just had meeting with dd's teacher - anyone else been through similar?

[paddingtonbear1]

dd has always had issues with concentration. Now she's in Y1, her teacher is concerned that she's slipping behind. She wants dd to see the school nurse so they can find out if dd has wider concentration issues, or it's just that she's being awkward and choosing to switch off. If they find it's 'chosen' behaviour, they will punish her according to school rules (I think this might be lines, which I'm not too sure about!)
The thing is, if it's something like art or the computer, dd will sit there for ages and do it. I don't think she's that interested in reading, writing and maths. She's in a special group for reading/writing for children who are a bit behind, which she does like as she gets more attention! That's only a small portion of the time though really.
I have to do some extra work with her at home, which I'm not looking forward to! (This is in addition to normal homework).
I guess I'm looking for someone who's had a similar experience, or another teacher's opinion on what they'd do?
(dd is 6 in July btw)

Ds2 does the repetition thing too. It's as though he gets stuck on a loop and can't get to the next part of what he wants to say.

thanks cat64, didn't really know how these things worked before!
at least school aren't just going down the punishment route straight away - they are notoriously strict so I thought they might!

DS is just at the start of the 'official support' stradegy. Thankfully his school has a very aware early years head and his Y1 teacher is very sensitive too his needs. The school has a large resource provision so are very geared up for things like this

I had a brother with undiagnosed/un done anything about ADHD and I was always careful to keep an eye out for anything similar. Seems DS has symptoms of dyspraxia. The wheels are turning to get the help he needs and he'll be refered to the school's OTs.

Hope the tanker turns round speedily as He is slowly sending me bonkers with the Not listening, arguing, back chatting and tantrumming

Agree with marmaduke.

Coppertop & Paddington - DS does the stuck in loop thing. It drives me mad. If he is telling me something that is happening currently it's fine, it's when he has to recall something in the past. So if I ask him what he has done at school, the answer is on the lines of " Er, well, we did, er this, no that blue thing, you know, that and it went down there and you had to do it like this......" Aaaahh!!!

His reading is good although I think a lot of this is due to learning his phonics at pre school where for some reason he had no concentration probs at all. He can write beautifully but at the moment it's a struggle getting him to write much as he just drifts of half way through a sentence!

dd had poor listening/concentration skills in nursery too, which haven't improved since starting school, even when her hearing improved.
She gets 'stuck' with a sentence quite often, eg. she begins 'I' then can't get the rest and ends up saying 'I' about 5 times before carrying on!
I guess it still could be that she's choosing not to do things on purpose, but we've tried punishing her for not listening before and it's not improved things at all afterwards.
Have found an old exercise book for her writing practice, so will go and start before dh comes down!

well we've just been practising CVC words (cat etc), which she didn't have problems with as such - the problem I had was that she kept interrupting to 'tell me something' and wanting to learn how to spell other words like 'booklet'! No idea where that one came from!
dh is attempting number ordering now...

Extra work, lines, punishments.

For a five year old???

Way to put a child off learning for life!

I woukd hope school would offer games to aid concentration to do at home rather than extra work. I think I'd use a timer (there are some funky ones around) and start with a short time and explain there should be no interruptions then see how many cvc words she can do for eg. Then lots of praise - sticker whatever - and wow maybe we can do even better next time. Maybe post words done right in a postbox or something. Everything "extra" shold be fun at this age.

I like it Swedish!

DS's school are playing to his strengths which has to be positive TBH

My ds has problems following instructions, especially when told more than two at once. He has dyspraxia (loads of info on that on the dyspraxia foundation website) and his OT told us to break the instructions down e.g. make eye contact then pointing with a finger say "first I want you to put the piece of paper on my desk then (pointing with second finger) I want you to put your coat on" etc. It has worked and he nows does two comfortably but not 3 yet.

Nice to feel I'm not alone with a tricky LO, some great ideas here. Thanks

Mine is not 6 till July either and i have had similar conversations with his teacher.

He wont sit still, he wont follow instructions, he does this and that and the other.

phew....
Actually i have always has issues with his behaviour and i am not surprised that it is the same in school.

The way i saw it at fisrt was "oh dear God, my kid has got something wrong with him!" After all they are the experts, not me (he is my only one)

Now though, one year on, i think that if i dont defend him, who will?
So instead of bieng meek and humble, i kinda tackle it head on.
Insomuchas, teacher highlights a prob...me "ok, what can we do to help ds?"
"What is the appropriate response and way to deal with this latest thing?"

I say "Appropriate" becasue his last teacher reacted and treated him innapropriately IMHO.
His new teacher is far more sensible and has got nounce about her. Thank God!

I am sitting tight, and waiting for his natural maturity and sensible head to arrive...and no doubt about it, it will arrive and he will fly when it does.
At the mo, he is a 5 year old in a room full of 6 year olds and that i think in terms of developemnt is huge.

So keep perspective about it all, you know in your own head that she is ok. Its a case of taking the support that they offer, work closely with them and just nurturing her natuaral abilities and skills. She has got years ahead to do the reading/writing etc.
HTH

I think it sounds like she may have a speech and language issue - could you get your GP or the SENCO to refer her to a apeech and language therapist.

Not for the pronunciation - for receptive and expressive language.

Deany, I could kiss you but that's very un MN . My feelings exactly now.

Tilly, DS went for a speech and lang assesment and at 5.5 he has a vocab and use of a 10.10 yr old

But he can't follow instructions, make eye contact or get dressed without help.

Once it all comes together he'll fly away

Oh!

The eye-contact thing can be indicative of ASD, and with that sort of speech score, maybe of Aspergers.

The other 2 could be indicative of dyspraxia.

• just read back and seen that he has been referred!

Tilly I have been really woried that DS may have an ASD issue but I've been told that it's not. It's like 'I know your talking to me but I'm just checking what is going on at the same time'

He has always been precocious and surrounded by big words IYKWIM. He could use 'compromise' in context at 4 and I blame Gregory Peck!

Deanychip - I am beginning to think exactly the same way too about my DS.It's great to hear someone else with a DS like mine who is able to to keep it all in perspective.

I too could hug you but fear that I would be hounded off MN forever

Who has told you it is not? The only person who could say that unequivocally is someone qualified to diagnose.

Just because he can use long words doesn't make him ASD (as I'm sure you know), but if there are other things - you can find lots of stuff on the internet like this - it may be worth trying to pursue a diagnosis.

It may be that he has some traits, but isn't truly Asperger's, or it could be something else, or nothing at all!