dyspraxic children

Advice on Special Needs and the 11 Plus Exams

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magsnags
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:20 pm

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by magsnags »

My son is dyspraxic, as far as I was aware he was officially diagnosed by his school as he'd been put on the Fizzy progamme in year 3 and is SA - he gets 15 minutes a week extra help with handwriting. Then in March this year I found out by chance when discussing the 11+ that he was not actually officially diagnosed and would need to go through my GP to be referred - very cross that no one said anything until it was too late! He went on the waiting list to see the specialist and was finally seen in July - 10 days before the school hols and yes no doubt about it he is dyspraxic and the Dr wants him to see OT before it is made official. Meantime I have had a letter from said Dr outlining what he has found and stating that he suffers with pain when writing for a while. He has been having tutoring for the 11+, tutor says he is very bright and able but slow. With the mocks tests he sat with her in August he failed all 3, 3 questions in maths, 4 in reasoning and 7 in english in every case he did not finish but the ones he did were mostly correct - she said he'd got to around 10/15 questions away when time was called. I am so upset to find out now that had he been statemented or was SA+ he could have had extra time :( . It's too late now as he sits it on Wednesday and Thursday. He desperately wants to go to grammar school as it is a science specialist school and he completely adores science. We expected him to fail the english tbh but hoped he'd get enough on the other subjects to give him a good aggregate score. The school have said they will appeal (I assume they mean if he only fails by a bit) as they feel that the grammar school is the right place for him. My daughter is already in grammar school - in year 10 so we are a family well acquainted with the grammar system - but she passed all three so we never had to face something like this. His levels when last tested in July were, Reading 5C, Maths 4A, Literacy 3A (not bad considering he only gets 15 mins a week extra help). Science he came out as 5A/6C! Will they take any dyspraxia findings into account after he has sat the exams does anyone know?
Thankyou
Maggie
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by DC17C »

I have sent you a pm
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by DC17C »

Just thought I would put an update now DS has settled into life at his grammar school. I have been in to see the SENCO and they are keeping an eye on him. He had a handwriting and typing assesssment and at the moment think his writing though messy is fast enough and better than his typing speed. He seems to be managing well in school but could see that the support I was providing at home was helping a lot:

These are the things I do regularly- perhaps most boys need this help I don't know - DD was much more independant:

Translating the timetable into something easy to understand and having copies in his bedroom, planner and in the kitchen.
Frisking his pockets and bag for notes.
Making sure he has the right money for bus and lunch-
Trying not to get too angry/upset when he loses money/ bus passes / pe kit etc etc arghh - not sure how to deal with that one
Regular reminders to charge his laptop
He usually tells me a time when he is going to do his homework and is pretty good at doing it at that time so no nagging needed!

He is half way through YR7 and has done really well so far in all his subjects apart from Art which is no surprise. He is even enjoying PE as he is in a group doing a mixture of different sports and learning to use the gym equipment. He will start getting extra help with his handwriting next term using the " Speed Up " programme. He seems happy and interested in most of the work and seems to have made a few friends even though he continues to like his own space and company a lot of the time. Thank you for any one giving me advice in the past - all the stress has been worth it so far!
rockyroads
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:26 pm

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by rockyroads »

Thanks DC17C

It's reassuring to hear that your DS is doing so well and for the useful advice.

My youngest DD will be off to grammar school this September. She already has her eldest sister there which should help and the school seems very nurturing but I am already starting to think about how she copes with organising homework etc. Her sister is the opposite and has come up with the idea of taking a photo of the timetable and keeping it on her phone when she gets one.

My DD was unusual with her dypraxia and had a diagnosis at aged 4. This allowed us and school to put lots of things in place to support her.

She did really well in her 11 plus exam but her non verbal reasoning result part was very poor. Luckily she did very well in numerical and verbal reasoning.

School had already brought to our attention that her spatial maths was lower than the rest of her maths. Apparently this is quiite common in dyspraxic children which would explain her NVR score.

I thought it would be useful to know for other parents. It also explains why she finds it disorientating in new environments.

She sat the exam under normal exam conditions and time as she wanted to be with her friends. We did go and visit the exam venue the week before when it was quiet. It also gave her the chance to try out a similar desk and chair so that she was comfortable on the day as well as find out where the toilets etc. were in advance. If this is possible I would recommend it for any child with a SEN.

I wiil probably be asking for advice nearer to when she starts. My main concern is that information is shared with staff as art and PE will be her weakest areas. Suprisingly her writing is ok as long as she can join it.

I'm already preparing myself for lost bus passes, homework etc. As you are a year ahead, any advice or experiences you help would be gratefully recieved and thank you for updating us.
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by DC17C »

No problem Rocky Roads: any questions just ask or PM. Sounds like your DD has had some good support so far. Most if not all the pupils at DS's school use notebook laptops for lessons so that has made things a lot better for DS - apart from the weight of his school bag- but walking with the bag everyday is improving his fitness :lol:
It is hard to get the balance right at times with helping DS and letting him have a go at things as he gives up so easily if he cannot do something or it seems hard. I was trying to encourage him to peel an apple with a peeler the other day as he is doing cookery this term and as soon as he felt it was awkward he just gave up and said he would get a friend to help him in school so chef is probably not a good career choice!

Luckily he does have his strengths and maths is one of them and interestingly he does not have a problem with NVR either- shame since the test he did was only VR! The test is changing to CEM this year which I think would have suited him better. That was a good point about going to have a look at the exam venue. We did not have a chance to do that as DS was not diagnosed until after the 11+.
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by southbucks3 »

Translating the timetable into something easy to understand and having copies in his bedroom, planner and in the kitchen.
Frisking his pockets and bag for notes.
Making sure he has the right money for bus and lunch-
Trying not to get too angry/upset when he loses money/ bus passes / pe kit etc etc arghh - not sure how to deal with that one
Regular reminders to charge his laptop
He usually tells me a time when he is going to do his homework and is pretty good at doing it at that time so no nagging needed!
He is doing better than my ds1! Certainly on the homework nagging issue. Also impressed the notes get as far as his pockets and bags. :lol: Ds has been put in a registration class with an incredibly strict, mega organised teacher this year, and we don't think it is a coincidence. The chap dishes out lunchtime detentions for not filling in homework journals properly, not having correct gear, not getting parents signature on journal every week, and more. Ds regularly gets in a teary flap just before leaving the house, but is not really improving his organisation. I have backed off a bit now, although I did drive him to the shop to buy steradent tablets 5 minutes before his bus was due to depart last week. :roll: he had known for a week he needed them for chemistry, and had shared someone else's the previous week!

Well done to your ds...just hoping to reassure you, he really is not alone.
Btw it's ok to get angry when he loses things, that is definitely a boy thing not exceptional to dyspraxia, they muck about with mates, shuv everything in a bag, and leave a pair of trousers one leg turned inside out, somewhere on the changing room floor. They definitely need to be financially punished after a few times..it focusses their minds a bit.
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by DC17C »

southbucks3 wrote: Btw it's ok to get angry when he loses things, that is definitely a boy thing not exceptional to dyspraxia, they muck about with mates, shuv everything in a bag, and leave a pair of trousers one leg turned inside out, somewhere on the changing room floor. They definitely need to be financially punished after a few times..it focusses their minds a bit.
Oh- he does get "fined" - he had to use his pocket money to replace the £5 he lost a few weeks ago. :D Not sure how much it helps though as he hardly ever uses his pocket money anyway.
rockyroads
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:26 pm

Re: dyspraxic children

Post by rockyroads »

We were lucky to get a diagnosis so early but we did have to battle with primary school to get everything in place. We also had some fantasic support from a physio who also had a dyspraxic DD.

My main concern now is how she copes with a longer day in her next school as she gets very tired.

As she gets older, its also sometimes hard to know if her dyspraxia is the reason why she is disorganised and gives up easily at some things or whether she is just being difficult on a few occasions.

I hadn't thought about things such as cookery yet so it will be interesting how your DS gets on DC17C!
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