games lessons

[neppy]

I read recently in an old thread how many games sessions various children have in both state and indie schools. I was hoping to have some help about how to talk about games and my child's visual problems with her games teacher.

Simply put, my 7 yr old daughter only sees out of 1 eye and has no 3-d (or stereo) vision. She has seen a consultant and had surgery in the past on both eyes - but nothing for several years. She has games (field hockey, netball and rounders) for 2 hours a week spread over 2 days. She also has PE and currently does OK with it as they don't always focus on ball sports.

She cannot play sports on any level that involve manipulating or being in control of a ball or puck. She cannot perceive how fast something is moving nor where it is visually in any kind of precise way. It's not a matter of trying as there are no sports people anywhere in the world who have succeeded playing these sports born with vision in 1 eye - football, field/ice hockey, or netball/basketball. I am not trying to be negative, but I have seen her and it's not something she can learn, truly. On the other hand, there are LOADS of other sports and I encourage her to be active and work hard in other sports where she is clearly more able. We even brainstormed a huge list of sports that she can do and have it posted on her bedroom door.

The problem is this - the games teacher thinks she is not trying at all and that it's just a matter to be overcome. I am not saying there is no way, but I do not think science/psychology knows how at this point. She points out that dd gets embarrassed and acts really silly which is disruptive...well, she's 7 and can't cope. It doesn't help that out of 5 girls, 2 are the daughters of professional footballers. Dd is more inclined in swimming and is part of a team which is where I have a background - so she is being fostered this way to have body confidence. She's also active in judo.

Dh wants her to continue to participate in games as it's part of the curriculum and to talk with the teacher more. I, on the other hand, think it's a waste of time and damaging to her self esteem. I would like to talk to the school about having her do something else - anything else during the games periods. Any advice or different viewpoints? I wish the school didn't require this! In another thread, I talked about maybe moving her schools - is this something I can openly talk about with a potential new school before she applies? Would a letter from her consultant help in any way?

What do you think?

Many thanks in advance!

I would explain to the teacher what the limitations are maybe with a letter from the consultant's letter to back you up. If the situation continues speak to the teacher again. Then I would escalate the matter

You need to make an appointment with whoever is in charge of games. Take the consultants letters and ask how you can work together to help dd. I had my ds allowed to miss rugby due to vision problems which mean he can't see the ball without his glasses. In his case they agreed he could do extra work on a weak subject providing he still did PE, so not effectively 'getting out' of sport.

At only 7 I'd be wary of pulling her out of school PE/ Games entirely.
I know your school is not my DS's school BUT His sports sessions at school involve a warm up, work on fitness skills and are not all about ball skills. in Winter they do cross country running,netball, tag rugby , dance and indoor athletics. In summer,running, high jump, long jump and throwing as well as rounders , tennis & cricket.
This term appears to be netball. so lots of practise short sprints, in stopping from a run, moving one foot only, marking opponents, finding a space and yes throwing and catching. But your DD could take part in most those skills , she may not be good at the catching or very accurate at throwing, but nor will plenty of her classmates. I was pretty rubbish at both when I was 7 as I was very shortsighted and didn't wear glasses for sport.

Would she she be capable of learning rules and helping to referee or score keep? As well doing warm up and all the physical skills practise work that she is capable of doing.

Hmm - I have exactly this problem myself (blind in one eye and no depth perception - it's the reason I don't drive), and I don't think I entirely agree that it's something that can't be learned, in part, through repetition. Sure, I was never going to be a star in any kind of ball sport, but by practising a lot I was able to hold my own in netball and, for a brief spate of time, softball which was very popular where I grew up. this as as result of LOTS of having a ball thrown at me by my parents!

I think she should continue to participate, but fair enough to call the teacher on the attitude that she's "not trying"

Thank you very much for the advice and pov. I am backing off the idea to request that she be held back from games entirely. This thread has helped.

I think it will be important to talk to the games teacher - I really do believe that in general it's important to participate even in things we may not be good at and to continue to try as well. I should also say that she wears prescription, protective glasses during sports to protect her 1 eye.

UniS - thanks for that, I had no idea what they may do during a session. I have never played any of these sports so had no idea.

ChillySundays and inthename - I think I should get a consultant's letter although it will take awhile. I guess it just strengthens my position.

legalalien - absolutely, you can learn through repetition - particularly softball/basball/rounders. Those are the sports I am more keen for dd to try. I did read that netball would be very tough for someone and vision science really can be individual (and not precise!). I guess this strengthens my resolve to have a chat with her games teacher. Find out what they do, give an indication of what she may have trouble with and see what she finds that she can do.

I'm another one with limited 3D vision (also don't drive) because I rarely "see" with my left eye. I don't think it even dawned on my that I "couldn't" do games. I used to prefer "defence" positions and seemed to be able to get away with running about a lot and shouting. With rounders, i perfected the art of positioning myself to score by getting consecutive "no balls" and opted to field some way out.

It sounds as if your daughter's eyesight affects her more, but she probably doesn't get much sympathy from the games teacher if is spends her time disrupting lessons.

Could you invest some time at the weekends in the park just kicking and throwing balls about. Games teachers like girls that can throw (and she probably has good core strength if she does a lot of swimming and judo)!

DD is also 7 with a min of 4 hours/week games and PE (that's before fixtures, squad sessions and school clubs). Prep/Junior sports isn't very skilled.

OP - If you meet with the teacher you can say that you are waiting for a letter from the consultant and will forward it in due course.

madcats
I used to prefer "defence" positions and seemed to be able to get away with running about a lot and shouting

OK, I admit I played GD in netball and was an expert on balancing on one foot / being reasonably tall and a good jumper due to lots of ballet lessons. Couldn't shoot goals to save myself :)

As an aside, very pleased to see that 3D TVs haven't taken off as standard. Occasionally take DS to 3D movies and it's a very blurry experience!

I played goal defence too if I could wrangle it. Getting in peoples way is a good tactic.

Hockey was difficult with my shortsightedness as the ball is so small. But indoor hockey was a bit better as I could hear the ball hitting the sports hall wall and run in the right direction and look keen even if I never actually made contact with the ball.

:)

Hockey not the best sport for blindish people.

A girl at dds previous school (private, very sporty) with dyspraxia used to come out of games lessons & do ballet instead (it helped with her balance & co ordination). Her parents obviously had to pay for this.

I think you definatly need a meeting with the teacher & point out your daughters disabilities. Would suggestions such as using balls with a bell or something in help (sorry if that's unhelpful wondered if anything like the provisions for blind people would work at all. )

I know it's late in coming, but thank you to everyone who responded. It was insightful to hear how others have coped and just faked it! I will tell her to look keen and try to be in more defensive positions. oh well, this thread has certainly brought a smile to my face.

There is a simple thing your DD can do for herself at play time or with friends at home.

Take a ball, get her friends to close one eye and see if they can catch it. If they are honest and keep their eye closed, they will understand instantly.

We did this in badminton at senior school when a DF lost a contact lens. Much fruitless racket waving and giggling followed. It's impossible.

However, miserable the teacher if her peers understand her problem life will be far easier.

neppy - I suspect you're not correct about her having no 3d vision. (stereopsis)
I'm assuming your daughter has a lazy eye (amblyopia) so its very likely she has little central stereopsis (3d vision), but she still will have some gross stereopsis in her peripheral vision which she'll use for things like sport and driving and general navigating.

Its not at all the same as having just one eye and even if she did have just the one eye - after 6 months or so, people learn how to identify monocular visual clues to determine depth. Which is why if you lose one eye in an accident, the DVLA insists on a 6 month adaptation period before you can drive again.

Much of the brain is still very malleable at this age and if you do stop the ball sports, her brain won't learn the correct way to catch and throw so easily.

No child is good at everything (mine aren't), I would explain to the games teacher and your daughter, why she finds it more difficult, but opting out is not going to help your daughter in the long run.

karoleann - she doesn't have amblyopia - that would be more correctable from what I understand with patching! You must be a vision professional? She has infantile esotropia, upward drifting atm after corrective surgery when she was 1 and now more recently, nystagmus. From what I understand, she has no peripheral vision in the eye that "shuts off". A few yrs ago, I read Janice Barry's book on a similar subject about how she was born with this and learned how to achieve stereopsis - and I believe that the brain is very malleable indeed. I keep up with the field as I'm an academic and have access to the journals fortunately.

I really do not want to deprive my daughter of anything, I was just alarmed at a parents' meeting where it was brought up about how she accidently hurts other kids when she swings her hockey stick, or how she frequently throws herself on the ground while running, and how she gets embarrassed and acts like the sports clown to compensate for feeling terrible. Prior to this, we had talked to the school in a low key way and her teacher from last year - plus it was flagged on her medical form. I know that children aren't good at everything - that's a tough lesson for her to learn. I was lucky in a way because I went to an average state school equivalent in a foreign country and didn't have to compete physically with the children of pro-athletes or ever feel inadequate about that. She's definitely in a more pressurised sports environment than one I ever encountered at 7.

Another with very little 3D vision here. By all means have her try but also make sure the PE teacher understands you value PE and that you are keen for her to understand your DDs problems so you can work together to help her make the most of the lessons to improve her life chances later on. And mention her difficulties in terms of disability if you think it might help the teacher focus on helping her rather than see her as lazy.

I say this is the clumsy kid who could never catch a ball, hit things constantly (due not seeing them) and on top was considered lazy and useless by the PE teacher.

I remember the delight when at 16 we had ski competitions and I came top, representing the school at county and regional level and the teacher, who was absolutely hopeless at skiing, had to recognise I was not useless at everything.

So i would also support finding something your DD can do well.

And FWIIW I too find driving very difficult and even more difficult to get others to understand I am not being lazy, I just can't see it..,

Thanks SuiGeneris - I think you are echoing how dd feels - useless, perceived as lazy, and clumsy. It takes an emotional toll on a kid and I am worried about her having a such a negative experience with sports that she rejects them in the future. It needs to be positive especially at this age.

Good on you doing well at skiing. I am hopeless on the slopes, but find it fun all the same!

That's exactly right - finding things she can do well is the key.