Reforms heralded as the biggest shake-up to special-needs education in the last 30 years came into effect in September last year. Six months on, Morag Foster asks whether they are living up to expectations Tania tirraoro always knew there was something different about her elder son, Luca.“At 18 months, he could do jigsaws meant for children much older than him. I was telling everyone: ‘My child’s a genius!’ says Tirraoro. Nevertheless, she was worried, and raised her concerns with a health worker, who dismissed them. When Luca started at a new playgroup, difficulties came to light. “I would get calls from the teachers saying: ‘Your son isn’t joining in’. I thought maybe he was just ready for school.”At school, though, Luca’s dis