Dean Beadle Motivational Speaker: Accentuate The Positive
	Farewell... and hello!
	Charity Auction
	Free Coffee in Harrods for all SNAP! News Readers!
	Short Breaks - Legal Duty
	The Longstock Water Garden
	Sponsored Ride for Scope
	Contact A Family Directory

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this newsletter.

A special thanks again, goes to Dean Beadle who writes a regular column for us. Dean has Asperger's syndrome and gives motivational speeches across the UK on the subject.


If you would like to send an article relating to special needs for the next issue, just send an e-mail or call 020 7729 2200 - there's no charge for charities, organisations, parents or nannies.

SNAP Childcare 91-93 Great Eastern St. London EC2A 3HZ Tel: 020 7729 2200 Fax: 020 7729 0022 E-mail: info@snapchildcare.co.uk

Accentuate The Positive

When working with special needs children its often easy to focus on the negatives. I can fully understand how hard it must be to accentuate the positive when you are dealing with such challenging issues- especially if the child's behaviour is also challenging!

As a person with Asperger's I can fully empathise with this. I have spent a lot of time focusing on all the negative attributes of my condition, especially in my early teens. I became very aware of how different I was to my peers. I didn't fit in. I could never experience life in the same way as them.

My self-esteem had reached an all time low. I look back on this time now with regret. I spent such a long time moping about what I didn't have that I overlooked all of the wonderful and valuable things that I did have. I am extremely concerned that other children will be dealing with such self-esteem issues.


If you'd been repeatedly reminded of your short-comings throughout your life, I'm sure you would have low self-esteem too. This low self-esteem often results in the child having little value for the skills and positive attributes that they may well have, which can often be incredibly useful to them in later life.

Dean Beadle March 2007
(Photo by Luke Carter)

Those who have been in contact with SNAP recently, will undoubtedly have come across Rosie who worked at SNAP as a senior recruiter.

Rosie has now moved back to Northampton. Rosie was a truly dedicated SNAP worker - who really cared about the families and nannies she helped.

Everyone at SNAP wishes her well and hope her new life in Northampton brings everything she wishes.


Taking Rosie's position is Kirsty Hoyle. Kirsty has worked within the SEN field for several years. Kirsty's speciality is autism, but she has worked with a wide range of children with additional needs. She is a competent Makaton signer.

Another key member of SNAP is Janine Davis, who works as our senior administrator and junior recruiter. Janine also maintains and updates our website.

Event date: 23 March to 2 April 2008

If you are a fiction fan who has dreamt of appearing as a character in a best-selling novel, your chance has finally come! For from 23 March, literary lovers around the world have the opportunity of a lifetime - to have their favourite author name a character after them in an upcoming novel.

The unique fundraiser, which is the brainchild of Henley based charity Autism Speaks, will take place on eBay.

Jodi Picoult, Louis de Bernieres and Patricia Wood are among the fifteen top-selling writers from across the globe taking part in the event titled "Authors for Autism Research", and all the money raised at the online auction will be used to fund bio-medical research into the causes of autism.

Philippa Stannard, head of donor development at the charity, said Autism Speaks was delighted with the response to its event, and that the chance to take a starring role in the world of fiction had set literary pulses across the globe racing!

Philippa said: "We are thrilled to be hosting Authors for Autism Research and very grateful to the busy authors who are generously giving their time and energy in supporting us raise these vital funds for autism research.

Autism currently affects 1 in every 100 children in the UK, yet it remains one of the most significant but least researched developmental disorders.

Autism Speaks has set itself the task of achieving major research breakthroughs within ten years. It believes that the most effective interventions will come from a clear understanding of the causes and biological mechanisms of autism.

Autism Speaks Chair and well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley said: "Four times an hour every working day, a child or adult is diagnosed with autism in the UK. Yet autism receives only a fraction of the research funding of much rarer conditions such as childhood leukaemia or cystic fibrosis. Autism Speaks is working to change this, and we hope that high profile fund-raising like this will really help get people talking about why. For too long autism has been a hidden disorder. Now it is time to listen - and act."

A spokesperson for eBay said: "We are really excited to be collaborating with Autism Speaks to offer this unique opportunity for a lucky few to have their names go down in literary history.
We expect to see heated bidding for this once in a life time opportunity and raise money for a very worthy charity."

To see a full list of the authors taking part or to bid in the auction please click here.

For more information on Autism Speaks and its research into the causes of autism please visit:


www.autismspeaks.org.uk

SNAP Childcare has two directors - Sally Britton, managing director and Andrew Knight. Andrew's involvement with SNAP came about when he found it so difficult to find suitable childcare for his daughter Camilla who has severe cerebral palsy. They subsequently started SNAP Childcare in 2001.

Andrew's main business however is fresh roast coffee; his company Andronicas Coffee has been roasting and supplying the finest coffee since 1979.

The company have recently opened Andronicas World of Coffee in Harrods. Customers can enjoy a range of exotic coffees - and even have their own coffee custom roasted to their exact requirements.

Andronicas would like to invite all SNAP!News readers to enjoy a free espresso in the store, simply click below, provide your details and they will send you a voucher. In the promotional code, please type in "SNAP". One free espresso voucher will be sent per e-mail.

(If you don't like espresso, tell them what coffee you do enjoy and you can have a free one of those!).

Click here for details

Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) believes families with disabled children should have a clear legal right to short breaks to enable them to keep caring and has been campaigning on this matter.

"Regular, reliable and appropriate short breaks are the key service priority for families with disabled children. The report from the Parliamentary Hearings on services for disabled children states that ‘the lack of short breaks was the biggest single cause of unhappiness with service provision’ in submissions from parents to the hearings".



18 March 2008

"We are delighted to announce that yesterday the government responded to EDCM's calls for a right to short breaks, by creating a new legal duty on local authorities to provide short breaks to support families with disabled children.

The duty has been described as a 'historic moment' in improving services for disabled children and their families - and we would like to say a huge 'thank you' to all our supporters that have backed our calls for a clearer right to short breaks. Read our news story for more details

While this is a huge step forward, the new duty is not likely to go as far as creating a new legal right to short breaks for individual families. EDCM will continue to campaign - with your support - for further changes to the law.

The progress on short breaks shows that your involvement in EDCM campaign actions has a crucial impact on government policy.

Please visit our Get Involved page at www.edcm.org.uk/getinvolved
to see how else you can help make change happen for disabled children and their families.

All our supporters are also encouraged to e-mail their MP through The Children's Society website, asking them to support calls for disabled children in care to have access to independent advocacy, to ensure they can get their views across".

Pamela Shaw

Please click here for full details

Every Disabled Child Matters
c/o Council for Disabled Children
National Children's Bureau
8 Wakley Street
London EC1V 7QE

Tel +44 (0)20 7843 6448

Fax +44 (0)20 7843 6313

info@edcm.org.uk

A rare treat to boost autism research

The John Lewis Partnership is holding the first 2008 public opening of its private garden, The Longstock Water Garden in Stockbridge, Hampshire on Sunday 6 April to raise funds for Autism Speaks, the only registered charity in the UK set up solely to raise funds for research into the causes of autism.

The Longstock event comes just four days after the first United Nations-declared World Autism Awareness Day, 2 April 2008.

Autism Speaks intend to use this rare fund-raising opportunity not only to boost cash for research at universities across the UK, but also to raise the profile of Autism Speaks in the South-East.
"The promise of Spring has its parallels in what Autism Speaks is doing," says Head of Events, Lynn Hart: "hope and help for thousands of families affected by autism throughout the UK is within our grasp.

Please come to join us and experience Spring at its most delicate and enticing in The Longstock Water Garden on Sunday 6 April."

Entry for adults is £5 and children £1. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance please go to www.autismspeaks.org.uk

or ring Lynn Hart on 01491 411569 lynn.hart@autismspeaks.org.uk



By kind permission of the John Lewis Partnership.

We are always amazed when we hear that parents of children with additional needs are themselves helping others - it would seem that they have quite a lot on their plate already!

In a similar vein to Erica Marks, (mum of 4, including a son with cerebral palsy), who ran a marathon and we featured in a previous SNAP!News, Corinne Boyle is taking part in a sponsored bike ride starting in Budapest to Vienna - covering approximately 200 miles in 3 days! Corinne has three boys, the eldest has cerebral palsy.

The ride starts on June 4th - 8th 2008 and is in aid of Scope the charity for children and adults with cerebral palsy

Corinne said her family has received support from Scope which her family has found invaluable and wanted to be able to help other families with a child or young person to receive the same.

If anyone feels that they want to support the cause I have a just giving website address

For more details on SCOPE, click the logo below:

Contact a Family's new directory is now available. The directory contains information for children and adults with disabilities, serious health-conditions and rare disorders.

The directory is used by paediatricians, GP's, SENCO's, health visitors, social workers, educational psychologists, advice and childcare workers - it is a vital resource for anyone working with children or adults affected by disability.

The directory is available in either paperback £40.00 or electronic format - an on-line subscription of £15.00 a year.

If you are quick and order before 30th April 08, you can buy 2 and get a 3rd free!

For more details please click on the logo below: