How to teach telling the time?

[claw2]

Ds has no concept of telling the time. He knows there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day etc, however they are just numbers to ds. He just cannot get how to tell the time.

We have a telling the time clock, which breaks it down into sections and literally tells you what the time is.

Ds has been given test revision sheets, for a math test on Tuesday, 6 in total! and told to revise for the test.

Part of the sheets is converting am/pm to 24 hour and vice versa and writing the time in words. I have explained to just add or subtract 12 for the answers, however ds is refusing to do this as he doesn't understand why he needs to do this.

We watched a kid friendly video, I have drawn diagrams, charts etc, but ds just doesn't 'get it'.

Any suggestion on how to teach telling the time?

or how to get ds past the not understanding the time and just to focus on it as numbers and a maths problem ie add 12 etc?

Ds really wanted to do the sheets and sat with me for ages and really wanted to understand, he just couldn't. Later in the evening he then ended up sobbing, due to the pressure of a test and feeling he is 'stupid' and 'dumb'.

How old is he?

You've probably tried, but could you get a clock face, and add in the 13/14/15 etc round the clock face so he can see the continuity?

Personally, I think teaching telling the time, before you start the conversion from AM/PM to 24 hr clock
would help. If he can't do this, I'm not sure the revision will help, as its trying to do something with a concept he hasn't yet got. How badly would he react if you suggested trying to learn the basics, and accept he won't be able to do Tues test?

Thanks Addict, he is 9.

I tried to get him to forget all about time and clocks and just do it as a sum. He was having none of this as he wanted to understand why he had to add/subtract 12!

I did a diagram, a clock face with 12 hour time, then a inner circle showing after it had been around once, instead of starting again it continued with 13 etc. I think I just confused him more, as he doesn't get the 12 hour one!

Then I tried it as a chart, didn't work either.

I then got the telling the time clock we have to try and show the 12 hour time. He then got side tracked by why does it say 'past' and what is it past etc, etc.

He had great difficulty stopping the activity before understanding it/completing it, when I decide enough was enough. He kept asking to 'try again' and then started sobbing about not being able to do the test and being 'stupid' etc.

Today I would rather we just left it, as he isn't going to learn telling the time in a few days. But at some point, I know he will be insisting on having to complete the 5 sheets and he wont move to another sheet, until he thinks he has understood this one.

He will be expected to do the test on Tues, regardless.

Does he like computer games? If so, this is a good game from Nessy - who have developed a number of compute programs and apps for SEN children

Nessy Clock Island

I haven't used that particular one on my DS, but he's used others in the Nessy range and loves them all - the Times Table one is a particular favourite

Thanks Polter, generally ds has no interest in time whatsoever. He is only so eager to learn it now, as it is part of a test in school and he is obsessed with getting things 'wrong'

We have all those clocks and a stop watch, I will give it a go. I think doing that kind of activity might be a bit abstract for ds and he will lose patience and again not 'get' why he is doing it. But he might surprise me!

DS1 had a fabulous Thomas toy that he used to teach himself, but, unfortunately, you can't get them any more.

I'm wondering if there's any apps available

Thanks Towie yes he loves computer games, this could be something to hold his interest!

Did you see Towie's link Ouryve app looks fab

We are just going to try the demo's on Towies link, see how ds gets on, wish me luck!

Claw - DS1 was taught again by his tutor about six months ago. She went back to basics and used a clock face with moveable hands. It took weeks and he has more or less forgotten and does not understand the concept of time. He can't handle different description eg quarter to. This is quite common in dyslexia you know. What are his tables like?

I bought a watch that has both a digital and analogue display and a button on the side of it that speaks the time.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005SI4YCE/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

this one

There was only one demo and he did really well, as it was a game and interactive, he wasn't bothered about having to know why he had to add or subtract 12, he just did it, as he was more focussed on pressing the buttons and making the monkey blow the robot up when he got it right!

We also watched the short demo of learning the am/pm, he sat and watched, although he still didn't get it. Its obviously going to take time, he loses interest if he doesn't get it immediately.

He has lost interest now and gone off again, but I will try the school sheet with him in a bit, to see if he will apply the adding/subtracting 12 bit or whether it was just to get the monkey to appear!

Sounds like the problem sheets are far too advanced for him.

I think you need to start with the o'clocks and go from there. I would definitely do it an ABA way to begin with.

Two clocks. ds' touch 8'Oclock. yay.
Two different clocks. ds' touch 2 o'clock yay.

When he is doing it consistently. DS what time is this? Yay.

Then. 'Touch an hour after 7' oclock' - yay. and 'Touch an hour after 1'Oclock' yay.

After that you do 'before'.

Then you move on to half pasts, beginning with 12-5 *as the hour hand will always be BELOW the number. Then 6-11.

Do the same before and after stuff.

Extend the times before and after.

Tell him before you start that he's not dumb. His teachers haven't taught him properly in earlier lessons but it is okay because he's super smart and can learn anything if you start at the beginning properly.

Forget am/pm conversion to 24 hour. If you take some data on his learning you will be able to show the teacher where he ACTAUALLY is with all this and promise that he'll submit his worksheets when he gets to that level.

Keep, I have a clock, I think I got it from ELC ages ago, it has numbers 1 - 12, then outside that, it actually tells you what the time is on the side. So you move the minute hand to 10 past, 20 to, half past etc and it is written like that on the side.

So you literally move the minute hand and read what it says to tell time. He can read it says 10 past for example, however he just cannot grasp what it means and for him it has to have meaning.

He is ok at tables

Iseeyou watch looks good, he wont wear anything on his wrist, but I suppose I could get one and he doesn't have to wear it. Not expensive either.

ZZZZ I cant find through google, only youtube video of ipad app. We don't have an ipad. Is there an app for laptop?

Star, if presented in a sum, add 12, subtract 12 ds would have no problem subtracting 12 or adding 12 to any number. But because its time and he doesn't understand time, he wont do it.

The sheet is called 'reading clocks' Time in words, then convert to 12 hour then to 24 hour, the vice versa. He was ok with writing the time in words. I had to tell him you write the last number first, for example 11.10pm - 10 mins past 11. He didn't understand why he was writing past, but managed to just write without understanding exactly what he was doing a few times.

Then we hit the 'it has to be my idea before I can do it' wall. He kind of works back to front if you like, he wont practise to help him to understand, he has to understand the concept before he will practise!

Does that make sense?

Its also not just a worksheet, its a revision sheet he has for a math test on Tues. He will have to do the test, regardless of whether he can or not.

I can see exactly how the test is going to go, for him test will come to a halt when he comes across a question relating to time. He wont just skip the question and move onto another, like CT will ask him to 'don't worry, just go to next question'. He will become preoccupied with getting it 'wrong', not be able to move past the question and it will end in tears with ds refusing to answer anymore questions.

My youngest wont either. That watch is really good. It is so solid. He carries it in his bag. It is allowing him to start to see what a clock looks like at any given time, and he hears the thime spoken which is the only form he understands atm. He is 13 now and I do hope that by him being able to use this, that he will eventually be able to recognise time.

X post. Thats awful.

I dont suppose they would be willing to do a typed sheet saying "answer questions 1, 2, 3 6, 7 ,9... etc and give him that as his instructions.

my sons' school do that with homework etc, since my eldest is very much like you describe, but he will accept instructions with a sheet. He'll say to me re hw, look, I have to do 1 and 3...

I dont know if thats a possibility?

Its only a tenner isn't it Iseeyou, so worth a try, I will order one.

At the moment I cant see ds ever actually understanding time. I can see him just repeating what is said on a clock, without actually understanding.

He has no understanding at the moment of how long time is, he has no concept of the difference between 5 minutes or 3 hours.

He struggles with before and after, past, present, future etc.

Iseeyou, as awful as it sounds, this school is still getting to know ds and unfortunately sometimes I have to let them see for themselves.

I could mention it to them, however it will be met with 'oh don't worry, we will keep an eye on him and make sure he is ok' which I am sure they will, once he breaks down in tears, they will try to 'encourage' him to continue and not force him blah, blah, blah

They have already contacted me telling me 'He seems to have his own approach to multiplication that seems to be quite successful but doesn’t match what is being taught in class'

I did wonder how he is learning in class if it doesn't match what is being taught or whether they are planning on teaching him what is being taught or how he will cope in exams etc!

I have left it for now as I feel I am constantly on their case.

Can the CT 'differentiate' and give him a test without the stalling questions on it, or have the TA at least tick them in advance or cross them out?

Star it will involve me contacting school yet again. I think I am going to have to sit back and let them find out for themselves.

Then give them my 'suggestions' when they approach me with their 'concerns'.

I think ds comes across as so high functioning to just about everyone who meets him, they seem to forget that he does have ASD and difficulties, then when he does struggle, it is hard for people to understand how such a high functioning boy, can be so low functioning in some areas.

Or maybe its the level of understanding/expertise of some people. I just don't know anymore. You have met him, what were your thoughts? Does he come across as 'typically' autistic? not that it matters, im just beginning to think I am the only one who sees it.