Son struggling. What next?

[bluefootedpenguin]

Hi
First of all, thanks for reading this, I know many people have concerns about their child and I appreciate any advice anyone may have to offer.

I'm a secondary teacher, and I have an MSc in Psychology, so I understand (a bit) and have experience of working with children who have learning difficulties.

My son has been under the care of a speech therapist on and off since he was about 2 (now nearly 8). Originally, this was for delayed speech, which he caught up with after about a year, most recently the help has been orienteered towards language and communication.

He had a CELF assessment last year which identified he had weaknesses with rapid naming, sequencing, possible working memory issues and difficulty in processing auditory information. None of this was a surprise as I had self referred based upon my gut feeling and his self report of feeling 'overwhelmed' when the teacher talks and unable to remember instructions etc.

The SaLT has been great, we've done loads of work at home and school and his expressive language has improved. However, now he has moved into Y3, he is really struggling. The teachers have to constantly cue him in (he struggles to maintain attention- also apparent at beavers and swimming), still doesn't know number bonds, struggling with time tables and processing speed is low. He has sensory quirks: can be very sensitive to sound, texture etc

His phonological awareness is very good (based upon CELF ) and he reads at an age appropriate level, but his comprehension is much weaker and he struggles with new words (I think he struggles to remember what he read). Writing is also slow and laborious, with many errors- misses words, letters, reorders some letters etc. He also struggles with the pronunciation of longer words- seems to have difficulty with medial sounds.

We are now at the point where he is becoming frustrated and upset. He says 'I'm trying really hard! I look at the teacher and I am listening, but I don't remember what I'm meant to do!' He is not wanting to go to school some days and says he is stupid. I am worried about his self-esteem.

I've spoken to his teacher who says he I bright, but she has no doubt that school is very hard for him. He struggles with new concepts, methods and finds written tests inaccessible. He is falling behind, and that's with extra support and differentiation.

He's being reassessed by SaLT this week, but I think he has other cognitive/processing weaknesses which will not be picked up. I'm seeing the SENCO on Thursday to discuss the outcome and what comes next. I've mentioned an Ed Psych referral, but I was told there would be no point a they would only suggest ways in which to support him and they already are.

Should I push for the referral? Pay to get a private assessment?

I'm under no illusion that a diagnosis would radically change school, but I think it would give him a better understanding of why he finds it so hard and move away from feeling stupid. Also, going forward, I know this will help him regarding access arrangements for exams etc.

Any advice is much appreciated.x

He sounds very similar to my son and it sounds like he has dyslexia. This is a very good article and may help your thinking www.acamh.org/blog/dyslexia-developmental-language-disorder-different/

An assessment will clarify this but I am not sure whether it would change things for your son in school however it may help with his self-esteem. It would need to be redone later on for extra time in exams etc. Feel free to message me as we are going through very similar issues

Hi Laura, thanks for the reply. Dyslexia was in the back of my mind too. I know they're not reliable but nessy puts him as high risk. I'm seeing the SENCO tomorrow so I'll discuss with her but think I will have to pay for an assessment privately. I'm concerned about his self esteem and frustration more than anything else, I agree that it won't effect school much apart from a better understanding of his needs. Have you paid for an assessment?

Not yet but I had one done for his brother who is also dyslexic (but not as severely affected). It made no difference to school but a lot to him. We don't have dyslexia in the family and my oldest child is unaffected so it was a surprise.

A lot of this sounds like my son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 7. I would have a chat with your GP and ask for referral to a paediatrician.

Might be worth considering that many 'dyslexic' traits (i.e. missing letters, words, re-ordering letters etc) can have different origins. For example, if a child has jerky eye movements rather than smooth pursuits when tracking, this can result in the same presentation. If a child has vestibular difficulties, this can impact on eye movements (as the two systems work together) and/or on orientation and directionality (i.e. it can be like trying to read/copy whilst on a speed boat - invariably mistakes will be made and the task will be harder). There could be aetiology behind the presentation.

Thanks for the replies, you've given me plenty to think about 😊. I had a good chat with the SENCO but as expected he isn't deemed to have needs complex enough for them to get an assessment. May pursue this privately x

I would definitely push for the school to provide an assessment from their Ed Psych hours. If they refuse I would definitely try to access a private assessment (full disclosure - I'm an NHS and private psychologist) rather than have your son's profile only be clarified in speech and language domains. There may be wider issues which put these difficulties in context, and a full assessment would outline these. Yes, I agree that it 'just gives information', but when I meet schools and families I am able to tell them what part of the child's intellectual profile is contributing to the problem, and this gives power to their elbow to work on those areas. Good luck with your son.