Y5 support for literacy and attention problems

[Hathor]

DS, 10, is on SEN register at school action for lack of progress in literacy. He has not been tested for other specific problems, but his eyesight and dyslexic traits are normal. He has good physical coordination and is interested in school.

The school is providing virtually no specific extra support, and his progress appears to have ground to a halt. His teacher says that lack of attention is holding him back, that he spends a lot of time not focused on his work, and he needs to learn to work independently and focus more without being distracted. However, he finds literacy difficult. He is able to concentrate fairly well on projects he likes at home, but is not great at sustaining focus.

The school has offered no strategies to help with his attention. He is in a class of 30, and the extra help he gets is a catch-up intervention group for literacy with 10 children with the TA, plus once a week reading one-to-one to an adult. Is this normal for this level of SEN? I feel it is not enough.

Anyone have any experience of how we should expect school to help with this or what we can do to help him? I am so worried that he is slipping through the net.

I have a very similar child in yr4

Having a specilaist OT cushion has helped enormouslt, we had to provide but I will get him alink: it helps concentration, to the extent that our asd 6 yarear old ahs learned to write in the half term since owning one!

I would suggest that you get yourselves down to the GP and ask for your son to be assessed by a Paed, if he has started to stop progression the school needs to look at decent support but SA+ is for kids with outside input.

Also phone the LEA and ask for a copy of their SEN guide for parents which is a ridicullously handy guide.

The catch up group is actually a good way of separating genuine SEN from general lack of progress but if it isn;t working action needs to be taken.

' he needs to learn to work independently and focus more without being distracted. '

Er yes, and my ds3 with asd needs to elarn to talk properly. FGS! have they no shame?

He can physically write, but is very slow, and read, but haltingly, and does not choose to do either unless asked. This is keeping him at the bottom of the class.
I don't know if his lack of progress is leading to the attention problems, or because he finds it hard work he is switching off, but he is missing out on a lot of learning.

How would you feel about a GPP referral? It may be a processing thing, sensory... so many things out htere

You might also be able to get some ideas from an appt with bibic (google them but dont be scared by the name, the name is old and does not really represent the wide cross section of children they see nowadays)

Am thinking that GP referral and charity like BIBIC are for children with much more severe difficulties?

Not at all, bibic hanfdle for example dyslexia. They also start out with a chat with you to see if they can help.

As for GP, again not at all: am off to see mine this week wrt to a referral for ds2, dyspraxia. Theya re the standard access route to OT, PT etc- all people who can help with this.

Anotehr one is the dyscovery centre although theya re not cheap but hey you could be a millionaire for all I know LOL

Email BIBIC, know them well and theya re so worth it. FWIW when we started going there ds1 ws a very naughty 4 year old with some unpredicatble behaviour; they helped us to work out what was going on, get apperwork togetehr and achieve a dx of as.

Thanks so much Clarissimo, that is very supportive - I will look into pursuing this outside of school. Would also be interested to hear about the cushion idea if you have time.

I wonder if anyone also has any experience of how we could expect the school to help, since that is where he is most of the day?

here you go

they can sort of wobble / wriggle to keep their attention going

'When children are highly distractible, overly disruptive and unable to stay 'on task', this usually means they can't do the task' (D. McGuinness. Why Children Can't Read. p188)

The following webpage may give you some pointers of what he needs in the way of literacy intervention:
www.aowm73.dsl.pipex.com/dyslexics/should_I_options.htm

HTH

Thanks Maverick. He is doing an intervention programme with the class TA called Fresh Start by Read Write Inc. I can't see that mentioned on the website you link - do you know anything about it?

Fresh Start is good! It's the catch-up programme produced by Read Write Inc.

You need to know how large the group is that he's being taught in - he may need one-to-one. Also, as Fresh Start is very effective if taught correctly one has to wonder if the TA is using it properly or whether he's just not getting enough time on the programme.

I'll get my friend MaizieD to come on here as she teaches catch-up literacy using Fresh Start.

I've just noticed that he's in a group of 10!
That's a ridiculous number for a catch-up literacy group, no wonder he's not progressing

Thanks Maverick. I wonder if there are home-based materials for Fresh Start? I can't imagine the school will find the resources to give him one-to-one. The 10 children will be a wide range of ability.

I suggest you look at the various programmes on here -check out those marked with a black and green 'X' such as Stairway:
www.aowm73.dsl.pipex.com/dyslexics/resources_and_further_10.htm

Stairway to Reading: Free, online, remedial tutoring program (Canadian) Registration needed: www.societyforqualityeducation.org/stairway.html
A one-on-one remedial reading program for students of any age who have already received some reading instruction but who are struggling with reading. Caution UK users: there are some N. American accent/sound differences.

Thank you - I will take a look at that programme.