Radius is that although the radius is absent, the thumb is present.

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This podcast is a mother’s experience of having a child with Sturge-Weber Syndrome.

Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a congenital disorder involving the brain, skin and eyes.

There is a facial birth mark (port wine stain), a layer of blood vessels over the covering of the brain (venous angioma of the leptomeninges) and there may be an angioma (collections of abnormal blood vessels) involving the inner lining of the eye (choroidal angioma). The angioma usually involves one side of the brain and varies in extent. More rarely it may involve both sides of the brain.

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This podcast is a mother’s experience of having a child with Bladder Exstrophy and Epispadias.

The exstrophy epispadias complex is a spectrum of disorders ranging in severity from epispadias through bladder exstrophy to cloacal exstrophy. All three and their variants are rare congenital abnormalities, which affects boys more frequently than girls.

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Contact a Family has produced two new podcasts featuring an interview with a mum and dad whose son has Coats Disease.

The interview with the mum features her talking about her experience of having a young son with Coat’s disease. She discusses diagnosis, how she has coped and the effect on family life.

The interview with the dad features him talking about his experiences and he discusses diagnosis, his emotions and the effect on family life.

Interview with mum - Listen to the podcast

Interview with dad - Listen to the podcast

The views expressed in these podcasts are for information purposes only. The material is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. Condition symptoms may vary in type or severity amongst individuals. This podcast is to demonstrate the personal views and experience of this family only. For approved medical information about this condition see the Contact a family website or contact your doctor.

Interview with one mum, giving an honest account of having a son with autism, how she got the diagnosis and coped since.

The podcast also highlights additional sources of support which are available to families with disabled children.

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