Supernanny faces backlash from SEND parents who say…

Supernanny faces backlash from SEND parents who say she 'has a lot to learn'

Supernanny Jo Frost has come under fire from parents over comments she made about children's behaviour in school.

The TV nanny, famed for her no nonsense approach to parenting, shared posts on her social media forums stating how 'absurd' it is to suggest that children refrain from being themselves at school.

She said: "This notion that kids are 'Holding in' from being themselves all day as if schools are some form of punishment is absurd. Have you ever sat in a pre-school? Learning is fun, playtime is fun and socialization is fun. Children are unapologetically themselves... Who are you fooling?"

But the post has not gone down well with parents of children with special educational needs and those who work with neurodivergent children.

Hundreds responded to the posts on Twitter and Instagram, including one mum, who said: "This is such an insult to SEND parents. Neurodivergent children DO mask - all day sometimes. School can often be trauma for some of them.

"This is clearly not your area of expertise and whoever put this on your socials really needs to be had a word with. Perhaps do not post about autistic and ADHD needs without actually having some factual correct information and a little heart…shocking post."

Another said: "Many children can’t be ‘unapologetically themselves’ because their true self will not be accepted. Learning is therefore not fun. School is not fun. Children burn out when they have to work hard to mask in school - irrespective of how hard they/parents/teachers try."

After receiving so many complaints, Jo elaborated on her original post to explain that it was not aimed at the neurodiverse community.

She said: "For children with learning disabilities or other forms of SN this may become more challenging with age and that is why schools need Reset Spaces for a child to do exactly that, breathe and back to the drawing board with support.

"Most children given the proper guidance at home and school have much success and learn to recognize themselves when they need to take a moment to reset."

But it seemed to only add fuel to the fire, with one mum replying: "Wow! So I’m not giving my autistic daughter the “proper guidance at home”? Thanks Jo, life’s hard enough without you parent shaming people and speaking in an area you clearly have no experience about."

And another adding: "In the context of ND kids, saying they need "space to reset themselves" - as if their being ND is the problem - is 100% victim blaming. Exactly how much power do ND kids have over changing the environment that's causing the problem?"