Still struggling in year 1

[MustTidyPlayroom]

I've posted about DS2 (born May 2007) earlier this year and got some great advice, but the general feeling was that I was worrying to soon.

So, we are now half a term into year 1, parents evening is approaching and DS is still struggling.

• Reading - DS can still only sound words out and doesn't recognise words from one page to the next - reading books are a thing of the past and we are now doing something called Sounds Write. The teacher is also sending home lists of words to go through and letters so DS can spell them out.

• Maths - DS is struggling with simple number bonds and we have started using Komodo maths at home to help him with this.

• Speech - DS has some on going speech problems, which are improving with intensive therapy.

On the other hand, he loves school, has lots of friends, tries hard and excels at sports.

What should I be asking the teacher at parents evening?

Should I be worried?

What more can we do to help?

My other concern is that DS is in a fairly small, but high achieving prep school (children are expected to be working two years ahead of their age in maths when they leave at 11). I am considering moving to a state school as I would hope he would get more support - or is that wishful thinking?

Sorry I don't agree. There are number of factors that can influence future success, environment being one, but even individuals from the most advantaged backgrounds can fail.

Those facts aren't mutually exclusive. It's likely that children from advantaged backgrounds can be bought extra help in order to compensate for some of their weaknesses. Presumably there are some weaknesses which can't be compensated for. (But those would result in a failure no matter what background the person came from.) But in the case of a truly disadvantaged individual from a truly deleterious environment the chances of success are doubtless profoundly reduced. Even a reasonable education isn't protection against some ills. It's most distressing when we hear about some promising student from an underprivileged background who has come to harm. This combination of misfortunes is often highlighted in news reports.

Perhaps you can explain how one of a pair of identical twins can struggle while their sibling doesn't.

I believe that's an area of research.

If were as easy as you suggested earlier wouldn't you expect siblings to demonstrate this.

kidshurt, there is lots schools can do before they hear from a doctor. We have children at work who we think are dyslexic or have other learning issues and I do lots of interventions with them to try and help. That's based on stuff we've noticed in class and not on any outside information.

mrz, it's probably explained by the same factors that mean not all identical twins like the same foods. Some children expect that identical twins will like all the same food because their bodies are the same and they don't so why would they develop academically at the same rate?

I don't know enough to join in the discussion, but I can say that my two older children couldn't be more different academically; they have been treated the same and given the same oppotuinuties.

Dizzy I'm try to point out to learn and say that environment doesn't guarantee success

exactly musttidy! ...mine are the same

DS2 does amuse me though - he comes up with the most ingenious ways to get what he wants and is incredibly bright in some ways - Reminds me a bit of Wallace from "Wallace and Gromit"!

He's far happier with the practical stuff!

You can't be good at everything but everyone is good at something

Dizzyhoneybee what do you suggest I do ie school? I did wonder if the school were being akward and just trying to pass the buck.

kidshurt what do expect will happen if your son is diagnosed with dyslexia?

He will get the help he needs and doesnt have to struggle and fall further behind.

He should get all that without a diagnosis

My other ds struggled for years at school he was finally diagnosed with dyspraxia in year 4 but by then he had given up.

same school?

yes

Why does a diagnosis take so long? Is this normal and are other people on MN waiting these kinds of lengths? What's happened with the older boy's learning since his diagnosis?

Sometimes children don't realise that they don't need to sound out the word.

Concentrate on two or three words, as part of a treasure hunt game or something, round the house. Keep practising the same words over a week or so until he recognises them instantly. Then make a big fuss of him recognising the word instantly. It will help him learn that that is part of the process.

I think many parents pin their hopes on a diagnosis where educationally it makes very little difference (other than the child may qualify for extra time in exams).
Dyspraxia requires occupational therapy and an exercise programme, dyslexia is such a wide label it is meaningless in helping a child. The diagnosis rarely identifies the root of the problem and the usual EP recommendation is high quality phonics instruction.

People/teachers were more understanding things were put in place for him he also has a anxiety disorder and when it came to going to secondary school extra visits were arranaged to help him. He has just started college doing a public service course the college are very good and from day one have let him know they are there to support him with his learning.

MustTidy - One of mine had / has similar problems in terms of remembering a word from one page, to the next, or even the same word on the page repeated.

I too found this very frustrating, as of course does my ds.

A couple of things that might help, less based on the idea that the child can't or wont decode, more based on the thought that there is something else going on that keeps blocking them:

See if the child can read the same very short words in different sizes, different type faces, different colours, different colour backgrounds etc
Sometimes children just need to be told and shown that cat in this book is the same word cat when it looks different and relates to a different cat in a different story.

Have a go a reading joined up writing with your child, might need to write it out yourself, simple few words, just to see if a block is linked to them experiancing learning joined up writing at school. Unless it is explicitly explained some children can think that it is completely different letters.

Read aloud to your child sounding out the letters, painful and not to mimic the child but to then say out loud, oh I'll try and get that to flow a bit better, then read it blending a few letters, then oh I think I could get that even more clearly and read it normally.
Sometimes it just helps a panicky type child to have mum model rather than them being on the spot to do it.

Ask what intervention groups they can do to provide additional support and what one to one support they can provide via the class teaching assistant.
TAs can do interventions for phonics, reading, maths, fine motor skills, social skills and all kinds of things.