Dyspraxia support in the classroom

[Worlds0kayestmum]

Hi, my DD is currently undergoing assessment for dyspraxia. She struggles with fine and gross motor skills, social skills and memory and organisation. Her teacher feels she has dyspraxia as does the paediatrician she has seen. She's been referred to OT for further assessment.

Last week she was kept in at playtime twice for five minutes for forgetting to hand in her reading record in the morning. They are keeping her in to remind her to do this because she will be expected to do this independently in her next class in September.
Would I be interfering and PFB to suggest they put a visual reminder by her peg or a jobs checklist at her desk? Organising herself and remembering to complete tasks can be quite tricky. I don't want to come across as a pushy parent but feel that keeping her in, hours after the thing she forgot about although fine in itself, isn't likely to prompt her to remember the following day
Thank you

No you would not be PFB.

Keeping her in for something like that would be like keeping in a child in a wheelchair for not doing a high jump (bad example but yswim).

A jobs checklist on her desk would be good. Or have it in her hand every morning.

DD1 has dyspraxia. Routines and workarounds and prompts are key.

Thing is this won't make her remember but just add to her anxiety a visual reminder is going to help her better than being kept in and punished,

No, this would be fine. If she is dyspraxic then she will need to find ways to organise herself, like checklists, because she will most likely struggle to remember otherwise. It’s helping her overcome her difficulties compared to others, not ‘cheating’!

Dd had checklists at school although some teachers were more understanding than others about her disorganisation

The teacher is a numpty. My ds has dcd/dyspraxia dx and has a long list of things suggested to help him by OT. Those include a now and next board, adjustment of where he sits in the class and where his equipment goes and limits of tasks.
These haven’t been implemented but can be. He gets some additional help though and in terms of equipment has a sloping board, pencil grips, use of a laptop and arms for his chair.
Currently waiting for a assessment for ASD too as he also has sensory issues and after that we will try to get an EHcp as he will need help as the class gets older just to keep up (will be going into yr2 in September) as he can’t write fast or legibly.
The organisational skills are definitely a lesser spoken part of dcd though.

Yours is obviously a lot younger, but when DD went to secondary we were firm that everything had to be written in her planner. No exceptions. Other people might have been able to remember messages 'bring in red jumper for Friday' or 'finish off for homework' but we knew she couldn't. Being forgetful was OK, not using the planner wasn't.

School need to support in giving her strategies that work. Not punishing her SpLD.

Thank you, I wasn't sure if I was being unreasonable seeing as how she isn't yet formally diagnosed although everyone seems to be in agreement that she does have dyspraxia. Her teacher has been very good this year so I was surprised by this. DD was very upset about being kept in and also didn't understand why, she thought it was because she hadn't done any home reading even though she had so she was confused and worried about it all. She only told me on Friday so haven't been able to find out why until today.
Her teacher next year is the SEN head so I'm hopeful that, alongside the OT assessment, she will have some support systems in place

Dd2 has dyspraxia and we're incredibly lucky that she has the diagnosis so young. She has laminated lists on her book bag, pe bag, pencil case and everything to help start her off with organisation strategies.

Also me and school are very firm drilling her to put things in a specific place so that becomes almost automatic - same thing I do with myself to be honest.

OK - I'm on my PC now so can type a bit better.

DD2's been in the position most of this year of not having the formal diagnosis (we got it last month) but school basically, after we went through the initial "ooh we've got some concerns about her spatial awareness" and I replied with "yep, I'm fairly sure she's got dyspraxia" conversation and started working through the referral system and every report was coming back with "is indicative of DCD... showing features which could be dyspraxia" etc - school also took the "yep she's got it - proceed as so and the reports will come in and confirm it in due course" approach to it too.

Our OT assessment report (which took two bloody months from the appointment to be typed and sent btw - just to warn you they take a flipping age) was actually really low on recommendations for the school - they're having her back for a course of sessions where we might get more guidance but basically what we've got in place we have done with me researching, working with the class teacher and the returning SENCO (has been on maternity leave this year and her cover has been fecking shite).

The visual reminders we've got in place have been ones I've produced myself (and then, as usual, school have gone "oooh that's a good idea - let's do that for a few other kids we've got") - she has them on her book bag with a summer and winter list of things she needs to remember to bring home with her, what needs to go back inside her PE bag (yes - both shoes, hopping isn't an option and you can't hop anyway ), things like that and as it's working - school are picking it up and running with it more and more to try to give her that independence but in a supported manner.

I'm on incredibly good terms with the staff at my kids' school - but they also know that I will push (gently and politely but I ain't fobbed off) when required for things that can help her out.

Trying to think what else we have in place for mine - social skills/friendship support (her speech is affected and the slightly wonky kid with no concept of personal space and unclear speech combination wasn't the most conducive to making friends easily - she has now but it was a crap start to school with it), she goes out for a physical literacy/motor skills intervention session, fidget toys and wobble cushions and one of those stretchy gym bands around the legs of her chair so she can kick that and fidget while being on the spot to try to reduce her falling off the chair and they're looking into a weighted lap pad to try to help that as well (I think even duct tape would struggle to stop her falling off the chair though and Ofsted are likely to take offence at that particular option! - sorry - I have quite a dark sense of humour over it all at times- hopefully doesn't offend), handwriting slope (I did push for that one) and she has her own stationery for school which we've found works nicely at home (Faber Castell Grip stuff she seems to really like and be much more comfortable holding than the school pencils). She has some sensory issues - school have ear defenders if she needs them but she seems to have been OK so far (she can get panicked by some loud noises but it's usually stuff like hand driers), she's allowed to use chew jewellery in school as well and generally they'll work with her sensory quirks as best they can.

^^ ds has arms for his chair that help him not to fall off but bloody things are over £100. Although he does still sometimes fall off and hit his head on the table. Can also get footstools but they are a similar price.
We had thirty seven, iirc, recommendations for the school in our rediculously long OT report.

Thank you, that's helpful. I've worked with children with dyspraxia myself over the years but don't want to get the teacher's back up going in all guns blazing. I'm hoping in September I can meet with her new teacher and put some supportive measures in place. In the meantime, I will get her to get her reading record out before going into the classroom in the hope that will remind her although she says she gets confused where to put it so I will mention that to the teacher too

I've never got the teacher's back up going in requesting stuff all year (and I'm fairly clued up myself so I've requested/suggested we try a lot of stuff). To be honest - what's tended to happen when I've suggested we try something (and I'll admit DD2's class teacher is seriously fucking awesome this year) is that I've hit on something that works... and suddenly find it put in around the school for a few other kids within a couple of days!

Thank you. I think I will be more proactive in September with the new class and make suggestions if I think it's necessary.
She took her reading record out of her book bag yesterday before going in so she remembered to put it away but they forgot to return them at the end of the day which has annoyed me a little because I can't be consistent with her if they aren't.