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.)

Before my DD was diagnosed, we had success by breaking up written tasks.
First she would plan verbally, and I'd write it down.
Then using the plan, she would dictate what she wanted to say, and I'd write it down.
Then she would copy out what I had written.

This helped decouple the thinking from the writing.

OP - not given an enlarged sheet for writing answers? Ridiculous.
He needs adjustments, and that one is a simple one to achieve.

It's not just about practise fine motor skills it is about giving them an alternative way and making reasonable adjustments

^^ This speaking as a person with dyslexia and dyspraxia and a parent with children who've had problems.

So tracing, word processing, making or producing better paper with bigger boxes to hand in.

What's the issue with maths? I ask as we turned to mathsfactor on-line math site when my DC struggled they are now very good at maths - which was something not expect of eldest two by some teachers.

However I had years of teacher complaining that DS especially wasn't laying out properly - obviously we did lots of work on that as well though it took years and him being older to get there. I do think it masked how good he could be at maths.

There loads of fun things that can help with building co-ordination skills, decent exercises in books like Write form the start and Speed Up that I don’t see homework like this is needed to build such skills.

I just asked him to write me a story. He was horrified. So I took him to his room with the computer and showed him how to use it. He has written me a short story and illustrated it and is very proud of himself! He has told me next weekend he is going to write another story about his favourite toy. Vs. a fight to get him to write one word. I did help him last year, let him do 20 minutes and then I wrote what he told me to write, but I was asked not to and he was told off in class.

I though it was a reasonable request too TeenTimesTwo I mean, you can just set it to copy on A3 for one page. But the school wants a paper diagnosis (we didn't for several reasons, one being we fear they will use it as an excuse to exclude him) and say they can't differentiate him from the rest of the class until they have one. Like how they spoke about his latest school refusal after a boy had been punching him and another trying to trip him on the stairs. Along the lines of "his school refusal could be because the material is too difficult for him" or that "the setting is not right for him". Oh and yes, it could be because he is actually being bullied by the other children. The way it was put as the last reason and the emphasis on 'actually' means to me that they don't believe him. That they are investigating now only because said child also punched another child.

We do have exercise books for letter formation (things like filling in the tractor tracks in a field rather than actual letter writing) which he does.

I suspect dyscalculia. He has no real concept of larger than, smaller than, counting in 10's and units or what the point of maths is. So he is just not interested. I do a lot of statistics for my job so have been showing him the sort of things I do. I shall float the idea of maths factor to DH. We do have a few apps on the iPad that we've had a bit of success with.

Can you move schools to one which will see his needs and address them even without a formal label?
It is not necessarily the 'outstanding' schools who provide the best SEN and pastoral support.

Saying they can't differentiate without a label is complete rubbish. That's what teacher's are paid to do. I would be in a whole heap of trouble if I didn't.
However although I understand your reluctance to give him a 'label' I do think your life might be easier. The doors and opportunities that opened up when we got one were quite amazing. Not to mention apologies. It gives you more clout to fight with. Also when it comes to external exams you will find it hard to get access arrangements like use of lap top and extra time without an official diagnosis.

What so you mean by a diagnosis making him more likely to be excluded?