Colour blindness

[BuildYourOwnSnowman]

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for coping in primary?

Also, on a form would you put it as a medical issue or a special need (those are the options). Not sure where else it would go on the form and want it noted

Sounds more like a special need but isn't the most important thing to make teacher aware?

Oh I have but I also thought it might be worth going on his school record. And also other forms I need to fill out.

So far I have provided labelled colouring pencils so I hope that should be enough to help him through. I just worry because his confidence was really hit by a couple of errors he made pre diagnosis and I don't want him feeling bad about something he just physically can't do.

I think the most important thing is talking to his teacher. Probably closer to a special need for box ticking, if it's severe.

My DS's is only mild so no tips i'm afraid, it hasn't really been an issue and I doubt DS even remembers he is colourblind. If it were more severe I would want to be sure it's understood that it can cause unexpected muddles. I remember a red-green colourblind friend muddling a shocking pink and a turquoise pen, which I found fascinating. But honestly, I don't think school go round testing children on colour identification much, or criticising their artwork if the grass is red, generally.

Is your dad also colourblind? If so, it might be worth asking him if he had any sticking points at school. I think the main thing to help stop your DS feeling bad is to value his version of reality. It's no less valid that any other. If 2 shades look the same to him, one is not "right" and the other "wrong", they are both right. It's his picture, his choice. So what if the grass looks red to someone else? Art is meant to be about expressing yourself isn't it, not following arbitrary rules imposed by people with a slightly different eye chemistry?

The last male in the family line was 3 generations back (it's down maternal line) so no one to ask!

In class the things he was doing wrong were eg colour x answers red, and y blue or something and he would just use wrong colours an have to do it again

It's also sport - eg he can't see the red ball in the grass so quickly

So speaking to the teacher helped and I have told him he must always say if he can't tell

It is fascinating but I do feel quite sad for him!! He had a problem with classmates teasing him

It's reasonably common so I'm sure I could find someone that has direct experience.

Agree it makes sense to talk to his teacher in the first instance.

DS(7) is red/green colourblind (as is my brother and uncle). It's not an issue day to day - I guess what he's seeing is perfectly normal to him. The school have been v supportive - they make sure reds and greens aren't used in his classes at all for grouping or determining right/wrong answers. They did this automatically when he was diagnosed.

I find it fascinating too, though he's not overly bothered by it, despite the optician telling us his colourblindness is relatively severe.

That's interesting - they obviously new what to do. Not sure about ds school.

When I was a kid we got everything in black and white but now with computers, interactive whiteboard and all that jazz there is much more colour in the classroom (and the workplace!)

All my coloured pencils are labelled to help those with colourblindness ( although I don't have any this year,two boys the year before) and we try not to use colours they find difficult ( although as one was red/green and one was blue/green it did cut down on the options available!) For one boy we had to refer to colours by the names of tractors of a similar colour, he would ask what colour something was , we would say Massey Ferguson or John Deere, it was the only way he could differentiate! If we were painting/colouring in, he would simply ask the other children what colour he needed, they were fascinated but there was never any teasing.

My dad once had a problem in science when asked to leave a green leaf in red dye for a while and draw the result. But you'd hope people would be more aware these days and use a white flower in blue dye or something

Ds regularly confuses colours so he does notice it on a daily basis.

He used to ask his friends for help but I think they saw it as a bit if fun (some anyway) so that's why I sent in the labelled colours.

He used to a toddler football which involve a lot of colour type exercises and he always made mistakes. A lot of toddler classes involve a lot of colour. I wonder now what he was thinking!!!

There must e quite a few boys at his school who have colour issues just not in his class.

My son had difficulty learning to tell the time as he couldn't tell the difference between the hands. It took his teacher three days to realise what the problem was as he didn't know what the problem was either! A reminder to the teacher that it is not just about art, but everyday items too.

Yes! Hopefully there won't be any problems this year but I've told him to tell me if they are and we can sort it out.

Now how to stop his little sister trying to teach him the colours? She doesn't understand that he just can't see what she does and is very insistent with him!!