I am no expert on special needs, in fact the more time I spend in this arena, the more I wonder if anyone actually knows what they are talking about!
Sorry thats just me being grumpy, we have had lots of great support, but sometimes everything seems just so slow and in bits. Why can't we all just have a lovely flow chart.
Diagnosed with dyslexia - Assessment, Try thing A, B and C, Referral to...... ( and so on)
Most of the success we have had seems to be due to someone mentioning something or a passing comment, rather than a nice clear cut path for us to follow.
Anyway I did not come on to rant, I came to make an update. The ed psych referral paprework is done, and is flying off to wherever these things go, so we are now in the very long waiting process to actually see this mythical person who actually may understand what is going on and be able to support us more.
I have to admit I am not even certain what an Ed Psych will be able to offer us ( or even what they really do if I am honest). However we have been told by our lovely and very much trusted OT that this is the next step, so follow her blindly I will!
Wednesday 12 September 2012
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Touch typing
Aidan's OT and the school's previous SENCO both felt that it was likely he would never get the full knack fo the writing thing. So we had two great suggestions:
1 - focus on non cursive writing, so he will be able to fill out forms as an adult, lets be honest in his lifetime when else is he really ever going to need to pick up a pen.
2- focus on teaching him to touch type, so he can more easily get all those thoughts out and recorded.
As someone who is a bit old fashioned I love a bit of beautiful penmanship. However its clear that the progress with handwriting is painfully slow, so there does come a point when we need to focus our energies a little on the priority areas.
Strangely when he copies non cursive letters his letter formation is just lovely, unlike the spider scrawl of his cursive letters. We just now need to keep pushing him to get to a point where he can write these letters withour copying them.
At the moment we are using Typing tourament with him, which went down great for the first week or so. We are trying to get him to do 5 or so minutes every night. I also have to admit that we are using shameless bribery, with the promise of £100 if he completes every step of that program ( no we are not rich, but hopefully the money will appear by the time he eventually gets there)
Sadly the usual anger and frustration has started with the touch typing, as he has got to a stage now where he needs to remember how to do more than just 5 or 6 letters, and he is finding it really hard. I think he has been attempting the same test and drills for about 2 weeks now. I just keep telling myself that the more he practices then the more information is going in, even if it annoys the hell out of him.
1 - focus on non cursive writing, so he will be able to fill out forms as an adult, lets be honest in his lifetime when else is he really ever going to need to pick up a pen.
2- focus on teaching him to touch type, so he can more easily get all those thoughts out and recorded.
As someone who is a bit old fashioned I love a bit of beautiful penmanship. However its clear that the progress with handwriting is painfully slow, so there does come a point when we need to focus our energies a little on the priority areas.
Strangely when he copies non cursive letters his letter formation is just lovely, unlike the spider scrawl of his cursive letters. We just now need to keep pushing him to get to a point where he can write these letters withour copying them.
At the moment we are using Typing tourament with him, which went down great for the first week or so. We are trying to get him to do 5 or so minutes every night. I also have to admit that we are using shameless bribery, with the promise of £100 if he completes every step of that program ( no we are not rich, but hopefully the money will appear by the time he eventually gets there)
Sadly the usual anger and frustration has started with the touch typing, as he has got to a stage now where he needs to remember how to do more than just 5 or 6 letters, and he is finding it really hard. I think he has been attempting the same test and drills for about 2 weeks now. I just keep telling myself that the more he practices then the more information is going in, even if it annoys the hell out of him.
Toe by Toe
http://www.toe-by-toe.co.uk/
My oldest lad is 9 and we have struggled for many many years with his reading and writing. He is a very bright boy, and he just seems to understand so many complex things, until you write them down on paper, then he is immediately lost.
When he was 7 they diagnosed dyslexia and since then we have been on such a hard and painfull journey. I know so many people say that they love their child as they are, and that they would not make their disability disappear if they could. Well I would kick his dyslexia to hell if I had that power. I hate to see his tears, I hate to see his frustration, I hate to see people assuming that he is thick and I hate the impact it has on his self esteem. I love him more than words, but his dyslexia should go jump!
He was a part of a Dyslexia Research Trust piece of research, and they are still supporting him now. One of their suggestions at the last visit was to try the Toe by Toe book. We have only been using the book for about 2 months, so he is still working his way through it. To be honest some days he is happy to do it, other days he screams and fights. However I do believe that breaking the reading down the way that they have is making a difference to him.
The book really helps to imbed reading concepts into their minds, and the idea of learning the concept, practicing it on nonsense words, and then moving on to real words really helps to drive it home. Its also very positive, you don't use crosses (and Aidan has certainly seen enough of those in his life), and they get lots of chances to get the three ticks they need for each word/ sound.
This is not a book that you leave them in a corner to work at on their own, the whole concept is to work side by side with them, and to take it step by step. It certainly takes some patience and plenty of work, but nothing worth having comes easy.
I don't think he will suddenly learn to read, but anything that makes a difference is good by me.
In conclusion:
A great support for any children that are not clicking with the reading thing - 10/10
Read more book reviews at :
http://fourferalchildrenbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/
DRT
http://www.dyslexic.org.uk/
The dyslexia Research Trust rock.
They took on Aidan as part of their blue glasses study a few years ago, which was great for us as he got to try out the blue glasses without the usual huge cost that goes with this. Sadly for him the glasses did'nt seem to make much difference.
However Dr Sue and the Trust have willingly carried on seeing him and assessing him every 3 months or so.
Their assessments, ideas and support have been priceless, so if you have a child with dyslexia look them up, if you think the world needs to understand more about dyslexia then send them a donation.
They are a great bunch of people doing a very important job.
The dyslexia Research Trust rock.
They took on Aidan as part of their blue glasses study a few years ago, which was great for us as he got to try out the blue glasses without the usual huge cost that goes with this. Sadly for him the glasses did'nt seem to make much difference.
However Dr Sue and the Trust have willingly carried on seeing him and assessing him every 3 months or so.
Their assessments, ideas and support have been priceless, so if you have a child with dyslexia look them up, if you think the world needs to understand more about dyslexia then send them a donation.
They are a great bunch of people doing a very important job.
Year 4
From the school point of view Year 4 seemed to be a bit of a "nothing major happening" year. His teachers were ok, he had some support at school in place and he was coping ok.
I certainly think he would have progressed more with more support, but sometimes the constant chasing and fighting gets so tiring.
I certainly think he would have progressed more with more support, but sometimes the constant chasing and fighting gets so tiring.
OT
I have to admit that I was very sceptical about the OTs input and her ability to actually make a difference to Aidan. See what a huge grump I am.
Even after his appointment with the Paediatrician I still thought that his coordination issues were very minor, and wondered if it was worth the effort to address them.
Well roll on sports day and having to go through one of the most painful and proud moments of my life. Imagine the scene of about 15 children lined up to start a skipping race.....
And they head off, with four laps to do, Aidan immediately struggles to hold the rope, and has just got his first skip in as the others are finishing their second lap. He is about 3 or 4 skips into the race when all the rest of the field have finished. My heart is breaking for him, and yet he does not stop, he does not falter, he keeps going.
The other parents and kids get bored, stop clapping and head off to chat amongst themselves. Leaving Aidan skipping his heart out alone in the middle of a track with a very long way still to go.
There I am cheering and clapping him with all my might, with tears in my eyes and I desire to just run up and cuddle him till all his problems go away. Then I notice that his class teacher ( who was great) is the only other person who is still clapping and pushing him on.
It felt so lonely to be stood there and then his teacher shouted something and got the parents attention back to help clap him over the finish line.
Now I know that skipping is not something that matters in life, but it illustrated that when he has no diversion tactics in place to hide his problems that he is just so vulnerable.
The problems he has with coordination extend beyond skipping, and the OT headed into school to assess him and to write up a programme to help him.
I can't talk for all OTs but she rocks, she clearly cares and very clearly wants to make a difference to Aidan. Anyone who actually makes even a tiny bit of effort to help him is forever in my good books.
She has assessed him, given us fine and gross motor skills programmes, made suggestions to every query I have ever made, calls me after every session, writes loads of reports and has come into school to teach me and his TA how to do his therapy.
So we now have a tool box full of various everyday items for him to use, and lots of other excercises to try to fit into our day. I won't lie some days we just don't get time to do any therapy, but I think every little helps, so we really do try our best.
Even after his appointment with the Paediatrician I still thought that his coordination issues were very minor, and wondered if it was worth the effort to address them.
Well roll on sports day and having to go through one of the most painful and proud moments of my life. Imagine the scene of about 15 children lined up to start a skipping race.....
And they head off, with four laps to do, Aidan immediately struggles to hold the rope, and has just got his first skip in as the others are finishing their second lap. He is about 3 or 4 skips into the race when all the rest of the field have finished. My heart is breaking for him, and yet he does not stop, he does not falter, he keeps going.
The other parents and kids get bored, stop clapping and head off to chat amongst themselves. Leaving Aidan skipping his heart out alone in the middle of a track with a very long way still to go.
There I am cheering and clapping him with all my might, with tears in my eyes and I desire to just run up and cuddle him till all his problems go away. Then I notice that his class teacher ( who was great) is the only other person who is still clapping and pushing him on.
It felt so lonely to be stood there and then his teacher shouted something and got the parents attention back to help clap him over the finish line.
Now I know that skipping is not something that matters in life, but it illustrated that when he has no diversion tactics in place to hide his problems that he is just so vulnerable.
The problems he has with coordination extend beyond skipping, and the OT headed into school to assess him and to write up a programme to help him.
I can't talk for all OTs but she rocks, she clearly cares and very clearly wants to make a difference to Aidan. Anyone who actually makes even a tiny bit of effort to help him is forever in my good books.
She has assessed him, given us fine and gross motor skills programmes, made suggestions to every query I have ever made, calls me after every session, writes loads of reports and has come into school to teach me and his TA how to do his therapy.
So we now have a tool box full of various everyday items for him to use, and lots of other excercises to try to fit into our day. I won't lie some days we just don't get time to do any therapy, but I think every little helps, so we really do try our best.
SALT
Now this one has been an ongoing disaster.
Aidan really struggles with certain sounds in particular c, t, g and d. We were getting support from the school, and they had been trying to encourage him to say the sounds.
However this just was not working, so we asked for a referral to SALT, and were told that this had been made. Over the following year and a bit I regularly asked about the referral and his therapy, and was told he had been seen and the school were doing the therapy.
Fast forward to a new SENCO ( and about 18 months after the initial referral) and it seems that it was never made and he was never seen, arggghhhhh!
Anyway the old SENCO has retired and I don't think it will help Aidan or anyone else to whinge about this, but it is beyond annoying!
So the new SENCO has kindly chased SALT and got them to put him on the waiting list while they awaited me coming in to fill in the necessary paperwork. Now the paperwork is done, the referral is sent and I have a letter confirming that he is on the waiting list.
Lets see how long this wait will be.......
Aidan really struggles with certain sounds in particular c, t, g and d. We were getting support from the school, and they had been trying to encourage him to say the sounds.
However this just was not working, so we asked for a referral to SALT, and were told that this had been made. Over the following year and a bit I regularly asked about the referral and his therapy, and was told he had been seen and the school were doing the therapy.
Fast forward to a new SENCO ( and about 18 months after the initial referral) and it seems that it was never made and he was never seen, arggghhhhh!
Anyway the old SENCO has retired and I don't think it will help Aidan or anyone else to whinge about this, but it is beyond annoying!
So the new SENCO has kindly chased SALT and got them to put him on the waiting list while they awaited me coming in to fill in the necessary paperwork. Now the paperwork is done, the referral is sent and I have a letter confirming that he is on the waiting list.
Lets see how long this wait will be.......
Specialist Pediatrican
At the end of Year3 the SENCO had some concerns about Aidan's coordination, this was something we had thought about in passing, but certainly did not consider to be a massive issue.
His handwriting did and still does look like a spider has run across the page with a bad case of diarrhoea, and he hated football, but other than that he seemed ok on the physical front. However once the SENCO had suggested that there may be an issue I decided to not delay, and got an appointment with both the school nurse and the GP. They listened and were both more than happy to make the referral for us.
As these things tend to go, we could not see an OT directly, but instead had to have him assessed by a specialist paediatrician first. After several months of waiting appointment day came, and we merrily headed off to the hospital expecting it to be a bit of a waste of our time.
The doctor was great and did a very comprehensive assessment of him. It very quickly became apparent that he just could not do certain physical tasks. For a while I felt guilty taht we had not spotted this earleir, but he is so good as hiding his issues, and who asks there kids to stand on one leg and then gets the stop watch out to time how long they can do it for. We are just normal parents doing our best, and I think it was forgivable that we were in a state of ignorant bliss about his coordination problem.
Anyway after a ton of questions and more tests she concluded that he was about 3 years behing with his gross and fine motor skills, so yet another referral was sent, this time to the OT department.
The NHS have been great to us over the years, so I am certainly not going to knock it, in fact I think its one thing that every single British person should feel great pride in. However I do feel like my life is sometimes just a series of waiting for referrals and appointments, wait, wait, and wait for it.....
His handwriting did and still does look like a spider has run across the page with a bad case of diarrhoea, and he hated football, but other than that he seemed ok on the physical front. However once the SENCO had suggested that there may be an issue I decided to not delay, and got an appointment with both the school nurse and the GP. They listened and were both more than happy to make the referral for us.
As these things tend to go, we could not see an OT directly, but instead had to have him assessed by a specialist paediatrician first. After several months of waiting appointment day came, and we merrily headed off to the hospital expecting it to be a bit of a waste of our time.
The doctor was great and did a very comprehensive assessment of him. It very quickly became apparent that he just could not do certain physical tasks. For a while I felt guilty taht we had not spotted this earleir, but he is so good as hiding his issues, and who asks there kids to stand on one leg and then gets the stop watch out to time how long they can do it for. We are just normal parents doing our best, and I think it was forgivable that we were in a state of ignorant bliss about his coordination problem.
Anyway after a ton of questions and more tests she concluded that he was about 3 years behing with his gross and fine motor skills, so yet another referral was sent, this time to the OT department.
The NHS have been great to us over the years, so I am certainly not going to knock it, in fact I think its one thing that every single British person should feel great pride in. However I do feel like my life is sometimes just a series of waiting for referrals and appointments, wait, wait, and wait for it.....
Behavioural optometrist
We were told by the SENCO that the Behavioural optometrist may be able to help, can these professionals make their titles sound anymore confusing!
http://www.babo.co.uk/what-is-behavioural-optometry/
Apparently its possible to get an appointment at the local hospital to see a Behav Optometrist, but the waits can go on forever. So luckily the SENCO knew a lovely lady who was able to see us, and who worked as a behavioural optometrist at a relatively local opticians.
I got the idea that she looked at how the eyes worked, but beyond that I didnt have a clue ( as usual).
She asked a ton of questions and spent a long time looking at how his eyes worked. The main conclusions were that he might benefit from tinted glasses, that his eyes were hugely light sensitive, and that they didnt track the words properly.
As a stop gap before getting blue glasses, she suggested using sunglasses, and tinted over lays. We tried the overlays for a while but they didnt seem to help much, however the sunglasses did seem to help a little. We were very lucky that the school were understanding and happily approved him wearing the shades during lessons.
We were given some worksheets to help him with his tracking and it was also suggested that we give him a ruler to underline the row he is on, and to lessen the amount for him to look at. The ruler does seem to help, but he is not great at using it.
We are due to go back for another appointment to see if anything has changed, as soon as I get my finger out and book one.
http://www.babo.co.uk/what-is-behavioural-optometry/
Apparently its possible to get an appointment at the local hospital to see a Behav Optometrist, but the waits can go on forever. So luckily the SENCO knew a lovely lady who was able to see us, and who worked as a behavioural optometrist at a relatively local opticians.
I got the idea that she looked at how the eyes worked, but beyond that I didnt have a clue ( as usual).
She asked a ton of questions and spent a long time looking at how his eyes worked. The main conclusions were that he might benefit from tinted glasses, that his eyes were hugely light sensitive, and that they didnt track the words properly.
As a stop gap before getting blue glasses, she suggested using sunglasses, and tinted over lays. We tried the overlays for a while but they didnt seem to help much, however the sunglasses did seem to help a little. We were very lucky that the school were understanding and happily approved him wearing the shades during lessons.
We were given some worksheets to help him with his tracking and it was also suggested that we give him a ruler to underline the row he is on, and to lessen the amount for him to look at. The ruler does seem to help, but he is not great at using it.
We are due to go back for another appointment to see if anything has changed, as soon as I get my finger out and book one.
Omega 3
http://www.dyslexic.org.uk/aboutdyslexia11.htm
We started Aidan on an Omega 3 supplement nearly a year before his move to Junior school, and didnt notice any obvious difference.
Then the SENCO suggested that we might try a supplement with a higer dose of Omega 3. We followed the suggestion, and waited. Everyone seems to think that it usually takes over 6 months for the supplements to have their full impact.
I have always wondered about this one, as Aidan loves fish, and we have always had fresh fish atleast once a week, alongside a very varied and healthy diet.
However I am willing to give anything a go, although it would be much nicer if the supplements were free on prescription, rather than having to come out of our wallet.
It was later at the DRT that Dr Sue gave us the more specific guidelines about the high dose that was more likely to make a difference. He has been on these for a while, and I still would not like to say if they have made any difference. However we are covering all our bases and continuing to give him his daily dose.
He currently had a liquid Omega 3 supplement from Boots which he likes the taste of, and which he only needs to take 5 ml of per day to meet the requirements set out at the DRT.
We started Aidan on an Omega 3 supplement nearly a year before his move to Junior school, and didnt notice any obvious difference.
Then the SENCO suggested that we might try a supplement with a higer dose of Omega 3. We followed the suggestion, and waited. Everyone seems to think that it usually takes over 6 months for the supplements to have their full impact.
I have always wondered about this one, as Aidan loves fish, and we have always had fresh fish atleast once a week, alongside a very varied and healthy diet.
However I am willing to give anything a go, although it would be much nicer if the supplements were free on prescription, rather than having to come out of our wallet.
It was later at the DRT that Dr Sue gave us the more specific guidelines about the high dose that was more likely to make a difference. He has been on these for a while, and I still would not like to say if they have made any difference. However we are covering all our bases and continuing to give him his daily dose.
He currently had a liquid Omega 3 supplement from Boots which he likes the taste of, and which he only needs to take 5 ml of per day to meet the requirements set out at the DRT.
Diagnosis - year 3
So he started in Year 3 at Junior school and it was pretty obvious that he was not like his peers. However I was still holding on to the hope that it might one day all just start to click.
Sadly that click never happened, and so I headed for a meeting with the school SENCO. She had assessed him, and what she had found pointed very strongly towards a dyslexia diagnosis. So after a long chat and lots of questions, she finally delivered the fateful blow that she was officially diagnosing him as dyslexic.
This was certainly not a shock, but I don't think its ever nice to hear those words. Especially when you have no idea what it really means and how you can actually help your child.
Luckily this was also the year that Aidan had an outstanding teacher, she had a passion for supporting children that have special needs, and its very much thanks to her that he made progress during this year.
Jumping forward to now...
We have a meeting with Aidan's SENCO tomorrow, so it will be very interesting to see how proactive she may be this time.
Thursday 6 September 2012
Into yr R, and a moan about them starting school so early
I don't object to children being in childcare, and its positively good for them to be away from their families for portions of the day when they are 4 or 5. It just seems silly to be formally educating them and expecting so much from them at such a young age.
What happened to them being children, having fun and learning those all important social skills.
Some kids may be ready to start formal learning at this age, but in my experience the majority could do with another year or two under an early years type structure, where they get to learn what they want to, when they feel ready, and they learn this through play.
Anyway Aidan started Year R, and loved the play part, the socialialising bit, and the new sense of independence. This all sadly came with a push to learn his phonics.
It was clear from very early on that he was'nt getting on with his phonics and reading quite as well as the other kids his age. I completely understand that 5 years ago it was very difficult to diagnose dyslexia at such a young age, but it seemed to be assumed that he just needed pushing, and would catch up at some point.
His school do a reading scheme, and when he struggled the main advice was to put him back a few books, which just led to him being bored and even more frustrated. For a mellow boy its amazing to see the Jekyl and Hyde type change that happens in the house when he is asked to do homework.
This daily struggle continued on throughout infant school. Aidan is a very bright boy, and he managed to hide alot of his struggles for a long time.
Fast forward to junior school year 3..........
What happened to them being children, having fun and learning those all important social skills.
Some kids may be ready to start formal learning at this age, but in my experience the majority could do with another year or two under an early years type structure, where they get to learn what they want to, when they feel ready, and they learn this through play.
Anyway Aidan started Year R, and loved the play part, the socialialising bit, and the new sense of independence. This all sadly came with a push to learn his phonics.
It was clear from very early on that he was'nt getting on with his phonics and reading quite as well as the other kids his age. I completely understand that 5 years ago it was very difficult to diagnose dyslexia at such a young age, but it seemed to be assumed that he just needed pushing, and would catch up at some point.
His school do a reading scheme, and when he struggled the main advice was to put him back a few books, which just led to him being bored and even more frustrated. For a mellow boy its amazing to see the Jekyl and Hyde type change that happens in the house when he is asked to do homework.
This daily struggle continued on throughout infant school. Aidan is a very bright boy, and he managed to hide alot of his struggles for a long time.
Fast forward to junior school year 3..........
Monday 3 September 2012
In the beginning...
Aidan was born in 2003 during a hot Summer, but fortunatley just before a major heat wave hit the country.
He was, and is the cutest little fella ( and I am not biased). He may not be perfect, but he has the kindest heart of anyone ever.
As a baby he was a demanding little man, loving cuddles, and not sleeping through for the first night until after his second birthday.
However he had constant ear infections from about 6 months, which involved huge amounts of puss seeping out of his head every hour or pretty much everyday, so who can blame him for not sleeping.
At 18 months he needed an adenoidectomy and grommets. One of the worst moments of my life was holding him in the anaesthetic room, first when they tried to find a vein, and then when they gave up and forced the mask over his face.
The grommets did very little to help, and it was only after 2 adult doses of a very strong antibiotic ( that left him rough rough rough), was the ongoing infection finally beaten.
At the 2 year check the health visitor was concerned about his speech, but as he had only just had his ears sorted I was not suprised that he was playing catch up.
He was an active toddler and young child, constantly sticking his nose into everything, and obsessed with eating anything that didnt move.
Sitting still was a definite no go area, and he had no interest in using pens or anything that involved letters or numbers.
He was one of the younger ones when he started school, but we had no concerns, as he seemed so bright, and made friends without even trying.
So at age 4 off he headed into school year R.......
He was, and is the cutest little fella ( and I am not biased). He may not be perfect, but he has the kindest heart of anyone ever.
As a baby he was a demanding little man, loving cuddles, and not sleeping through for the first night until after his second birthday.
However he had constant ear infections from about 6 months, which involved huge amounts of puss seeping out of his head every hour or pretty much everyday, so who can blame him for not sleeping.
At 18 months he needed an adenoidectomy and grommets. One of the worst moments of my life was holding him in the anaesthetic room, first when they tried to find a vein, and then when they gave up and forced the mask over his face.
The grommets did very little to help, and it was only after 2 adult doses of a very strong antibiotic ( that left him rough rough rough), was the ongoing infection finally beaten.
At the 2 year check the health visitor was concerned about his speech, but as he had only just had his ears sorted I was not suprised that he was playing catch up.
He was an active toddler and young child, constantly sticking his nose into everything, and obsessed with eating anything that didnt move.
Sitting still was a definite no go area, and he had no interest in using pens or anything that involved letters or numbers.
He was one of the younger ones when he started school, but we had no concerns, as he seemed so bright, and made friends without even trying.
So at age 4 off he headed into school year R.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)