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Jen Hicken

@greatnorthmum.bsky.social
574 followers 912 following 474 posts

World-class procrastinator. SEND parent and advocate. PhD researcher: lived experiences of neurodivergent university students. Knowledge Mobiliser. NHS by day. GMBPsS.

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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This thread is A RIDE and makes me nostalgic for olden days Twitter when this sort of saga used to unfold in real time frequently. More of this watercooler event posting we can all gather round please
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Harriet Cannon @harrietcannon.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
On Sunday, I was one of a few people first on the scene of a horrible car accident with a fatality. I saw some stuff I didn't especially want to see, though not the worst of it, and didn't really do anything of much help to anyone. But I've learnt some stuff that genuinely astounds me...
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Pete Etchells @peteetchells.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The data report from the first three months of the Australian social media ban has now been released: www.esafety.gov.au/research/soc... Some thoughts:
esafety.gov.au
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Aside from the wilful ignorance of not understanding how poverty works, here we also have the usual insistence that those on low incomes should be happy with the most basic of basic items like pound shop toothbrushes and a cheap bar of soap, and just be grateful for a lower standard of living.
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Dr Madeleine Pownall @maddipow.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
New paper! Values such as openness, transparency, collaboration, clarity about conflict of interests have been promoted by women for *decades*, and now we have reframed this around the branding of 'open science' that we start to take them seriously. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Women as the First Open Scientists: Five Stories of the Neglected Contributions of Women in (Social) Science Reform History - Madeleine Pownall, 2026
Recent years have seen growing emphasis on “Open Science,” a movement to enhance research transparency, robustness, and accountability. Prompted by concerns ove...
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Here we go. Your regular reminder that being neurodivergent is not in itself a reason, or indeed an excuse, to commit murder. A neurodivergent person is no more a danger to the public than anyone else - it is uncomfortable to see it flagged like this as a possible line of enquiry.
Sources stress the investigation is at an early stage, and warn that initial assumptions can change as inquiries progress.

The ​i​nquiry is also ​l​ooking into the​ suspect’s ​history of mental health and neurodivergence.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
This is an unspeakably tragic story (and a brilliantly written one). Among other things it serves as a cautionary tale as to how far people will go in defence of their beliefs, whatever they may be. The unthinkable becomes possible when there is such misguided strength of conviction.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
#TheFootball
static.klipy.com
Man's Tired Fall in Hallway
Alt: Man's Tired Fall in Hallway
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
I have not been this animated past midnight in about 20 years
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Incredible autistic energy from this guy refusing to take part in a whimsical thing that everyone else is doing because it's not "factually correct"
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Dr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 10/07/2026
Wrong Fork is real!
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
At last, the white smoke #Farage
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Nigel Farage reaction just in:
static.klipy.com
Playing a Tiny Violin
Alt: Playing a Tiny Violin
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
"Making money is not a crime" says Man of the People Nigel Farage
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Obsessed by the woman sitting behind Erdogan having to translate Trump's ramblings directly into Erdogan's ear
Screenshot from Sky News showing Trump at NATO summit press conference in Turkey sitting opposite Erdogan. Young female translator sits directly behind Erdogan.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Today's instalment in the ongoing demonisation of neurodivergent people (although solidarity with the ADHD community from Harry for also missing a deadline):
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"Hendo just fell over there" like he's the team mascot or something The Jordan Henderson fiasco is single-handedly (no pun intended) getting me through today
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
If we are pinning all our hopes on Anthony Gordon, we are truly screwed #England
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Thoughts and prayers with the teachers on my son's school residential trip, who have to entertain a bunch of year 6 kids who know an England game is on at a time they would have been able to watch it but are in the middle of the only 48 hours of the year they don't have any screen time #TheFootball
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Stuart Rowntree @primarythink.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
1/6 Today’s DfE guidance on inclusion bases matters. It recognises something many mainstream schools already know - that some pupils need more than ordinary classroom adaptation, but still deserve to belong in their local school community.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Andy Burnham in the 1990s AKA Lord Farquaad from Shrek
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I think it shows in parents celebrating the ban as something they are pleased about for their children that the benefits of the ban for them outweigh the downsides. It means they generally aren't worried about how their child is able to socially interact in other ways or access other activities.
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Prof Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Population policies like bans can have side harms even if they do well for the primary outcome. But there’s not even evidence for social media bans improving kids’ mental health, let alone all their likely disbenefits of privacy infringement & social isolation. www.frontiersin.org/news/2026/05...
frontiersin.org
‘We cannot ban our way out of a youth mental health crisis’: social media bans for teenagers lack evidence and pose risks, scientists say
Bans on teenagers’ social media use are gathering pace worldwide. Their proponents claim that social media bans will improve young people’s mental health, but w
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Here's a word cloud of what chldren said they get from social media ("friend, family, informatin, connection, learning") and will lose with a ban
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Bethany Black @bethanyblack.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Is it social media publishing hate speech and disinformation that’s the problem?
No it’s the children who are wrong
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I think this is the crux of why I feel so annoyed by the ban. Young people finding their communities, belonging, and support online is an actual lifeline, but this is so easy for the govt to dismiss when the needs of these groups who most benefit are largely ignored or vilified in society anyway.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
This is exactly it - the tone of the announcement was so self-congratulatory, like "Aren't we amazing for saving all these kids from terrible harms", when the idea that stopping a teenager from going on Snapchat is suddenly going to solve all their problems and make parents' lives easier is just mad
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I feel almost irrationally irritated by this whole thing this morning. You know what else stops children doing their homework? Living in a house with no heating, or not having anything to eat, or not having their own bedroom or personal space, or not having the right support at school, or....
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Roxy Hart @roxyhart.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Banning kids from social media is the same vein as putting a curfew in for women when there’s a male attacker out there. It’s easier to legislate the victim than fix the problem
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
This is nuts. Yes we need better protections online, but this is a massive overreach by Starmer. For many young people, especially marginalised ones such as trans and neurodivergent, online spaces can be a safe place for them to develop a genuine support community www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Starmer to announce ‘Australia plus’ ban on social media for under-16s
Sources say hardline measures will also prevent young users from being to talk to strangers on gaming apps
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I have no words for this. Absolutely horrific. Nothing lower than making desperate parents pay for false hope that could be actively harming their child in the process.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
This is actually quite frightening to read as a parent of kids still in compulsory education (especially kids with additional needs). How are we possibly supposed to advise and guide them for their futures, when their chances and opportunities keep getting smaller and smaller?
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
So social media and screen time for kids = bad, but AI tutors instead of actually providing these kids who most need it with some human support = an incredible idea.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
The focus on protecting under-16s ignores different but also damaging harms of a huge proportion of adults who do not use social media responsibly - whether that is their own wellbeing or the proliferation of online abuse or the spread of misinformation. But they can't be controlled like kids can.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 07/06/2026
Labour doesn't seem to like Send schools for kids like mine – but here's what we'll lose if these precious places are forgotten | John Harris
theguardian.com
Labour doesn't seem to like Send schools for kids like mine – but here's what we'll lose if these precious places are forgotten | John Harris
An autism school in Wiltshire exemplifies what’s so different about education in a tailored environment, and the outcomes for children speak for themselves, says Guardian columnist John Harris
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Not sure when my Friday nights became me listening to @lewisgoodall.com interview Wes Bloody Streeting while I'm cooking tea but here we are
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Had to read this article to check that they weren't in fact playing chess with their feet. Also confirmed that I don't understand chess
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
These snippets from the new guidance on trans people accessing "single sex" public services are making my brain melt. How is any of this actually helping anyone? Most of it is entirely unworkable in practice for service providers and will cause so much unnecessary confrontation and distress.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
The way it just lies down and gives up when it hits a minor obstacle is the most relatable a robot has ever been
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Jon Severs @jonsevers.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
ADHD has been oversimplified, misreported and misunderstood, argues professor Gaia Scerif. “It’s a spectrum,” she argues, and the environment a person is in can often determine whether support is actually even needed. A must read interview this morning. www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
tes.com
The oversimplification of ADHD - and what we should do next
ADHD is misunderstood and mischaracterised, and that’s creating significant challenges for those with the condition as well as those trying to support them, argues Professor Gaia Scerif
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Meanwhile over on Instagram, this tone deaf video by the DfE with "The GC" Gemma Collins to promote SEND reform is going down about as well as you would expect with already pissed off SEND parents.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
This is why financial literacy is so important to teach - retirement feels so far away for young people now but if they never learn how to manage their money as they get older this will continue to happen. It is also a massive privilege to have spare money to save each month, even if people want to.
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The Daily Tism @thedailytism.com · 17/05/2026
Navya Randhawa, 29, says that two conversations going on in the background at once is intolerable, but blasting American Idiot directly at her eardrums brings her nothing but inner peace.
thedailytism.com
“Noise-sensitive” autistic woman comforted by loud shouty songs about death and destroying the government
A "noise-sensitive" autistic woman is reportedly soothed and comforted by angry music about hating your parents, the government, and being born. Navya Randhawa, 29, says that two conversations going…
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Post a meme made by you Evergreen meme: substitute "All the winter illnesses" with "All illnesses and health conditions ever"
Jason Momoa "all the winter illnesses" sneaking up on Henry Cavill "the NHS" at a film premiere meme
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I consistently under-performed in exams all through my education, despite my alleged potential teachers kept talking about, and I ended up with 3rd class honours in my undergrad degree as a result. I'm now doing a PhD in inclusive higher education. Exams never truly reflect breadth of ability.
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
STAY HYDRATED 👌
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Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Face it, you've run out of things to say about the Labour leadership So here's my latest substack on the govt's plans to end the SEND crisis - and what it means to take parents' legal rights away Oh, and how it ties into the Labour leadership battle chamindajayanetti.substack.com/p/send-refor...
chamindajayanetti.substack.com
SEND reform – a tightrope without a safety net
It’s late afternoon on Friday and you’re done for the week. So read this instead
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Am I having a fever dream?
Sky News reporting "Gary Neville 'discussed inside Labour' as candidate to replace Burnham
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Jen Hicken @greatnorthmum.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Someone grant me the self-confidence of this man
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