If ever a picture was worth a thousand words, the MRI scan shown by Professor Barry Carpenter at the APPG for Education meeting on Tuesday 14th May on Special Educational Needs (SEN) was that picture.
The scan showed two brains, one of expected development and one stunted by Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The difference was striking. You can see for yourself here.
FAS is caused by the consumption of alcohol by a mother during pregnancy. It can result in physical and cognitive development issues, with 85% of children with FAS having behavioural problems. An 18 year old with FAS may have the social and emotional skills of a six or seven year old. 90% of sufferers will develop mental health problems and just 10% will be able to work and live independently.
Professor Carpenter pointed towards a culture of binge drinking, dependency on alcohol and a distain for those who choose not to drink as having helped create the situation. He described FAS as a ticking time bomb waiting to go off in the UK.
But we are not alone. One study puts the number of aboriginal children born with the condition in Australia at 30%. Another claims that FAS cost the US economy $5.4 billion in 2003.
Those attending the meeting, held jointly with the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), also heard from Dr Rona Tutt. Dr Tutt is a former chair of the National Association of Head Teachers’s Special Educational Needs Committee. She took the audience through the developments in SEN provision over the last thirty years, culminating in the Children and Families Bill which is currently before Parliament. It was a fascinating appraisal of a process stretching back to 1978, from someone who has been a leading light in the debate around SEN for much of that time.
The APPG for Education exists to provide a platform through which Parliamentarians and educationalists can discuss and debate the educational issues of the day. Tuesday’s meeting did just that, shedding light on an issue which will come under increasing scrutiny as the Children and Families Bill continues to progress through Parliament.
