wave 3 intervention - apologies long post!

[kdk]

Hi all

Hoping some wise mumsnetters or teachers can explain what the above is or entails ....

My daughter (who has a twin brother) is six years old and has just started yr 2. She has pretty much made no progress since reception and appears to have very little concentration/is unable to stay focussed on 'academic type' work for more than 5 minutes. She doesn't seem to really know the letters of the alphabet or consistently know the phonic sounds if that makes sense.

Her school has never really come forward and said she has a problem (she is a lovely child and is quite articulate) but after me asking what they are doing to help her progress or whether they think there is a problem, I got a call today to say she is starting wave 3 intervention with a TA next week.

I'm now wondering what this entails ... does this mean she has SEN? Or is she just slow to progress and should catch up with this intervention?

Not sure how much some of her failure to progress is linked to the fact that her twin (in a different class) is doing very well and is now a free reader ....

It has been suggested that she may have an auditory processing problem - can anyone tell me where to get any (simple) information about that?

TIA for any help/advice oh wise ones!

Wave 3 intervention means 1:1 with a TA - so it's really good news. She is almost certainly on the SEN register - but all that means is that she is getting this Wave 3 intervention :)

Do you know what Wave 3 intervention she will be doing? Once they tell you the name of it you will be able to google it and find out some more. It is probably a synthetic phonic reading scheme.

She almost certainly has some kind of difficulty with learning. Auditory Processing Disorder is a good thing to investigate - as are a few other things.

Auditory Processing Disorder means there is nothing wrong with her ears or her hearing - just her brain struggles to make sense of what she hears. You need to get your GP to refer her to an Audiologist to test for this.

I would directly ask the school if she is on the SEN register. If she is she needs an IEP (Individual Education Plan). You need to make sure this has proper SMART targets - e.g. She will learn 2 phonics a week and by Christmas will know all 44 sounds....

I'm afraid there's a whole bunch of things you're going to have to start to research.

Good luck.

I hope they have informed you she will be on the SEN register, and that she will be put on either 'School Action' or School Action Plus'?

Wave 3 intervention

Auditory processing problems mean that they think that she is not having difficulty hearing what is said, but that her brain isn't necessarily processing what she hears so that she can use the information effectively.

Whether this is due to concentration issues will need to be investigated, as very little concentration means she can't learn.

Do ask the school for more information and a plan.

Hi,

Wave three means she will be getting support that is tailored to her particular needs and taking into account any learning barriers she may have.

It does usually mean that a child has SEN but please don't let that panic you, I've seen many children identified as having SEN that have progressed really well with the correct intervention.

The school should have a SENco who would be able to fully explain what is happening with your DD.

I'm not really sure about the auditory processing problem but hopefully a much clever MNer with be along soon

Gulp ... okay - will make an appointment first thing on Monday.

Feel a bit annoyed with school tbh - I first mentioned last year that I thought she hadn't really made any progress but was basically told that there wasn't really anything to worry about ...

I also feel bad that I've got cross with her at times for not trying/paying attention which if she is unable to do is not really her fault ...

I think her school is great for the brighter and middle ranking kids ... but not so good for anyone with SEN as have heard you need to push them hard to get anything done ....

Would hate to move her though as she seems quite happy and loves her teacher ... and her twin brother is thriving! As I'm a single mother would be hard if they were at separate schools.

Can anyone recommend any sites/books I could look at that explain learning disabilities/SEN as it's all new to me!

Who mentioned auditory processing disorder? Was it the SENCO?

Good place to start

Was mentioned at end of last term - head suggested I get her hearing checked to make sure her problems weren't due to her having a hearing problem. When I said I was pretty sure her hearing was fine, she said it might more a processing problem than a physical hearing problem.

She has since had her hearing checked which is fine.

I'm sorry. This is going to be hard for you.

SEN is a pretty meaningless term. It means your DD needs extra help at school.

What's important is that she gets the right extra help. They are probably going to start with some generic synthetic phonics program that was recommended by an Ed Psych when she saw a different kid many years ago.

Will probably do something like Read, Write, Inc or Toe by Toe. Without a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder or anything else I can't see how they could do anything other than a very generic program.

You also need to push for her to be seen by the Ed Psych or the SpLD team who will also be able to give the school more ideas about how to help her. You will probably need to push really hard for this and have to wait a long time.

Read up on SMART targets and IEPs. Get an Ed Psych to assess her for Dyslexia. Get her tested for Auditory Processing Disorder. That'll keep you going for a while....

You say she can't concentrate at school. Can she concentrate anywhere? Does she ever sit still?

Do loud noises or certain clothes or bright lights bother her?

And keep posting your questions here...

Agree with Indigo Bell. Push for the Spld team - they are cheaper than Ed Psychs so more likely to make an appearance.

Lots to think about!

To answer your question IB, no, she doesn't seem bothered by loud noises or bright lights/clothes. Can be a bit of a madam about what she wears but more in a "I don't care if it's snowing, I want to wear a pink tutu" sort of way ....

Off to bed now as absolutely knackered - not sure I'll sleep though! Thanks everybody for your help and advice - will get on with the reading/research tomorrow.

kdk - you are welcome to email or phone me for information about synthetic phonics and I can provide you with some free materials.

[email protected]

If you prefer not to, that is perfectly understandable - simply ignore this message.

Kind regards.

You'll find a lot of information here:
www.dyslexics.org.uk/should_I_have.htm

What's the name of the programme?

The government recommends non-systematic, multi-cueing programmes for Wave 3 interventions.