Advice please- year 8 child

[EvangelicalAboutButteredToast]

Hiya,

I have a year eight child who has displayed symptoms of dyspraxia since primary. He has always struggled with his motor skills, fine and gross. Needed a scribe for SATS as his handwriting is basically a series of slanting zig zags across the page. Can’t use cutlery properly, can’t hold a pen efficiently. Can’t kick or catch a ball with any skill. Is clumsy. The main problem though is the writing. The teachers can’t read his writing and mark him down constantly in tests, but the school don’t seem interested in actually helping him.

I have once again reached out to them but I’m wondering if I should pursue a formal, private diagnosis. I know nothing about how to do this and was really just asking for some advice incase anyone has gone through similar. He is really worried it’s going to affect his exams and thus his future career and feel like I need to do everything I can to help him.

A few thoughts:

• Has anyone ever requested an OT / Occupational Therapy referral/consult for him? This sort of thing is their remit. Usually only schools can refer, but sometimes GPs may be able to as well (depends on local area rules)
• A diagnosis of dyspraxia might be helpful to him in the longer run. It won't guarantee any extra support or understanding at school, but it will help you and him to understand his needs more.
• Do the school ever allow him to type his work? Is he a quick typer? By Year 8, trying to fix the handwriting is likely to be unsuccessful, so using alternative arrangements for writing is a sensible next step for the school to try.
• Speak to the school early about access arrangements for GCSEs. They need more evidence than is needed for SATs.

Ask for an in-person meeting with the SENCO to discuss further.

JCQ (exams quango) are now requesting samples of work of similar difficulty, produced by hand and with a laptop, marked by a teacher (that's to allow typing in public exams).

You could start collecting comparison samples though and teach him to type. Dance Mat typing (BBC I think) used to be good.

Developmental co-ordination disorder (dyspraxia) in children - Diagnosis - NHS https://share.google/ILy6tcKpGaU2zmivS

Has DS had a OT assessment? If not, look at that. In some areas you can self refer.

Request a meeting with the SENCO. Support is based on needs, not diagnosis.

For using a word processor without the spelling and grammar check/predictive text enabled, no application is necessary and no evidence to support the EAA is required for inspection. See page 69 of JCQ’s regulations. But it does need to be the normal way of working. Although who knows what the criteria will be by the time DS is sitting GCSEs. Your school should have a word processor policy, you could request a copy. The school should have it available because they can be required to produce it for inspection.

If typing doesn’t work for DS, there are other options such as speech to text software. A scribe is possible, but the school is unlikely to be able to provide a scribe for all lessons without an EHCP.