Help me help my child reach his full potential with reading and writing!

[Jimmyneutronsforehead]

Hi everybody, I know this board can be quiet but I'm trying not to get put in the naughty corner posting in higher traffic boards.

DS is 6, he is autistic, and was diagnosed age 3 as autistic with a significant speech delay.

He started school age 4, I did want to defer a year, but in the end I felt that they'd be best to support us with an EHCP application, which was granted.

He resat year 1 in reception, and he's about to technically enter his year 2, but he will still be between reception and year 1, while we wait for a specialist provision to be consulted and named on his EHCP, so I know the school he is at now won't be the school he is with long term.

The reason he has resat reception twice (going on thrice), is because he's made no academic progress. He has made some developmental progress with therapies outlined in his EHCP, and has made a lot of progress in areas like waiting and following adult led tasks, as well as his speech is developing really nicely, though still delayed and non-conversational.

I've always had this sneaking suspicion that he can read, even though he struggles to sit down for longer than 5 minutes at a time. It's really hard to get him to remain engaged. The reason I think he can read, and quite complex words too, is now that his speech is coming on, he will sometimes utter words that he can see written around him, but he whispers them, so it's hard to pick up. I think in a class with 30 kids, he will probably still be doing this but it will be nigh on impossible for teachers to pick up that he is reading. He will also sit and open the tiger who came to tea book, and it will sustain his attention for a really really long time, and he will read some of the words outloud, which hasn't surprised me because he has also watched it on repeat for years on the TV, however some of the words in the book aren't on the TV, and it's those odd words that I manage to catch him saying that I hear, that obviously don't get noticed at school.

He also sometimes brings back drawings which just look like giant squiggles. There's no shape to them at all, and he doesn't hold a pen in the traditional pen grip, rather the fist grip.

Yesterday I got out this LCD drawing tablet that you put a card in and it tells you the name of the picture, and shows you the spelling, and I sat and watched him write (clumsily) all of the letters, but he didn't write them in a line, he wrote them all on top of each other. If I hadn't seen him doing the shapes, I wouldn't have known that the end product was a word, I'd have just thought it was another one of his squiggles. We tried it again today, and he was writing complex words like dinosaur and schoolbag, and police car, but because he isn't gauging the space and the distance needed between letters and just piles them all on top of eachother, it again looked like a pile of squiggles. He also writes his words a-typically, like for y's and g's, he will do the long descending bits first, and then go back to add the c shapes, and with e's he will do the c shape from bottom to top and then add the line. he writes his a's similarly, and in the "a" style rather than c with a line, so I think this has also been missed because it's not been recognised that he's making the letter shape before sort of backwards to how it's typically done.

I feel really guilty because I think he's been bringing home words he's been writing, and I haven't been able to make out that they're words, and equally I don't think the teachers have noticed that he is capable of writing words either.

He won't use lined paper, and I've spent a fortune over the years on those books that are meant to age up with writing and spelling and word formation, and he just completely refuses to engage with them.

I read to him, all the time. We have reading hour before dinner, but he's often off doing his own thing while I read outloud. I can't get him to stay in one spot or follow the words along as I point to them, but I still do it just in case he is walking past and suddenly gains interest.

Has anyone got any tips on how I can get him to see word formation as left to right with each letter next to eachother and not just a big pile on top of eachother?

Have you tried typing? My now 9 year old son made no progress with writing since reception but types pretty fluently and fast now. He is autistic and also has DCD (dyspraxia). He doesn't enjoy reading books and also has ADHD, so focusing is hard, but he got motivated to read and type through online gaming. Will sit and type chat with his online friends for hours, or indeed whole days. He did Nessy Fingers and some other type-read-spell programs from year 1 onwards and does all his school and homework on a computer. We had OT assessments to get school to establish typing as his normal way of working.

He's tried typing at home but when he realises the keys make a noise he just bashes them with excitement. I do think it's worth a really good go though, because I think he will probably need to type going forward. I just need to try and find something that will engage him so he practices his typing, and I think he'll be really good at it.

I did try and get assistive technology in his EHCP but the ed psych was very biased against assistive technology in his report and thinks it would hinder his interaction with adults. We've only had distance contact with OT, and they've not seen him in person.

I do think he has ADHD and he will be being referred soon for an assessment, and it's possible that he could be dyspraxic too, because he has poor gross and fine motor skills, so all these undiagnosed unknown things about him are complicating matters at school.

His EHCP sounds utterly rubbish. You mention SS being consulted, so have you recently had a review and replied to the amendment notice?

DS needs a thorough OT assessment, including a sensory assessment, and ongoing support. He also needs a better EP assessment. There are also people who focus on assistive tech assessments.

If typical keyboards distract DS by providing sensory input, what about touch screen? They don’t have the same noise. Does that work? Or does the noise it does make still distract?

Would DS allow you to fold the paper? Then you could direct him to write one letter between each fold.

How is DS with making letters in sand? Does he do the same thing then? Or with paint? And with paint does he paint over the top of non-letter things he paints?

Will he trace over letters? Can he join the dots?

What are his other gross and fine motor skills like?

Has anyone ever looked at visual processing difficulties?

Left right orientation is usually embedded early on but can be taught in multisensory/ play based ways e.g. running a toy car in paint then left to right across paper, copying repeating patterns left to right.
I’ve taught children who learned to read with books set to music. Our music teacher used to do this every week. One particular boy went home and typed in the titles for Mum to buy!
I’d try plastic or wooden letters for forming words. You can also laminate words to make basic sentences. You could make your own photo books with captions. He could match the words under the sentences.
Writing Wizard on a tablet is great. Very engaging, English pronunciation and you can add your own words or names. A stylus or finger can be used for formation.

If he’s done lots of overwriting this may have led to the letters on top of letters.
Does he do lots of activities to promote fine motor skills in school?

His EHCP is a bit bare bones at the moment because the priority has been to get him into specialist provision which we're just waiting to be named now they've agreed he does need a specialist placement. I agree though it is a bit shit, and I'm really mad at the ed psych. I have requested another needs assessment and been fobbed off saying they can hardly get appointments for a child once never mind twice for an ed psych to come out.

He does have a lot of therapies listed in his EHCP mostly instigated from speech and language around his ability to follow adult led instruction, and communicate his needs and I've seen his schedule at school and he's barely with the class because he's having to do these mandated therapies In a way I feel like they've hindered him learning but I also see the point of view that the professionals who've recommended them are coming from and he has made progress in those areas, yet still has a lot of catching up to do.

He probably wouldn't get on better or worse with a touch screen. It would just be different. He does a lot of investigating cause and effect, rather than following instructions. So he would press his own buttons and see what they do, if they make a noise, if he can scramble the screen etc.

I can try the paper folding thing, that does sound like a good idea if I can get him to give it a go. I have tried drawing boxes or lines where the letters need to go and he just acts like they're not there, but if the paper is a different shape then that might help.

School have had a small amount of success using glitter for him to trace into, but he very easily goes off task which is what a lot of his therapies are based on, trying to get him to stay on task.

Our OT team so far have been absolutely useless, which has been extremely frustrating, but the school we are trying to get a placement for, part of it operates like a clinic where different therapists can come in and do assessments or the school can easily contact them if they think an assessment is needed, or more easily refer on to parents. Every contact I've tried to have with our OT has either been by phone call or they've sent letters instead without having actually met him.

He really struggles with his coordination, I've never met a child who can gather so many bruises in such a short amount of time, and he really struggles with gripping things. If he is eating a wet food that he could drop on himself, I still have to help him, and he has to have all his drinks in spill proof bottles because he knocks things over constantly without meaning to. He can pull things like trousers and shorts on, but struggles with T shirts because of the head and arm holes, and he can't do or undo buttons. He did pass a thread the needle test at his original autism assessment, so they didn't bother testing for dyspraxia or anything like that at the time, but he was also only 2 when he had his assessments so a lot of coordination struggles he had were still seen as developmentally normal. Nobody has ever suggested looking at visual processing difficulties, and I don't think there was much about it on the sensory profile sheet they posted out to me either for it to even flag up. I wouldn't know where to start with having that looked at.

When he paints he just makes splodges, and he will paint over any pre-existing image or graphic on the paper and not stay within any lines.

I don't think they've done anything at school to specifically promote fine motor skills. They've been so focused on the therapies that the speech and language team managed to get into his EHCP that it's become their only priority.

I think they're in over their heads, and there's a big knowledge gap in how they support children with complex learning needs.

In many ways they've been fantastic and understanding and know that we're only at this school because it's a stepping stone to specialist, so they've been wonderful with his absence and behaviour, and they really consider his emotional wellbeing and safeguarding concerns around a child with limited speech, but it's like if your child can't learn in the "right" way, then they just dismiss them.

We have got a word book with laminated words that are velcro backed, with associated pictures, but he stopped engaging with this early on. I personally think this is because of additional processing required to formulate these sentences and that it's less accessible in some environments than others, school being one of the less accessible environments.

He did have a 121 for the first 2 years, but this year he has a dedicated TA point of contact but they're responsible for a handful of pupils.

It's a whole saga about why he had a 121 and now doesn't, but basically the EHCP team at the LA said he didn't need a 121, we appealed it but there was some mess up by the previous SENCo which made the application not legally compliant meaning we would have to start again, when school disagreed with the LAs position they applied for funding from their patrons (religious school) to hire another TA who took on the informal role of 121, however as the expectation was set at the end of the last school year that he'd soon be going to specialist, they haven't actually asked for further funding, or hired anybody to be my sons 121 this year as they don't think he'll be there that long.

His EHCP is a bit bare bones at the moment because the priority has been to get him into specialist provision which we're just waiting to be named now they've agreed he does need a specialist placement. I agree though it is a bit shit

The problem with this is B+F=I. The placement named in section I is the logical conclusion of B&F. If B&F are poor, there is a higher risk your preferred school won’t be named even if the LA agree SS is required.

If you have formally requested a reassessment of needs, if the LA refuse, you get the right of appeal. However, personally, I wouldn’t go down the reassessment of needs route. I would appeal when you next have the right of appeal and seek independent assessments. If you can’t afford these and you aren’t eligible for legal aid, which can fund independent assessments, there are charities, e.g. Parents in Need, who can help.

He sounds like he needs a completely adapted curriculum with therapeutic input embedded within the day.

If folding paper doesn’t work, you could try sticky notes. One letter on each sticky note.

OT needs to be detailed, specified and quantified in F. Even if your preferred placement has OT provision, it still needs to be in the EHCP to guarantee it will be provided.

If you have a read of visual processing disorder and think it may apply to DS, ask the paed (or GP if DS isn’t under a paed) for a referral for assessment.
It sounds like DS might have difficulties with crossing the midline.

Just thought I'd come back to update. After OT requests were rejected, I emailed the consultant who gave him his autism diagnosis and explained his developmental issues post-diagnosis, and suddenly an occupational therapy appointment has materialised.

I've just gotten off the phone with a lovely lady in children's therapy triage who is confused because she said these sorts of referrals usually come from school, and she was surprised school haven't picked up on it. When she first read my referral information she thought she was reading about a child who had just started reception aged 4, not a child who has been kept back in reception who will be 7 in April so she is really keen to get OT input in our lives.

It's made me feel a bit sad, because I know the school he is at know this is just a stepping stone for specialist but they've followed all the intensive therapies SALT have put in place to a T, they've been extremely understanding about his school avoidance and we've never worried about absence letters or fines, and he's built some wonderful trust filled relationships with the adults involved in his care but I just feel like in this one case of not recognising this processing difference they've failed him, and I also feel like I've failed him too. It's really clear he's got a smart little brain in his head but he's had no outlet for displaying this in a way that meets their expectations.

His primary need was identified as social communication and interaction and there are only 2 social communication and interaction specialist provisions in our area, both with pros and cons to them, one being a through school so he wouldn't have to transition again when he reaches high school age.

We have been doing some keyboard work, just using the cards that came with his LCD tablet and MS word, and I can also demonstrate to OT that he can use a keyboard for short periods of time before he loses interest, but it's a start.

I'm going to be really brazen and put an unused tablet with just a notes app and a Bluetooth keyboard in his bag. We've had the tablet for a year and it's never been used so it isn't something we are worried about losing or being broken, and it won't have access to the internet or other apps that may cause distractions. If they use it they use it if they don't they don't but he can't have the opportunity if it isn't there.

Thank you all for all of your helpful suggestions it's been really nice to have your understanding and validating to know you share the same frustrations in this situation.

Actually the more I think about it I can't be upset at school.

When speech and language had their input at the needs assessment meeting they held the most weight and said it was imperative before he started learning academically that he could follow adult led tasks as it is a foundational building block and school only have so much time in the day to go through the therapies she put in place. I also can't be upset at her for doing her job and assessing his needs at the time in her professional capacity, because he has come on quite a bit from the strategies she put in place for him, even though he's still not quite where his current 4 and 5 year old peers are in terms of sustaining attention. And I can't be upset at anybody for not being able to get him on a medical pathway for his attention because he was simply too young to consider any medical titration and the process to assess can only start now he is 6 and everybody has given their all including us as his family to help him and give him opportunities to develop in his own way.

It's still a sad situation but it would be unfair to point fingers.

Sorry, just sounding off my frustrations now.

You haven’t failed DS. It sounds like the LA is at fault. It was poor. The EHCP is poor. If the NA was undertaken correctly and the EHCP written in the right way, OT needs would have been highlighted and provision provided.

one being a through school so he wouldn't have to transition again when he reaches high school age.

This isn’t necessarily the case. Primary to secondary in an all-through school is still a phase transfer. There is case law and a more recent LGO case about this matter. You would get the right of appeal, but it isn’t guaranteed the LA would name the same placement.

As well as schools within your area, have you looked at any within travelling distance that are out of area?

My son has an awkward pencil grip and would also write letters on top of each other.

OT tried all different kinds of grips but we found a really thick pencil works better for him.
his grip still isn't the best but much better positioned than it was.

we also found writing on an angle has helped take the tension off his arm due to awkward grip and he's been able to write for longer. His grip was basically causing him discomfort which is why he gave up so quick.

his letters/words have improved over time and he prefers big spaced out lines than the normal lines provided.

we're currently working on spaces between words as he writes words straight after each other

We've done all that with OT and school and at home but I wish we hadn't wasted so many years on it and gone straight to typing. It was soooo much work for him, literally painful, and he was still bottom of the class. For over 5 years, he couldn't put answers on paper and develop essay writing techniques, reasoning, fact learning, revision - all the things that come with constant writing/taking notes. Once we got him to type fluently and establish typing as main way of working at school, he is top of the class - he went from working towards to exceeding in all subjects within 2 terms. We also found a great software, Splash!, to help with doing maths and maths drawings on a computer. We had a lot of noises about him having learning difficulties and properly global development delay. But he just has problems with spatial planning and physical movement, so simply can't keep finger spaces, form letters, stay on a line etc. But none of that is an issue in modern word processing and the work place. But he nearly ended up at a special school that wouldn't even offer GCSEs. Now we are thinking about leading universities.

@NellyBarneyIm pleased the typing has worked out well for your son and he has progressed massively.

My DS is still very young and has made a lot of progress with what we're working on right now, I'd like to go for awhile longer before I think about typing tbh.

When we were shown the SEND local offer we were told that we could only apply for schools that come under social communication and interaction for primary need in our area. Many specialist provisions are hubs and PRUs but he's already had it put on his EHCP that only full specialist provision schools can be considered so that rules out the hubs and PRUs. We've not been and looked at any outside of the area or any that weren't on the SEND Local Offer. I don't think we'd be able to get him to one outside of our local authority area anyway as he doesn't sleep and I can't get him ready fast enough most mornings anyway.

Lots of our specialist schools focus on social emotional and mental health as their primary need so it's significantly reduced the amount of schools we can actually look at some aren't section 21 schools so we can't consider those either and are usually reserved for those who need boarding or flexible boarding.

All the schools we've considered are at capacity so we're gearing up to appeal on the grounds that capacity isn't a legal reason to refuse, but we're still waiting for the consultation to come back from our second preference. If he got into our second preference I wouldn't mind as it's a 5 minute walk from our house but they don't have the facilities and resources that our primary preference have and their staff turnover is reportedly high considering it's a relatively new school.

Unfortunately, this is an example of why you shouldn’t rely on the LA for information or for suggestions of schools to look at.

If your preference is a hub, you can pursue that. Although, from your posts, I’m not sure it would work for DS.

Do you mean non-section 41 schools rather than section 21? If so, consider them. Whoever has told you that you can’t consider them has given you incorrect information. The rules for naming them are different, but they can be named. You would need an offer of a place and to prove the LA’s proposed school(s) can’t meet needs &/or it isn’t unreasonable public expenditure, but they can be named in EHCPs. Non-section 41 schools aren’t only boarding schools. Many of those who offer boarding placements also offer day placements.

Personally, I don’t think a PRU sounds like the right option for DS.

I probably did mean section 41. I've got a massive migraine!

I also don't want DS in a PRU or a hub, sorry if that's how I came across. I definitely want him in a full specialist provision school. I was trying to say, although badly, that our town has a lot of specialist provision that caters to SCI as a primary need, but the majority of it is in hubs or PRUs which we've already shortlisted out as they've agreed he needs full specialist provision.

Our primary preference is a huge, well established 4-19 school, it has a section that they use as a clinic for different therapists to see children in school, classrooms are ability rated and not age rated, there are sensory hubs outside of the classroom to cater to different sensory needs, a gaming room, a pool, a dedicated pastoral team, and the structure of it is it's one long corridor that passes multiple adult outposts for children who are elopers like my son. They focus heavily on life skills and their playground is set up like a town so that children can learn how to cross the street, follow signals and signs, and all in a play based manner, and a 1:3 staff to children ratio as standard.

We've already had their consultation back, and although it only explicitly says capacity is an issue once, all their other reasons can easily be linked back to capacity, so we've been gearing up to challenge this.

Our second preference is a small primary academy specifically for SCI need, so you need an EHCP to access it. It's close to our house, but it doesn't have the infrastructure or resources needed so it means for SALT and OT appointments he will have to be out of school for many of those if that's the one we end up in. They have a 1:6 staff to children ratio. They've only been open since 2023, and I know parents there that aren't happy that the staff turnover has been so high given how young the school is. It's not something I would be particularly happy about either having a minimally speaking child for safeguarding reasons and building a trusting relationship between DS and the staff as he still requires a lot of intimate care.

There was a third choice but their consultation came back with a lot more reasons than capacity that we have a weaker chance of challenging, it's also very out of the way, and they wouldn't let us view the school so they weren't a good fit for us anyway.