School says autistic child is on track, but does this work suggest otherwise?

[AnOldLeodensian]

Ok, school is telling me that my child (diagnosed autistic) is performing at the right academic level so does not need further support.

So can anybody tell me how old/what year group they think he’s in based on this small but typical standard of work?

For context - the instructions were to write a couplet using the words bake and cake, his brother Austin likes to bake, and I showed him videos explaining couplets, explained them to him verbally, and showed him examples. This is the result:

If the image is still under review - it reads in messy handwriting:

“Astin liks to dake a
yummy cake”

with the lines split like that, so the last words of the two lines don’t rhyme.

Yr1 maybe Yr2?

Probably Year 1 or a high achieving Reception child.

It’s not helpful to guess his age/year. Within each year there is a range of abilities and we cannot say anything meaningful with such a small snippet.

Year 1 or year 2 ... mine are both in high-school now, so it's hard to remember their handwriting and ability.

Age six or seven. Handwriting like my 5 year old's but she wouldn't understand couplets I don't think.

I'd say Yr 2.

Year 1 aged 5/6.

Really difficult, if not impossible to tell on just one piece of writing. But I’d say year 1. Do you have other pieces?

Reception or Yr 1.

What would their verbal response be like? My autistic sons handwriting is dreadful and he appeared to be below standard but once he was allowed to type his answers, his true ability became apparent.

I wouldn’t worry too much about it being a couplet or not. That’s the kind of thing that is likely to get a whole load of responses that are not exactly rhyming couplets.

Year 2 based on the words bake and cake and the couplet task.

Thanks all, I feel like this is roughly year 1 level work so good to see other people saying that.

His verbal response was not any better, and we’ve tried him on a laptop but he seemed to hate it/find it too overwhelming.

He is year 4.

Feel like I’m going mad with school telling me he’s doing ok when he seems to be years behind. Just wanted a sense check from the mumsnet jury as friends in real life are saying it’s ok and not as bad as I thought but obviously they don’t want to upset me.

This is probably Year 1. They will have been doing phase 5 phonics on digraphs - hence bake and cake. They are quite new to this so he has not recognised the need to use it for like (also learnt as a tricky word in Reception). Getting b and d mixed up is very common. If in private school (or a state school where the children are well supported at home), it could be Reception.

Ex teacher.

he’s done the task.

the handwriting is obviously not good and neither is the spelling but this isn’t evidence he isn’t on track.

what’s his reading like?
can he answer comprehension questions verbally?

I have known several children who had appalling handwriting and spelling but were fundamentally bright kids - maths was good and reading and understanding was good.

is it just the physical process of handwriting he struggles with?

Thanks @Octavia64 - his maths is better, we do CGP workbooks at home and I believe he’s on track there.

He often has a weird take on comprehension exercises - so he’ll have misunderstood what characters are doing, or he’ll have focused on a detail that’s not really that important and missed the main event, but that makes sense to me as how he interprets the whole world is often a bit different.

He does find handwriting (and any kind of drawing/fine motor skill) very hard but he doesn’t do any better with spelling if he tells me the letters out loud or uses a computer.

I don’t get why school would tell me his written work and spelling is “on track” and keeping up with his peers, I’ve seen the work of other kids out up on classroom walls etc and it’s so obvious he’s not at the same standard.

Do you have a longer piece of writing on a prose task - a recount or report of something?

From a mum who has a adult son now (he's 20) and he was like his, the school would constantly say, no issues, we aren't worried. We'd get empty promises, but at he time didn't realise they were.

This carried on all the way through secondary school, we meet the teachers often and always got told he's fine. Don't worry. English only mine - my son is a mth whiz.

For my son, 10 years ago it was much harder and a different time, so you really need to push it now, don't let them fob you off.

Honestly I think that’s a bit under average but not by miles, boys handwriting tends to be not as formed as girls, the letters are clear and of the same size and the writing is on the line. The spelling looks like a silly mistake and rushing, if you asked him to spell like out aloud would he be able too?

my kids are at a grotty school in a rough area, not outstanding or fee paying and I’d say that writing is like lots of their friends writing. An ‘average’ child in a school of children working at greater depths looks far worse.

Just to be clear, again, we cannot possibly say ‘this is year 1 level’. You need to look at a wider range of his work, speak to the SENCo or ask to meet the teacher with the SENCo.

My daughter struggles with her handwriting, and we suspect ADHD and autism. we do a lot of fine motor skills activities. Try and make it fun. We do painting with an earbud, playing with Playdough or clay, using tweezers, threading beads, and cutting with scissors.
We also do lots of handwriting worksheets. They are a bit boring but she'll do them because the teacher gives her extra house points.

I found reading eggs very good for spellin, reading and comprehensive. Reading express on the reading eggs app is for older kids. He can do a placement test to see where he is level wise.

If he's doing letters back to front I'd request a dyslexia test. My younger daughter does her numbers and letters back to front but they won't investigate until she is 7.

My DS has ASD and dyslexia so I’ve been through the frustration of trying to get support.
My DS has a very spikey profile, his verbal skills are above age and written well below.

You need to keep pushing for support - if possible pay for a private Ed psych report as then you will know what your DSs strengths and weaknesses are.

Forgot to ask, is he left handed? It makes a big difference.

l wouldn’t overly worry.
That looks like my autistic daughter’s handwriting from when she was 8.
I remember once reading something she had written and one word didn’t have a single correct letter in the right place!
Practice. Buy some (fun) books he can practice and do 10 minutes a day with a timer. Gets a prize when he completes book.
If his comprehension is there that’s the main thing -handwriting & spelling is all practice.
dd has never developed lovely handwriting but it’s pretty neat, definatly legible but her spelling/use of capitals is still hit & miss.
She got extra time in her gcse’s as she slow at writing -passed all 7 that she sat.