To change DS's homework without asking teacher?

[CalcatrippticLego]

DS has to read 15 words.
Then write the correct word next to its picture (6 of them)
Then draw and write a word from the list.

He has dyspraxia. Writing is an issue. He constantly has the mickey taken out of him for his lack of drawing skills which he gets from me

He has read his words. He has done the 6 picture words and coloured them in. Would it be totally wrong of me to scan in his worksheet and show him how to search, type and resize a picture to fit the box for the final 6 and then print it out to send in as his homework?

He is desperately unhappy at school. Totally disheartened about his work and abilities. Who needs to draw these days anyway? (Unless you're a teacher or an artist.)

I wouldn't scan it in. Just print out a picture and stick it on.

And maybe send a note to the teacher explaining.

Just send him in with what he has done, with a note if necessary. I think I'd be arranging a meeting to discuss his unhappiness too.

Yeah just get him to find pictures, print and stick.

We had a similar thing and my mum drew the outline and I did the coloring in.

Just send in what he has been able to do by himself with a note to the teacher explaining why the rest of the task isn't done. That way the teacher will have a better sense of what he can do independently and what he can't. My DS is severely dyslexic, so he really struggled with many homework tasks in the past. His current teacher has started to send home a wider selection of tasks and allows free choice from what is offered so we can always find something readily achievable to work on.

Practicing drawing is about practicing pen and fine motor control though so it is a valid exercise.

Scientists will sketch on white boards, architects will draw rough outlines before they go to CAD; there are still jobs which use this.

My d's was by a good drawer (still.isnt) but now actually enjoys it. I think YABU and he should do his best , with you maybe getti g pictures up for him to copy

What age is he?
Do you have any comics/magazines that he could use to search for pictures and cut them out? Using the scissors is good for fine motor skills and glueing in isn't bad either. My son's teacher suggested doing that.

What's the problem? Is it that he will physically struggle with the drawings, that he thinks his drawing isn't good and it upsets him or that he thinks others will tease him about it?
I definitely don't see an issue with you adapting it. Could he draw what he can and stick some bits on to make it look more realistic (little googley eyes etc depending on what the drawings are).
I'd be reluctant to leave that part completely or do it for him as practice will help him improve and boost his confidence in the long run.
Find fun ways for him to draw. My son is dyspraxic and he loves doing collaborative drawings with me where we take it in turns to draw something. So I might draw a person and he can add a smiley face or whatever he can manage then I might draw a dog next to him and he'll draw a line for the lead. Taking it in turns to make a picture out of a random scribble the other person has done is fun too.

Yes ChasedByBees but many more that don't. I'm a scientist and I never sketch on a white board. That's what powerpoint is for. And lets be honest, DS is never going to search out a job that requires drawing skills.

He's 8. No we don't have any comics or magazines, but that's a good idea, I shall try to get hold of some.

Could he do something schematic? I would look for some examples online with him and then he can reproduce the one he finds clearest and try on a sheet of paper first. I think printing off something would reinforce the idea that he is not good at it, instead of practicing and making him proud of his work.

Is it that he will physically struggle with the drawings, that he thinks his drawing isn't good and it upsets him or that he thinks others will tease him about it?
All of that.

My sympathies as I have dyspraxia and can't draw for toffee. My dad used to draw and I used to colour for any homework like this. Gven that the teacher knows his struggle, I'd do that or do as Mumtoo suggests. "Do your best" when you don't believe in yourself won't achieve anything other than a dejected child.

Tracing is another good option which helps with pen control and generally helps my son produce something better than he could freehand.

You need to teach him that the brain is a muscle and that exercising it doing things that are hard will strengthen it.

What you're telling him is that he's a bit shit so he doesn't have to do it. What you should be telling him is that by trying at things he's a bit shit at, he'll get better at it.

You need to help him change his mindset and approach to failure (for want of a better word).

Writing and drawing is about more than drawing. I understand he has dyspraxia but the benefits of practicing still apply.

Changing the work a little to suit him is okay but altering the task so completely voids the benefit.

Read about Carole Dweck.

www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve

That's the problem isn't it DSHathawayGivesMeFannyGallops He is well aware that his best will still be the worst in the class.

My 2 both have motor skills bottom 1% (1 dyspraxia, 1 who knows).

We learned to avoid pure drawing tasks as they caused too much distress and time spent was completely out of proportion to any benefit. We

• search for pictures online
• use magazine pictures
• trace and colour

Dh has dyspraxia, dyslexia and dyscalculia and an IQ of 158 ....he can't draw for toffee either or skate, ski etc.
didn't stop him doing Medicine or Law degree
However he was bullied mercilessly at school which required a shit load of therapy in his 30's so I'd work on building your Ds confidence and find his strengths ...oh and definitely have a word with school and get an ed psych assessment

Try tracing? DS1 is dyspraxic, autistic and has adhd and as a younger child, developed a massive aversion to pens that he still has. Tracing alleviates this, he only has to copy, not produce

Speaking as a teacher,
This homework is set with a specific aim in mind. This is not to have a perfect picture but to get a drawing that your ds has done to the best of his abilities. This part of the exercise is to practise hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

As someone who has dyspraxia and is really shit at drawing: I get it. But the kindest thing you can do is tell him that different people are good at different things and it's the things we stuggle with we need to practice the most. Don't let your son off homework but help him (without doing it for him) to find a way he can complete the task with his abililities. How about: making a drawing at the computer, cutting out some shapes amd stick them on to make up one of the words, help him tp break down the drawing into simple geometrical shapes and draw those

ed psych assessment concluded yesterday. Results in 2 weeks.
We do build on his strengths. Unfortunately none of it is any use in school!

Please do tell me the benefits of him practicing. Do they apply to my friends little girl, she's a "bit shit" at walking if only she'd practice a bit more she'd not need her wheelchair. Perhaps I can pass on the info

Why is writing and drawing about more than drawing? What is that even supposed to mean? Computers, phones, tablets etc its perfectly possible to go through life without needing to lift a pencil.

I get that firstevernamechange. I do. And that is what we tell him. But it's still hard to explain and justify (for want of a better word) to him that he needs to practice everything they do at school more than anyone else.

I don't suppose he could draw things in a different way - instead of trying to draw an accurate photo-like "picture", how about him doing something different. I.e. if drawing a person, why not a stick-man or a lego/minecraft man instead, i.e. straight lines with a ruler rather than freehand? Blocks instead of curves?

I don't think it's a lost cause and I think you may be confirming his feelings of being useless if you either let him simply not do it, or let him avoid the issue by using cut out pictures etc. My son was absolutely hopeless at drawing and it really upset him, but we persevered by sitting with him and showing him ways of improving, i.e. using tracing paper to give him a broad outline guide, doing it very faintly in pencil first to enable easy rubbing out when mistakes are made, practising drawing simple shapes and then building up to more complex ones, building his confidence slowly. He's now doing his Tech/design GCSE and has drawn some really fantastic designs that he's very proud of.

But definitely, the teacher needs to know the problems he is facing, so he can be helped in class.

I agree that fine motor skills have to be practiced.

But for self confidence / esteem he needs to be able to produce something he can feel happy with. My DD had a lot of trouble age ~8 from other children pointing out how rubbish she was at stuff.

I wouldn't normally recommend this, but given that your DS is so worried about being teased could you draw them for him? And then he writes the words? Its no worse than printing and sticking in pictures, plus it wouldn't stand out as much.

Then maybe get him to try and copy your drawings onto normal paper and if he makes a good job of them , send that in with a note to the teacher explaining.

It isn't worth him getting teased over tbh. like you say, he isn't good at drawing and at 8 he's obviously given it good go by now so why risk him being humiliated. Kids can be cruel. he doesnt even have to mention you drew them if you don't make them too good!