AIBU to be cross - reversing letters

[CrystalSinger]

How come my DS is 9 and neatly finished Y4 and no teacher has noticed (or corrected) the fact that he consistently writes some letters as capitals.

He tells me he does this so he doesn't reverse them. Ie he always writes D (as in anD) so he doesn't accidently write a b instead of a d.

He has no learning difficulties and is doing very well at school. Writing is his weakest subject and he's a 3a in it.

This is my 3rd DC in this school. And the 3rd DC to not be taught the absolute basics.

The standard of education does seem to be somewhat lacking......

i think id be considering that your son was actually dyslexic rather than the school not teaching him

Cross with him or with sch?

I think he has developed a strategy that works. Well done him.

I hope someone with more exp will pop along to help you

It is very common for children who are unsure of b, d, p, q orientation to use capitals and the school should have picked this up and as you say corrected. Rarely has it any connection to dyslexia.

does he used joined handwriting as this can sometimes help correct b/d confusion

I would say he could well have a Learning difficulty, in fact still doing this at 9 is one in itself. One of my dyslexic children does this.

Have you tried to help him before now? We used to stick paper to a wall, and they wrote on the paper the letter, saying it whilst I wrote it on their back. It was fairly fun and did help a bit. However I am very surprised that neither you or school have tried to intervene before now.
Maybe school see more general issues and so haven't emphasised this one?

A 3a at year 4 is slightly ahead of national expectations so he isn't falling behind. Unless he isn't making progress against his previous achievement eg he has been a 3a for a while.

Other than your ds continuing to capitalize some letters, what evidence do you have that the school have not tried to address it? They may have pulled him up on it a few times but if he has not told them his reasons for continuing, they aren't left with many options.

I would tell the teacher what your ds told you and go from there.

Cross with school, not with him. Very cross. He thinks it's not important - and obviously school are reinforcing that belief every day they leave it uncorrected.

He's not dyslexic.

And even if he was that's no excuse for school not to work on it.

Now it's such an ingrained habit it's going to be much harder to break than if school had addressed it in the infants.

How do you know the school haven't picked up on it?

and to that point why have you only just picked up on it if it is such a big issue?

He does use joined up writing - complete with joined up capitals.

He does not have learning difficulties. He can work out which way round a d goes, but doesn't bother because he doesn't need to.

His only problem is that he found this solution very early, and stuck with it. So it's now a habit.

I agree Crystal it will be harder to break than if it had been corrected earlier. Does he form letters correctly? - as in starting and finishing in the correct place - I'm mainly thinking the letters o, a, c

So he is "doing very well at school" is a "3A at the end of year 4" in his weakest subject, yet you think the standard of education is lacking!

Some children consistently write some letters as capitals-generally those associated with the initials of their name, either because they have got into a bad habit and find it very difficult to get out of it or, as Branleuse says, because they have a form of dyslexia. b and d are VERY common reversals in even the brightest of children so it is not surprising that these can cause difficulties. In the majority of schools handwriting and letter formation are explicitly taught, presumably your son can form the rest of his letters correctly so there is no reason to suppose the school haven't tried to teach him how to form them all correctly ( I hardly think they have consciously thought "Oh, let's not bother teaching b and d shall we" !)
He clearly needs more practice/strategies for remembering correct formation, upraised fists with thumbs up is a good visual clue, drawing a bed with the b and d as headboard and footboard is also a good reminder.

Two questions.

Why do you think the school aren't working on it?

Why aren't you working on it at home?

I can answer question 1

Some schools don't actively teach "handwriting" and anything goes!

I'm working on it since yesterday when I noticed, and am halfway to cracking it.

The standard of education in the basics is lacking. His spelling is atrocious.

The main reason I haven't noticed his problem before is because I've had to teach:

• DS1: Times Tables
• DS1: Spelling
• DS1: Handwriting
• DD: Times Tables
• DD: Spelling
• DD: Reading

Now, I'll have to add to that list:

• DS2: Handwriting
• DS2: Spelling

None of those things should I have had to teach my kids.

I have honestly not had time to help DS2 because DS1 and DD needed so much extra help.

I work full time. I take the kids to scouts, sports, music etc. I make sure they do they homework. I listen to them read. I buy all the stuff they need to do their homework. I give money to the school each time they ask for it. I attend the school fair, assemblies, plays, parents evenings and IEP meetings. I provide endless costumes for dress up days, assemblies and plays.

I think I have done everything I was meant to. Kept to my end of 'the home school agreement'. I don't think school have done their bit at all.

I don't think it is a case of "can't" more a case of "don't bother"

So you've had/got 3 children at a school you have serious concerns about educationally, and you haven't raised concerns or thought about changing schools? 1 child with major gaps would be enough for me.

ooo I did this as a child and so did my brother, don't worry we grew out of it

Or teach him an even neater way of avoiding the b and d confusion by using his thumbs www.busykidshappymom.org/2011/10/b-and-d-confusion-use-your-thumbs.html

Dd1 did this until she realised the letters b,e,d together looked like a bed and if the letters were wrong deb it didn't look like a bed.

I have raised concerns.

I have also thought about moving schools.

But I know that if you move schools without moving house the new school don't want you and will be quite happy to blame all gaps on the previous school while at the same time not understanding why you moved.

Plus there is no reason to think any other school is better.

Finding it odd that you have only just noticed this at age 9 tbh!

The thumbs one is a good way of remembering and perhaps sit DS down and teach him this. YANBU to think it should have been addressed in school but YABU if you are just going to moan on here without addressing it with the school.

Finally I am another one who used to do this, I haven't done it since 13 and I have a degree so wasn't held back by my oddity.

How do you know that the school has done nothing about it?

I have children in my class that do this. While some of them have responded well to spelling lessons, handwriting lessons, assisted editing, AND constant reminders/corrections, others still slip capital letters into their work. Sometimes it makes me want to tear my hair out. I'm not sure what else I can do besides disciplining them for it, or keeping them in at lunchtime to practise, which I don't wish to do.

What would you do about it, as a teacher, if all of these measures were still not working?

"But I know that if you move schools without moving house the new school don't want you and will be quite happy to blame all gaps on the previous school while at the same time not understanding why you moved."

What a ridiculous thing to say. Families move schools all the time.

I agree with heggiehog, you can change schools any time you want, they WILL want your child and WON'T blame everything on the previous school. Only YOU will do that if nothing changes, but it will change, your DS won't be doing this as an adult.