Alternate means of teaching, without reading

[Amanowl]

My son has been suffering from migraine/tension/stress headaches that have severely affected his school attendance. When he has a headache, even if he can function well otherwise, his reading is affected. He is a great reader with no headache but sees no point in pushing through headache pain to attend school if he can't read when he is there. All teaching seems to require reading, even art apparently.
He is falling behind (s3 Scotland, age 14) and his self esteem is rapidly deteriorating.
Plus not being at school affects his social confidence. He feels he is "the headache kid" and therefore looked on without understanding.
We need a way to teach that fits with his headaches. Ways that do not need reading and ways that can fit when he can read, ie not regular school hours!
There is no way in heck I should be the teacher! and I am a widow.

Any ideas?

Tough one.
Here are a few thoughts:

What is causing the headache, does he need glasses? Would physiotherapy help?

Sometimes reading black and white can be a strain, could try printing onto buff or light blue paper, to see if it helps. Would a larger font help?

Podcasts and audio books could help with some subjects.

It is the school's job to help you with this, an inclusive model means that the teachers should be differentiating the curriculum to meet his individual needs. That can mean extra work for the teacher, but that's the way it goes. They need to make sure their lessons and planning include various ways of learning and resources that suit his learning. Some of that is teacher speak I know. But might be useful if you use some of those terms when talking to the school.

When a medical issue is affecting a child's education a much as this then it really needs to be taken very seriously and sorted out- he needs to see a medical specialist to work out exactly what triggers the headaches- and possibly how to avoid them or medicate to prevent them. There are migraine specialists out there -I suggest you visit your doctor and ask to have your son referred to one.

I think you ought to sort out the medical side. There are also possibilities that you might not have thought of like blue tinted glasses or overlaying the writing with coloured plastic. If it is affecting his education to such a degree I would also make an appointment and see the school SENCO. I would have thought he needs an IEP. You shouldn't be tackling this on your own.

I'd really recommend pushing for a really thorough eye check up - I have an unstable squint where my eyes do not work together correctly, and reading in particular puts a big strain on my eye muscles if I don't have the correction in my glasses that I need. Ask for his binocular vision to be checked, and at reading distance especially (many people don't do this)

I have suffered from migraine almost all my life and your son needs to see a doctor and try to find out what is triggering them. HAs he seen an optician lately, as well, because eye problems can cause headaches. Also try and look at his diet, exercise and sleep patterns.

Things that can help migraines include a magnesium supplement and an EPA supplement (fish/flax oil), regular exercise, eating small amounts regularly to help regulate blood sugar and things and having a set, predictable sleep pattern. Also making sure that he is well hydrated by drinking plenty of plain water, not tea/coffee or fizzy drinks because they are triggers for headaches. If his headaches are caused by stress, then I think that would need to be looked at as well, because the stress generated by missing school fuels the headaches and it becomes a viscious circle. I've been there and done that.

If he is at school, then it is the school's job to make reasonable adjustments to accomodate his needs and they should be looking for strategies that work. SOme things that might help are colour overlays for books, teachers making paper copies of the stuff that goes on the board for him to use, access to a quiet room or something similar, sitting nearer the front of the class. Perhaps some sort of peer support to help him keep up or access to school work via website/podcasts/powerpoints/recordings outside of traditional school hours. My DS1's school had things like chemistry lessons on line for kids who had missed them in class. Lots of subjects use technology nowadays that your son could bring home on disc or flash drive to use at home.

I think that the first priority, though, should be seeing someone who can help with his headaches. If you can begin to address the cause, then the rest should eventually resolve itself. It is possible that his headaches might be caused by his age and his hormones, though this is mostly a feamle problem. If that were the case, then he will probably out grow them.

If you want to think about HE, at 14 you wouldn't have to be his teacher. At that age, your son could be self guided and work when it suited him. My 17 year old has been HE for 6 years and has been almost totally self guided for 4 years, at least. He only comes to me for advice on specific things that he thinks I would know a lot about or for practical things like cooking/washing. Everything else he can find out for himself either in books or online. He has just subscribed, for example, to a site that will guide him through the higher maths syllabus because he was struggling with differentiation. DS2 is responsible for when and what he learns and it suits him very well. It might work for your son, as well.