"Star of the Week"

Belinda felt isolated as her daughter struggled to deal with precocious puberty at the age of seven. Sarah, who also has cerebral palsy, was in mainstream school while under the watchful eye of hospital doctors for her early-onset puberty.

Belinda says her daughter faced the wall at her workstation, and that the school made no attempt at “inclusion”. “I said to the school, ‘Why don’t you just put a cage around her - you’re treating her like an animal’.”

Although she was undergoing treatment, Sarah’s behaviour deteriorated due to the hormonal condition, and she was excluded from this school.

Belinda contacted IPSEA, after discovering our website. “I always advise parents to get in touch with IPSEA – they have been really helpful, and told me what I needed to know. I was being Sarah’s mother, speech therapist, physiotherapist and carer. You need help, and every parent in our situation feels alone. You need to know you’re not the only one.”

At the end of her tether, Belinda withdrew Sarah from her mainstream school, and managed to secure a place at a specialist school after going before an educational panel. “She was so happy, a completely different child. I had my Sarah back!”

However, she was advised to stop her daughter’s hormone injections, and a year later, Sarah’s behaviour deteriorated. She was excluded from school again, and it was suggested that she move to a residential placement for children with severe behavioural problems. Belinda argued that her daughter should not be moved, and she won her case. “I’ve had to be strong throughout, and I’m proud of myself.”

Sarah’s behaviour is much improved, and her future looks brighter. To the delight of her family, she has twice been awarded her school’s “Star of the Week” accolade.

Belinda started a support group seven years ago for parents of children with any disability. She passes on her knowledge on to anyone who needs it because:

“No other parent should have to go through what I’ve been through.”

* Names have been changed