At what point would you engage an Educational Pscyhologist

[smearedinfood]

My son is Year 2, summer born, naturally an introvert type.

When we do reading together it quite often results in a melt down. He is so afraid of getting things wrong he stops himself from trying. I'm not really sure if its confidence thing or a processing thing. I've really pushed "trying" and that he is aloud to get things wrong. He's aware that some of his friends are reading and he can't seem to do it.

I have approached the school and they did a Senco assessment where they said he needed more one to one time with an adult. This is difficult as I have a toddler and my husband doesn't usually get home til 7pm.

Admittedly this may be the cause of the melt downs because he probably is quite tired by the time his Dad turns up, for one of us to give him individual attention.

Flashcards seem to work a bit better as he gets a pile to show that he can achieve that. Leap Pad reading games interest him but I suspect that he may be just guessing the answers.

I've read so much stuff on the internet about how to help...I'm just interested in people who have requested further help to see if this sounds similar.

We do the sounds together and he will get "on" and "no" confused, he knows a lot of his sounds but when sounding out the words off the page he will get the letters around the wrong way. He will read a word and then won't know again on the next page.

Should I just hang fire because he's still little, or should I get an assessment? Not sure whether I'm being a bit precious about it or not.

In some areas the Educational psychologists have an advice line which parents can call for general advice. May be worth seeing if it's available in your area.

Can't comment on the ed psyche but we do our reading in the morning before school. After school doesn't work for us, my kids read on their own in bed etc but they aren't interested in reading to an adult in the evening. Can toddler sit on your kneee with a small toy for a few mins whilst your son reads? 5 mins a day is all it takes.

Toddler not the type to sit quietly on the knee while someone else gets attention from Mum.

DS1 will use any distraction to avoid doing homework (including toddler), one night he offered to do housework instead!

Is there a grandparent around who may have time for 1:1 or give you an hour a few times a week to devote to this? You could explore both that and the EP at the same time because I think EPs can have very long waiting lists.

Can you shift homework and reading time to the morning and dh looks after toddler whilst you do 1-1 with son, or vice verse? Before dh leaves the house? It may mean getting up earlier but th current arrangements of doing it at 7pm are not going to work for A year two child, too tired by then mine are starting bed time not homework.

Hi there, I wasn't really sure what you were looking for an assessment for. Was it the meltdowns and worries about trying or are you worried he has a learning difficulty like dyslexia?

My summer born boy found learning his sounds and reading difficult. I raised a suggestion of dyslexia at parents evening and the teacher explained that the way they teach reading now, is basically based on the way they would help a child with dyslexia and that he was already doing the support groups they would offer a dyslexic child so there was little to be gained by getting a label. He did a scheme called toe - by - toe in Y3 which he found dull but really helped. We also bought some coloured overlays to see if he found it easier to read through a particular colour. I don't know if we did the right thing not getting assessment. The two children he seemed to do a lot of support groups with did get privately assessed and were both found to be dyslexic. It didn't seem to change what the school did, but both children found it helpful for understanding themselves and making sense of the world.

With the trying side of things, we actually took a break from reading for a good 4 weeks as it had built up to be a big deal, but we learnt to ride a bike instead and I made a point of how we just tried and it didn't matter if we didn't get it first time as that's impossible. We also watched football and commented how people kept trying for goals or saves even if they missed first time..We didn't relate it to reading until we got back to reading.

I think if you are concerned you should meet his teacher again though, as 'more one to one' time is a bit vague and not very helpful. I would ask how far he is from the expected level and what they have in place to help him at school and ask them some things you can try at home.. And ask if they think a private assessment would help him.

No grandparents handy.

DP leave house for work before anyone else gets up - long commute.

I am thing dyslexia, but I suppose I want to know if its too early yet.

Some good ideas Smiling, thank you! I think watching kids shows on T.V the characters always seem to get everything right first time they try it and I was trying to impress on him that's not really how life happens. But I need a way to show that's not all doom and gloom.

thinking not thing (;

Have you approached the school about assessments? They might have it planned or might not think it helpful yet.

I know private dyslexia assessments in our area were between £350 and £500 and the school made it plain there was no extra help available even if you went down that route.

We did bears - 10 minutes day flash cards and splitting words up and reading sentences. It was a nice systematic approach that helped us.

Toddler not the type to sit quietly on the knee while someone else gets attention from Mum.

I did it round two other children - sometimes with a toddler on lap sometime with them playing quietly nearby - it's getting them settled at something - though that gets easier as they get older. Plus we found it easier in the morning everyone less tired and there's breakfast and getting dressed as distraction for other children.

teach your moster how to read - mine went for this is a big way it's fun practise.

I think you fork out for Educational Pscyhologist when it clear there an issue and spending the money is going to mean finding right help for that. I think a lot of school wait till after 7 years old - as it gets more obvious that there are underlying or ongoing problems.

V.Helpful MrsWhitewash - I shall look into your suggestions.

Can I add if you have a pet they are really good at hearing readers whilst you sit in very close range doing something with toddler.

I agree with you regarding tiredness. I now read with dd in the morning and there is a massive difference.
We do it in bed after a glass of milk and it works much better for us.

As a parent ...never!

I think you need to speak to the school again. The advice you've been given about more 1:1 time does seem a bit vague and it I think it might be worth asking for a meeting with the SENCO too. Often schools run extra 1:1 reading sessions with parent or other volunteers or even older pupils but sometimes no all children are prioritized for this, might be something worth asking about. I think keep up with the Leappad games, even if he is just guessing he is accessing reading in a positive way and this is good.

If the school have identified an issue then they should be taking some action to resolve the issue. Telling you to spend more 1 to 1 time with your child is sensible but not actually meaning the school is doing anything. I would go back to school and say to them, you are trying to spend more 1 to 1 time with child but what exactly are the school doing to get your son back on track.

I agree you need to go back to the school and ask them how he is doing is all areas compared to age-expectated norms. The reading does sound behind but what about other areas of his work? You also mention 'meltdowns', do you really mean meltdowns (as in a complete loss of control) or do you mean tantrums (these tend to stop as soon as a child gets his way)? If you mean meltdowns then it might be worth asking your GP for a referral to an developmental paediatrician.

As far as reading at home is concerned, the main thing is for it to be fun. So read to him, let him help read the basic baby books to his sibling. Don't stress over what he is reading.