Hi
I would just like to say that we arrived in Alora on 6Th September and are absolutely enchanted with the area.
I am aware that we are still in the glowing 'Honeymoon' period but I have to say that we are overwhelmed by the help and generosity of our Spanish and English neighbours.
My 2 youngest children have been enrolled in the local school and despite the initial shock of having all the lessons in Spanish,they have settled well and are thoroughly enjoying the challenge. I need to share my delight with the girls wonderful headmistress, who has gone way above the call of duty. My eldest daughter has special needs and some of you may remember my previous posting on my concerns regarding her schooling. This lady, apart from looking like a dream goddess (Hubby now doing school runs...lol) is a wonderful, warm and caring human being. She has ensured that my daughter can attend the same school as her sisters by offering herself and other teachers help, within the school day. She insists that my daughter will learn Spanish and integrate with children of her own age without any problem at all. She has made the time to study my daughters Syndrome and assured us that the problems my daughter face in school will be of no consequence to her. I must confess by the end of the meeting I was in tears.
All I can say is Thank you, thank you so much.
Please, we all know that at some point in our relocation to Spain we will face all sorts of difficulties, but, my children's happiness is of the utmost importance and this lady and our fellow neighbours have restored our faith in the good that people have inside them.
waterlily (still glowing.....lol)
A WORD OF THANKS
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spanish hopes
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hillybilly
- Andalucia Guru
- Posts: 2939
- Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 12:53 am
- Location: Estepa, Sevilla
Hello Waterlily,
What a lovely (and may I say refreshing) story. Thank you for sharing it with us. I am a child psychologist working in Andalucia and one of the most worrying and frustrating issues families seem to face along the coast is the poor provision (usually in the international schools) for their children with special needs.
I feel very strongly that families of children with special needs should NOT be precluded from following their dreams of a life in the sun because adequate educational provision is not available. Your story shows that this doesn't need to be the case and I'm sure it will be an inspiration to many other parents.
Would you mind PM'ing me your email address? A number of families get in contact with me wanting advice about various locations and their schools' attitudes towards special needs. Wherever possible, I try to put families in touch with people who have ACTUAL experience of how different schools have responded to their children's needs.
And while you're dishing out praise and thanks to the school staff...give yourself some credit. Your posting and the success you've had in getting your children's needs understood and addressed are illustrations of YOUR commitment to their well-being and that's really commendable and very very special. Well done.
Good luck with the rest of your lives in Andalucia.
Regards,
Kelly
What a lovely (and may I say refreshing) story. Thank you for sharing it with us. I am a child psychologist working in Andalucia and one of the most worrying and frustrating issues families seem to face along the coast is the poor provision (usually in the international schools) for their children with special needs.
I feel very strongly that families of children with special needs should NOT be precluded from following their dreams of a life in the sun because adequate educational provision is not available. Your story shows that this doesn't need to be the case and I'm sure it will be an inspiration to many other parents.
Would you mind PM'ing me your email address? A number of families get in contact with me wanting advice about various locations and their schools' attitudes towards special needs. Wherever possible, I try to put families in touch with people who have ACTUAL experience of how different schools have responded to their children's needs.
And while you're dishing out praise and thanks to the school staff...give yourself some credit. Your posting and the success you've had in getting your children's needs understood and addressed are illustrations of YOUR commitment to their well-being and that's really commendable and very very special. Well done.
Good luck with the rest of your lives in Andalucia.
Regards,
Kelly
What a lovely (and may I say refreshing) story
He is dead right you know....congratulations...give yourself some credit. Your posting and the success you've had in getting your children's needs understood and addressed are illustrations of YOUR commitment to their well-being and that's really commendable and very very special. Well done.
Good luck with the rest of your lives in Andalucia.
No muerdes la mano que te da de comer.
Am thrilled to hear of someone with a special needs child in spain, we have been trying to find or hear of a suitable school for our daughter with rett syndrome, close to malaga if possible,actually building near #Fuengirola, would welcome any advice from someone with knowledge of this area. thank you and congratulations, Alora a bit too far inland for us!
Hello Lorraine,
I'm not sure how much research you've already done, so this information might be 'old hat' but you might want to seek some advice from the following organisations:
www.aedes-nacional.com (Asociacion Española de Educacion Special)
www.rett.es (Spanish association for parents of children with Rett Syndrome - they are based in Valencia and Cataluña but originally had a group in Andalucia). There is still a phone number on the Junta de Andalucia website for the Asociacion Andaluza de Sindrome de Rett (954 577 678) but I'm unsure how active they are now. I believe there is a team of Doctors/Rearchers based in Seville who have published quite a lot of work on Retts. Again, they may be able to point you in the right direction for relevant support services. I do not have their contact details but there should be a link on the rett.es website. If nothing else, the rett.es website should be a valuable source of relevant vocabulary for you, which you are bound to need.
In terms of schooling, I'm 90% sure that your options will be limited to the Spanish state schools. Unfortunately, the vast majority of international schools are currently not providing sufficient support for special needs children. I have heard good things about the support children with special needs have received in the mainstream state schools. Malaga also has a selection of special schools. You would need to contact the Junta de Andalucia and/or your local town hall to find out about these.
I'm not sure whether you're already based here (or what your Spanish is like) but if you would like some help with your search for an appropriate school for your daughter, I would be happy to make some enquiries on your behalf. Please PM me if you'd like some support.
Best wishes,
Kelly
I'm not sure how much research you've already done, so this information might be 'old hat' but you might want to seek some advice from the following organisations:
www.aedes-nacional.com (Asociacion Española de Educacion Special)
www.rett.es (Spanish association for parents of children with Rett Syndrome - they are based in Valencia and Cataluña but originally had a group in Andalucia). There is still a phone number on the Junta de Andalucia website for the Asociacion Andaluza de Sindrome de Rett (954 577 678) but I'm unsure how active they are now. I believe there is a team of Doctors/Rearchers based in Seville who have published quite a lot of work on Retts. Again, they may be able to point you in the right direction for relevant support services. I do not have their contact details but there should be a link on the rett.es website. If nothing else, the rett.es website should be a valuable source of relevant vocabulary for you, which you are bound to need.
In terms of schooling, I'm 90% sure that your options will be limited to the Spanish state schools. Unfortunately, the vast majority of international schools are currently not providing sufficient support for special needs children. I have heard good things about the support children with special needs have received in the mainstream state schools. Malaga also has a selection of special schools. You would need to contact the Junta de Andalucia and/or your local town hall to find out about these.
I'm not sure whether you're already based here (or what your Spanish is like) but if you would like some help with your search for an appropriate school for your daughter, I would be happy to make some enquiries on your behalf. Please PM me if you'd like some support.
Best wishes,
Kelly
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