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Starting school and can't do buttons - I'm having a panic...

9 replies

13lucky · 02/08/2010 14:36

Hiya, my dd has just turned 4 and will be starting school in September...I'm scared half to death about it to be honest for a number of reasons...and another one playing on my mind is that she can't do or undo buttons. They have to wear proper shirts which button right up with a tie and I'm worried how she will cope getting changed etc for PE. Her teacher seems very strict and put enormous emphasis on the fact that they should be able to dress and undress and be independent etc at the parents' meeting the other week and I'm worried that my dd will get upset if she can't do the buttons by herself. I've been trying to get her to practice at home but she's getting really frustrated and doesn't want to try now...and honestly she has NO clue how to do them. Can most other 4 year olds do this by themselves? And how do I teach her how to do it? (she also has hypotonia which means she has a lack of muscle tone in all her muscles and I wonder whether this is a contributing factor as well.)

OP posts:
PixieOnaLeaf · 02/08/2010 14:52

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TattyCatty · 02/08/2010 14:57

My DD is 4 and a half and still struggles with buttons. She can do big ones on cardigans / coats but we're going to have to do some serious practise on the little fiddly ones on the school blouses before September. I think most teachers emphasise the need for children to be able to dress and undress independantly as they don't want to have to help 20 kids at the start and end of every PE lesson (or learning to dress ourselves lesson as it is otherwise known ). I'm sure that she will support your DD, especially if you have a word with her on her first day - there will always be some children who are not as adept as others when they first start.

Can your DD wear gingham dresses as part of her school uniform? We've bought our DD some dresses with zip fronts to give her confidence with getting dressed / undressed initially whilst we continue to work on the buttons - less pressure for her when she first starts and is going through so many new experiences.

woolytree · 02/08/2010 15:01

My almost 5 year old dd cant do buttons, zips, get her t-shirt/jumper off...only elasticated trousers. She has SN's but we were told at school many of the children her age have issues dressing at school. Im sure despite her teacher being strict there will be someone there to help, teaching assistants??

Have you got one of those dolls from elc that has buttons, zips and laces for practising? May take the pressure off doing it on her own clothes.

boredwithfoodprob · 02/08/2010 15:51

Don't have time to read the other posts but I did a placement in a year 1 class last year (as a student teacher) and I would say about a third of the class could not yet do up their buttons and not all of these children had special needs - I think it's just fiddly and one of those things that takes a while. I just used to help where I could and generally they all left full clothed at the end of the day! To be honest in Reception the teacher needs to be a bit more tolerant of the fact that not all children are going to be able to fully dress themselves - if they are trying that is the most important thing.

mintyfresh · 02/08/2010 16:16

I think the teacher is putting a lot of unnecessary worry onto you. My DS couldn't do buttons when he started school and still struggles a bit now - he's 6! He has no buttons to worry about with his uniform so is not really an issue.

My DD also has hypermobility and hypotonia - she's 3 and nowhere near doing buttons by herself. We have Occupational Therapy to help with manipulative skills like this - might be worth asking about an assessment?

13lucky · 02/08/2010 19:45

Thanks for the replies guys...we will keep practising when we can and when she's in a good frame of mind! And TattyCatty - yes she can go back in summer uniform so I will look for the summer dress with a zip on.

Mintyfresh - how do I go about asking for occupational therapy - through her paediatrician or GP? She also has hypermobility as well as the hypotonia.

Thanks again guys.

OP posts:
Marne · 02/08/2010 19:48

I wouldn't worry at all, my dd1 has Aspergers and hypotonia, she's now 6.5 and can not do buttons or zips, the teacher helps her and her friends often haelp her after swimming and PE.

Al1son · 02/08/2010 21:25

Your GP can refer you to an OT. Ask for a paediatric OT if possible.

It could be a very long wait though.

rabbitstew · 03/08/2010 11:34

Don't put pressure on yourself or your dd. If she has hypotonia and hypermobility, doing buttons is going to be very difficult for your dd for a long time. Even when she can do it, she will be very slow. You must make her teacher aware of this, so that she does not get told off or criticised for finding these things difficult - her self esteem is likely to be low enough as it is when she notices everyone else finding these tasks easy, without an adult pointing it out to her.

Hand (shoulder and arm) strengthening exercises will help - eg games where she has to pick things up with tweezers, playdough, writing on a blackboard, colouring in etc. The problem is, a lot of the activities that help tend to be avoided by low tone children, because they are more hard work than fun at first! Maybe you could find some really big buttons with easy, big holes, eg on an old woollen baby's cardy, that she could do easily and then work from there - or start off the process for your dd and let her finish off, so that she feels a sense of achievement, rather than having to do the whole lot herself in one go at first. And do buttons on things she isn't wearing before trying buttons on things she is wearing. Break the process down into manageable stages for her.

My ds1 has low tone and hypermobility and still has nowhere near the hand strength to do up buttons on trousers (too much pulling the material together at the same time as doing the button up), but can do small buttons on shirts, now (he's 6). He is slow at getting dressed and undressed in comparison to other children, though - it is much harder work for him. He also needed to be taught all the stages of getting dressed - seemed to have no instinct for it, himself! He taught himself to read, though, and do number sequences - he just has an instinct for things most people need to be taught, and needs to be taught what most people work out instinctively...

I think it rather stupid, tbh, that schools should put 4-year old children in school uniforms with lots of buttons and ties. The teachers deserve to have to spend lots of time helping the children, as punishment for creating a uniform that excludes the less physically able children from being able to exercise what little independence they are capable of. What's wrong with little airtex tops that you can get on and off without fiddling with the buttons?! Far better for a child's self-esteem...

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