Any way I can get hold of a set of the B-Squared assessments?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I am happy to pay for it, but not for a whole school as I am just a parent with one child.

Many tia

Their assessment sheets would not equip a parent to teach to the test

Oh okay.

I thought that was what teacherwith2kids was suggesting I might be trying to do to prove attainment/capability out of wider context.

You're right. He uses capitals for b and d and also n (confusion with u and h I think).

I know the school have been working on his n's because he seems to like those in particular. He always likes whatever he is working on.

Iirc your ds is at an independent sn school. Could it be they are concentrating on skills needed for learning and communication. Turn taking, concentration , etc and they are working on the longer here , shorter there basis. My son's school said they found NC levels very hard to use for some children as their skills due to their disability would be very low in one area and age appropriate in another.

I worried for a long time the school was setting the bench mark too low for our DS. Then I realised some at his school were getting very high grades they were teaching those who were that able to that level and our DS wasn't there yet!
With regard to working at home with ds's I always found doing things in the morning before school worked best for us. Going back in time my mum found withdrawing my brother from school church services ( which the school had on a Friday morning)and doing some one to one was enough to have a huge boost.
Are you planning on remaining in ss or hoping to return to mainstream in the future.

I'm hoping to return to mainstream school.

It could be that my ds isn't 'there yet', but I truly doubt it. When he was in mainstream he was in top sets for numeracy and literacy. That was with mainstream pupils in his class. He was taken out for more attention to soft skills and for them to be embedded in his curriculum so he wouldn't fall behind when things got more abstract. I don't think this has happened.

Hugely personal question - does your DS have ASD?

A lot of what you described about him working to what they accept not what is generically accepted/expected ring a lot of bells. My DS is the same - as he can't internalise that feeling of producing high standard work, so if he's allowed scribble and to just write any old how - he will.

Don't get me wrong he struggles enourmously with the physical task of writing but he can produce better when given correct instruction of expectation and clear and consise explanation to how much time he has etc.

Also have you ever heard of write dance? Its a fab pre writing skills programme and there is now a second book (amazon and about £9) that concentrates on the actual shapes and body requirements of writing and 'feeling' writing to begin to introduce the differing shapes required.

I've also purchased my DS Stabilo easy writer pens - they curve around the hand and touch between thumb and finger and seem to act as a reminder to my DS brain that he has a pen in his hand and take away some of that struggle he has to grip it - iyswim? The pens also have a grip on it so they have no choice but to hold it properly.

Yes he has ASD. But I don't think that explains his lack of progress, or at least I don't think it should do.

His ASD is unusual in presentation too in that his receptive understanding is far in advance of his expressive language. Though that could explain why he is being taught below his ability if he 'appears' to not understand by the language demands of him to demonstrate that.

Thanks though for the tips on writing skills and pencil grip, but truly, ds masters this fine when he clocks me watching him, and this half-term seems to do it now as his default having had no bad pencil grip practice at school in between 'our' sessions.

Ha , we always had the opposite problem, expressive way ahead of receptive. So when very young people would tell us how bright he was. And we would be asking if he had understood!
An ASD school should be in tune with discrepancies in expressive/receptive language.
Our DS needs a lot of focus and very directional teaching to do well. Definitely no ambivalent terms such as you might like to (he wouldn't). It might be helpful. If you have time. You could try etc.

It's not an ASD school, it's a SALT school.

DS expressive language is poor. His receptive is not much better!

He is about to embark on a 10 week therapeutic writing course with SENCo and Ed pyschs. Will wait to see how that one pans out but is basically aimed at children with BESD to be able to express themselves through writing.

boarders My DS' usual reply to "you might like to..." is 'No thanks'

starlight I'm glad you said that about not thinking the ASD explains his lack of progress. My DS lack of progression has been a fight to get recognised - even though it's black and white on paper, and also getting them to recognise that's despite interventions left right and centre. Just been through Camhs who said almost definatly has ASD, suspects AS (SCD) and suddenly the school are saying "oh yes, well that explains his lack of progress"

Think you may be the kick up the arse I need not to accept that and fight.

I think ASD often explains lack of expectations, and lack of training on how to motivate and engage sadly.

The point is he progresses just fine, and often faster than his peers when he is engaged and motivated, because his narrow minded focus on any subject that catches his interest means he works very hard and practices the skills in his spare time.

His current obsessions are (ignited in his 2 week half term) handwriting and spelling. His ability to spend hours on something so very boring is remarkable. His other current 'things' are learning Spanish and pregnancy.