Abstract

Getting the educational provision you need for your special needs child can feel like an uphill struggle. This book offers clear guidance on how authorities such as Local Education Authorities, schools, the National Health Service and the Government function, what the law entitles your child to, and how you can fight most effectively for the education they need.

Basing the book on her own experience of bringing up two sons with special educational needs, Ellen Power describes how she worked with - and in some cases challenged - the authorities to get the right education for her children. Outlining what she did, how she did it, and how you can do the same, she explains clearly the implications of the Special Educational Needs code of practice and the Disability Discrimination Act, as well as giving advice on diagnosis, assessment, and dealing with the authorities. Further sections look at how to address issues such as transition between schools, and bullying.

Interweaving real-life experience with practical advice, Guerrilla Mum is essential reading for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Parents, who intend to ask for a statutory assessment, or to make an appeal, will find it a very handy guide. Indeed there are many professionals working with this population of children in schools who will find the factual descriptions of this special educational needs process and related law very useful. I also greatly admire Ellen Power's campaigning work for children with special educational needs as there are so many who do not have parents who are able to advocate on their behalf.
NAPLIC Matters
Guerrilla Mum is well organised, it is easy to follow and also to refer to if unsure of your child's legal rights. Everything you need to know about education for special needs is here in this guide. This book is one I wish I had written myself, well worth reading and I thoroughly recommend it to any parents or carers of children with additional needs.
Encephalitis Society, Debbie Mumford, Surrey Regional Representative
This is a very helpful book for parents or carers of a child with special needs. Tips on choosing the right school for your child, advice on how to get a diagnosis, suggestions on how to work with the child's school to deal with bullying, plus lots more. You can jump in at whatever chapter you need at that moment. Ellen shares her own experiences, making the whole "jungle" of special educational needs seem less overwhelming.
Foster Families
This book is a personal account by the mother of two sons with special educational needs, which entertainingly interweaves the story of her battle to secure appropriate help for them with information and advice to help others in similar situations... Any parent who reads this book will discover, if they did not know it already, that their child's difficulty has long term implications, that funding considerations affect almost all decisions made about their child, that alarmingly few professionals can be trusted to do the right thing and that, ultimately, it is down to the parents themselves to fight for appropriate support. The sections that deal with bullying and social contacts and activities are particularly good. This is an excellent book and, in my opinion every parent who suspects, or has just discovered, that their child has a speech or language disorder should have a copy.
Afasic News
A very useful resource book, written in plain English. I would recommend it to parents who have children with special needs but also to student of any education and social care studies for a great overview of the system.
Sarah's Book Review Blog
Ellen Power has a BA Honours Degree in French and History. After graduation she worked as a police officer then in commerce before having her first child in the mid 1990's. Since then she and her husband have been tireless campaigners for their children's rights to access the curriculum at school and to meet their potential in life. She has contributed to the National Autistic Society magazine 'Communication', discussing the issue of homeschooling children on the Autistic Spectrum. She lives with her husband and two young sons.
Outlining what she did, how she did it, and how you can do the same, she explains clearly the implications of the Special Educational Needs code of practice and the Disability Discrimination Act, as well as giving advice on diagnosis, assessment, and dealing with the authorities... Interweaving real-life experience with practical advice, "Guerrilla Mum" is essential reading for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities... It has many questions in it which people in similar positions want to ask but forget or are scared to ask and takes you through all the processes needed to get the right diagnosis and develop a plan to get the child into education - and most importantly - the right education for them There are tips in each chapter which are highlighted in a text box along with a checklist at the end of each chapter - a useful reminder of what was included in each chapter. There are many subjects included within the book which may be worries of parents of children with special needs - bullying at school, benefits available and where to go to for I found this book to be a very useful resource book, written in plain English... I would recommend it to parents who do have children with special needs but also to students of any education and social care studies for a great overview of the system.
Sarah's Book Reviews
Over the past decade, UK- based Power has evolved from a mild-mannered mother of two boys into a "guerrilla mum" battling officialdom in local government and the National Health Service. Based on her experiences of raising two sons, aged 13 and 11, with special educational needs, she offers fellow parents in the UK advice and shares tactics that have helped her and her husband succeed in improving the quality of their children's lives.
Book News