“Our son aged 9 has special needs and attends a special school. Simple right? No, not simple at all!

I am a qualified nursery nurse, have a degree in Education Studies and Psychology and was a childcare inspector for Ofsted for the under 8’s before I had my daughter. How hard could it be?

We encountered major frustration over getting a diagnosis that didn’t include a conclusion of parental blame while home educating due to threats of him being expelled at 5.5. We walked through the equivalent of treacle getting an educational statement and it almost turned my hair white looking for a school that could meet his needs!

Getting resources or toys for him in the high street like chewy tubes, chewigems, theraputty was and is – IMPOSSIBLE! So, my husband, Rhys and I, decided to bring special needs toys and resources to the high street, working with two occupational therapists.

The Little Games Shop – helping children and adults with additional needs 

• In our new Farnham store we stock a range of resources including Theraputty, Mr Face, sensory toys, sand timers, chewigems, feely boards, card holders, larger piece puzzles, large print scrabble, pocket money toys as well as the usual mainstream games, puzzles and some really great wooden toys. Soon we are stocking handwriting equipment, weighted blankets etc. We can source products for parents and are working with local SENCo’s. We can mail them out without postage and packing costs.            
• We don’t believe in inflated prices just because it has the tag line of “special needs”
• We work with two Occupational Therapists who on hand to advise regarding equipment and resources. Both OT’s have experience of children with additional and sensory needs – Caroline Winfield and Louise Williams.
• All staff have childcare qualification and/or are parents. On Saturdays we have Veronica who has worked for the National Autistic Society and has  completed courses in ASD and Young People, Social Stories Workshop and also has personal knowledge of ASD.

The Games Shop, Aldershot – 3 floors above the shop with refurbished rooms. – helping children and adults with additional needs:

• The first Tuesday of the month during school terms, SOS! SEN the special needs advisory charity, hold an advice surgery for parents/carers to navigate their way through the SEN system (without them my son would still be home educated and very unhappy), from 10:15-12:15. No appointment necessary and no fee, although a donation is always welcome.
• Hampshire NAS hold a social skills group for children every Saturday in Games Room 1 for children who live in Hampshire: Contact Kate Nixon on Tel: 01483 869 553
• Every Friday from 6-9pm we hold an under 16’s Wargaming club. The shop is a Games Workshop Premium Shop and Rhys used to be a manager for GW. The event is held in the “war room” with two members of staff with bags of knowledge and passion for the game. Come along and paint your army, get expert tips, play Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000 or make/paint your own scenery. Children with additional needs are an asset in this activity with their knowledge and memory and the game can so easily be adapted.
• Pokémon. We are very lucky to have our own Pokémon professor! Not only is he bursting with passion for the game, but as a qualified nursery nurse, he activity promotes reading and sportsmanship. He will happily show new members how to play and a more suitable time can be arranged for beginners. Saturdays is Pokémon league 10:30 to 1pm.
• We also host Yu-gi-Oh and Magic the gathering card games on Fridays.

Contact the shop for more info.

Finally, all three rooms plus the War Room are for hire and room rates start at just £10.00 per hour. Rhys has hosted GW parties very successfully as well as LEGO parties all, of course, adapted to the children’s needs and interests.

Just shops that sells traditional games, card games, collectibles, pocket money toys, puzzles, wooden toys, Games Workshop, LEGO? Not our shops!

Pop in Aldershot and say Hello to Rhys or pop into Farnham and say hello to Hilary.

• The Games Shop, 6 Wellington Street, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 1DZ Tel: 01252 311 443
• The Little Games Shop, 4 Cambridge Place, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7RX Tel: 01252 710392

The Little Games Shop also has a Facebook page with lots of info and conversation!

Towards_a_Positive_Future_Conference_2012_flyer - Download as PDF

Son2 explains the rules to his Dad

He used to love Lego, but that faded into the background the older he became. He used to spend hours reading and memorising Horrible Science magazines, but that too, petered out. He spends far too much time playing Xbox but at least half the time he’s playing Xbox Live, talking to his school friends as they play together, remotely.

Over the summer however, he became interested in wargaming. Not computerised, but Games Workshop wargaming, painting figures and playing board games with them. This was a revelation and we’ve been quick to support him. This entails spending vast amounts of money on Orks (for my husband to play with him) and Space Marines (for him) as well as Codex books, paints and carry boxes.

Most Sundays I take him to Games Workshop where he paints alongside a few other boys, instructed by the fantastic guys who run the store. These guys are amazing – always on hand to help in a low key, let-them-get-on-with-it sort of way. They’re not teachers but my son is learning valuable skills both social and practical.

Dad being resoundingly thrashed at a game by Son2

Son2 has dyspraxia and has always found art, painting and writing incredibly difficult. But the care and detail he puts into painting his Space Marines is a joy to see. I’m certain it’s improving his fine motor skills which should improve his school artwork. He’s also learning from Nick, the GW guy, more about rules and how to play the games. Strangely, there’s always a little something Son2 decides he needs to buy at the end of the session as well.

It’s not wholly surprising that he’s picked a hobby that involves collecting and being immersed in a scenario – but if it’s improving his communication skills with real people, I’m all for it.

So even though on most Sundays, I can be found wasting two hours wandering around the adjoining shopping centre or sitting in Starbucks on my iPad as I wait for his session to finish, it’s worth it – just to see him interacting with something that doesn’t need plugging in.

The basic gaming table

Best of all, he’s enjoying himself and it’s a hobby my husband can enjoy with him as my husband sculpts his own figures – not fantasy but World War II. This game in the pictures lasted two days and Son2 thrashed his Dad, much to his delight.

What’s your special needs child’s favourite pastime?

• Science Codex: Brain-imaging differences evident at 6 months in infants who develop autism, New study
• Medscape: Mystery of Psychostimulant Paradox od ADHD drugs Solved
• Jessica Kingsley Publishers blog:  Dr. Michael McManmon shares his personal and professional experiences of aspergers and his artwork on JKP’s blog
• Special Needs Jungle:  Want your SEN product or service listed on the Special Needs Jungle site?
• Guardian: How a nurse is fighting for the rights of people with learning disabilities  
• UK Human Rights Blog: Court bans autistic woman from having sex: UK (as she ‘lacks capacity’)
• Medical News Today: A Role Of Synaptic Proteins In Autism Spectrum Disorders Supported
• Autism West Midlands: Through My Eyes – a video by Autism West Midlands 
• Maldon and Burnham Standard: Our fight to get son into special school 
• Press Association: MMR jab doctor appeals GMC ruling 
• Cafe mom: Kate Winslet’s Autism Advocacy Is Her Most Impressive Role Yet
• Love All Blogs: Check out the Love Special Needs Weekly Showcase 
• CYP Now Blog: When parents need as much protecting as their child – Andy’s Analysis
• Crystal Jigsaw Blog: Everyone Deserves A Chance
• Aspie in the family Blog: Camping with autistic children – yes we’ve done it and survived!
• MedicineNet: Treating Sleep Apnea in Kids Improves Behavior, Quality of Life
• Wired.com: Dissing the Disabled Without Data: A Biologist Mom Punches Back

The site has a page where links to SEN sites and resources are listed. If you would like to have your SEN resource or product listed, please use the contact form to get in touch.

This service is free for parent support groups and SEN/Disability charities. For other companies, there is a £20 a year donation fee that will go to More House Special School in Farnham for its fund to build a School of Engineering.

More House School educates boys from 8 to 18 who might be bright but who have some form of learning difficulty that impedes their progress in mainstream school.

If you know of a company who might be interested in taking advantage of this offer, please forward this link to them.