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Key stage 1 - writing help and numeracy question

16 replies

debs40 · 16/01/2010 11:51

Hi

My son is undergoing assessment for probable Aspergers.

He is very bright and is doing fine in most subjects but his writing is not improving. He is seeing an occupational therapist for assessment for dyspraxia - motor skills problems.

I would like to know of any websites/resources where I could access information and practical worksheets to help with this.

Also, I wondered whether the assessments for numeracy relied on mental arithmetic or do they use number line/squares??

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 21:04

Thanks. I think it's easier for parents to understand these things if teachers are straight about it. When I'm met with silence, I think 'that must be to do with budgets etc'.

DS gets no individual help at all at the moment despite SA and an IEP but the school are starting on Early Bird Plus with me tomorrow which might help all round.

I have been told by ed psych team that I can ask for a consultation myself. Would that help or make things worse? I wouldn't do it without speaking to school first

Thanks so much for your input.

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mrz · 17/01/2010 20:04

I'm the SENCO of a 250 place primary and have 16 hours EP time per year so I'm afraid I do have to prioritise.

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 18:51

Thanks, for this, much appreciated.

We are already in the process of OT and ASD assessments - something we started after he moved to this school in Yr 1. Initial results suggest possible Aspergers and dyspraxia. No additional help is given at school though as he seems to be doing ok academically.

We've noticed that he is stalling on writing and on numeracy. I think some of the problems relate to the nature of a spectrum disorder.

He is a good reader though.

Are there problems asking for ed psych consults? I understand schools only have so many slots a year?

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mrz · 17/01/2010 16:24

In my authority I would initially ask the Ed Psych to do a preliminary investigation for ASD and also refer to ASD support. Depending on the results a referral would then be made to CAMHS
For suspected dyspraxia we do an internal screening and then refer to the school doctor for further investigation and Occupational therapy sessions.

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 15:56

I meant to ask - do you know who does the testing for these things? Is it done internally or by Ed Psych?

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 15:32

Thanks, that's what I thought. I will have a word with the teachers. I understand that children on the spectrum often have overlap problems with things like dyspraxia, dyslexia and dysgraphia.

You've been really helpful and sound like a very committed teacher. My son's (this year) have not been, unfortunately.

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mrz · 17/01/2010 15:26

Yes I'm a teacher and most (not all) children will have stopped reversals by Y2.
I've just referred a child in my new Y2 class for dyspraxia assessment as this is an issue.
It would be marked incorrect in a SAT task as would b/d reversals.

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 15:04

that should read 21 for twelve

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 15:03

Thanks Mrz. Are you a teacher? Do you know if there is any age by which children are expected to naturally stop letter/number reversal or the transposition of digits?

DS still does this, so sometimes will write his answer as 21 for 21 or 45 for fifty four . I wondered whether there is a point at which this is marked incorrect e.g. in SATS assessment. I mean, clearly, it is incorrect, but it is obviously a case of transposition rather than the incorrect addition/subtraction.

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mrz · 17/01/2010 12:24

yes and added them to a cheap football keyring in order
0+10 = 10
1+9 =10
2+8 = 10
etc

I think they were a security thing as much as a maths tool after a few weeks.

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 12:03

That's a good and simple idea - did you just set out number bonds (say 1-10) e.g. 4+6=10 and put them together on a key ring?

DS has a working diagnosis of ASD (probably Asperger's) and I can the difference if he is given time to think about writing etc as he is very impulsive and clearly does not respond well to time pressures. Anything visual really helps.

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mrz · 17/01/2010 10:44

I made a child (diagnosed ASD) a number bond key ring which he carried around (quite obsessively to be honest) to practise instant recall and his number work has improved.

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debs40 · 17/01/2010 10:39

Thank you. Mrz, that's alot of useful information - I will browse that with interest.

DS can have problems with mental arithmetic - even really basic stuff. He thinks and approaches things in such a different day and visual learning is so much easier for him - hence the question about SATS and the number line.

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Feenie · 17/01/2010 10:17

"Also, I wondered whether the assessments for numeracy relied on mental arithmetic or do they use number line/squares??"

Children in Y2 are encouraged to use numberlines/squares as a stepping stone to becoming confident in mental arithmetic. It's pretty normal practice to use these in Y2.

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mrz · 17/01/2010 08:54

Do you mean school assessments or assessments for ASD?

How old is your son?
Personally wouldn't go down the worksheet route unless he really enjoys doing them.

You could try some of these as they are much more fun and far more effective

Fine Motor Skills
Things to remember:

Upright working surfaces promote fine motor skills. Examples of these are: vertical chalkboards; easels for painting; flannel boards; lite bright; magnet boards (or fridge); windows and mirrors; white boards, etc. Children can also make sticker pictures; do rubber ink-stamping; use reuseable stickers to make pictures; complete puzzles with thick knobs; use magna-doodle and etch-a-sketch as well. The benefits for these include: having the child's wrist positioned to develop good thumb movements; they help develop good fine motor muscles; the child is using the arm and shoulder muscles.
Fine Motor Activities
Moulding and rolling play dough into balls - using the palms of the hands facing each other and with fingers curled slightly towards the palm.
Rolling play dough into tiny balls (peas) using only the finger tips.
Using pegs or toothpicks to make designs in play dough.
Cutting play dough with a plastic knife or with a pizza wheel by holding the implement in a diagonal volar grasp.
Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls. Use to stuff scarecrow or other art creation.
Scrunching up 1 sheet of newspaper in one hand. This is a super strength builder.
Using a plant sprayer to spray plants, (indoors, outdoors) to spray snow (mix food colouring with water so that the snow can be painted), or melt "monsters". (Draw monster pictures with markers and the colours will run when sprayed.)
Picking up objects using large tweezers such as those found in the "Bedbugs" game. This can be adapted by picking up Cheerios, small cubes, small marshmallows, pennies, etc., in counting games.
Shaking dice by cupping the hands together, forming an empty air space between the palms.
Using small-sized screwdrivers like those found in an erector set.
Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads, Cheerios, macaroni, etc.
Using eye droppers to "pick up" coloured water for colour mixing or to make artistic designs on paper.
Rolling small balls out of tissue paper, then gluing the balls onto construction paper to form pictures or designs.
Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons, without bringing them to the edge of the table.
Making pictures using stickers or self-sticking paper reinforcements.
Playing games with the "puppet fingers" -the thumb, index, and middle fingers. At circle time have each child's puppet fingers tell about what happened over the weekend, or use them in songs and finger plays.

Place a variety of forms (eg. blocks, felt, paper, string, yarn, cereal, cotton) on outlines
Match shapes, colour, or pictures to a page and paste them within the outlines

Self-Care Skills
Buttoning
Lacing
Tying
Fastening Snaps
Zipping
Carrying
Using a screwdriver
Locking and unlocking a door
Winding a clock
Opening and closing jars
Rolling out dough or other simple cooking activities
Washing plastic dishes
Sweeping the floor
Dressing
Scissor Activities
When scissors are held correctly, and when they fit a child's hand well, cutting activities will exercise the very same muscles which are needed to manipulate a pencil in a mature tripod grasp. The correct scissor position is with the thumb and middle finger in the handles of the scissors, the index finger on the outside of the handle to stabilize, with fingers four and five curled into the palm.
Cutting junk mail, particularly the kind of paper used in magazine subscription cards.
Making fringe on the edge of a piece of construction paper.
Cutting play dough or clay with scissors.
Cutting straws or shredded paper.
Cutting
Use a thick black line to guide cutting the following:
A fringe from a piece of paper
Cut off corners of a piece of paper
Cut along curved lines
Cut lines with a variety of angles
Cut figures with curves and angles

Sensory Activities
The following activities ought to be done frequently to increase postural muscle strength and endurance. These activities also strengthen the child's awareness of his/her hands.
Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking
Clapping games (loud/quiet, on knees together, etc.)
Catching (clapping) bubbles between hands
Pulling off pieces of thera-putty with individual fingers and thumb
Drawing in a tactile medium such as wet sand, salt, rice, or "goop". Make "goop" by adding water to cornstarch until you have a mixture similar in consistency to toothpaste. The "drag" of this mixture provides feedback to the muscle and joint receptors, thus facilitating visual motor control.
Picking out small objects like pegs, beads, coins, etc., from a tray of salt, sand, rice, or putty. Try it with eyes closed too. This helps develop sensory awareness in the hands.

Midline Crossing
Establishment of hand dominance is still developing at this point. The following activities will facilitate midline crossing:
Encourage reaching across the body for materials with each hand. It may be necessary to engage the other hand in an activity to prevent switching hands at midline.
Refrain specifically from discouraging a child from using the left hand for any activity. Allow for the natural development of hand dominance by presenting activities at midline, and allowing the child to choose freely.
Start making the child aware of the left and right sides of his body through spontaneous comments like, "kick the ball with your right leg." Play imitation posture games like "Simon Says" with across the body movements.
When painting at easel, encourage the child to paint a continuous line across the entire paper- also from diagonal to diagonal.









Activities To Develop Handwriting Skills
There are significant prerequisites for printing skills that begin in infancy and continue to emerge through the preschool years. The following activities support and promote fine motor and visual motor development:
Body Stability
The joints of the body need to be stable before the hands can be free to focus on specific skilled fine motor tasks.
Wheelbarrow walking, crab walking, and wall push-ups.
Toys: Orbiter, silly putty, and monkey bars on the playground.

Fine Motor Skills
When a certain amount of body stability has developed, the hands and fingers begin to work on movements of dexterity and isolation as well as different kinds of grasps. Children will develop fine motor skills best when they work on a VERTICAL or near vertical surface as much as possible. In particular, the wrist must be in extension. (Bent back in the direction of the hand)
Attach a large piece of drawing paper to the wall. Have the child use a large marker and try the following exercises to develop visual motor skills:Make an outline of a one at a time. Have the child trace over your line from left to right, or from top to bottom. Trace each figure at least 10 times . Then have the child draw the figure next to your model several times.
Play connect the dots. Again make sure the child's strokes connect dots fromleft to right, and from top to bottom.
Trace around stencils - the non-dominant hand should hold the stencil flat and stable against the paper, while the dominant hand pushes the pencil firmly against the edge of the stencil. The stencil must be held firmly.
Attach a large piece of felt to the wall, or use a felt board. The child can use felt shapes to make pictures. Magnetic boards can be used the same way.
Have the child work on a chalkboard, using chalk instead of a marker. Do the same kinds of tracing and modeling activities as suggested above.
Paint at an easel. Some of the modeling activities as suggested above can be done at the easel.
Magna Doodle- turn it upside down so that the erasing lever is on the . Experiment making vertical, horizontal, and parallel lines.

Ocular Motor Control
This refers to the ability of the eyes to work together to follow and hold an object in the line of vision as needed.
Use a flashlight against the ceiling. Have the child lie on his/her back or tummy and visually follow the moving light from left to right, to bottom, and diagonally.
Find hidden pictures in books. (There are special books for this.)
Maze activities.

Eye-hand Coordination
This involves accuracy in placement, direction, and spatial awareness.
Throw bean bags/kooshi balls into a hula hoop placed flat on the floor. Gradually increase the distance.
Play throw and catch with a ball . Start with a large ball and work toward a smaller ball. (Kooshi balls are easier to catch than a tennis ball.)
Practice hitting bowling pins with a ball. (You can purchase these games or make your own with pop bottles and a small ball.)
Play "Hit the Balloon" with a medium-sized balloon.

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pantomimecow · 17/01/2010 08:36

It used to be the case that all n umberlines had to be covered up for SATS ,don't know if that is still so.

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