Advice please: DS very slow reader and writer, has mild APD - how can I help?

[tigerrsc]

My DS is in year 5 and he is struggling to keep up in class with the speed of reading and writing, frequently having to catch up in break in the more wordy subjects.

He was diagnosed with very mild APD (Auditory processing Disorder) whilst in year 2 (as well as confidence issues etc after a prolonged bout of hearing loss as a very young child). All his teachers have been informed so that they can tweak lessons but he is not bad enough for SENCO to be involved etc.

He is bright, great at Maths, hates comprehension work. His lack of speed does impact the quality of the work he does at school since he tries to write as little as possible and gives up on work quickly in the majority of arts subjects and even in Maths he hates wordy questions.

We have been leaving him to it but with secondary transfer rearing its head I am wondering if we need to help him with his reading / writing speed as this impacts him across all subjects. If so, what can we do?

Thanks

Auditory processing disorder will produce a child with exactly the profile you describe. Please do not underestimate the difficulties your child will have. As he's alsways had this he will assume that everyone is like this but does better than him. It's a good idea to explain it to him at the same time as you introduce coping skills. I think you should make sure the secondary school also know when it's time.

First wordy questions in maths. Read the question with a highlighter in hand, line by line. Highlight the number, write it on a white board and check the rest of the line/sentence to see if an operation is indicated. You do this for each line/sentence e.g. A grocer bought 5 boxes of 250 apples each at £20 pounds a box. You write:
250X5=1250.
5 times £20 = £120.
He bags them up at 4 apples per bag and marks them £1.50 each.
1250/4 = 312 bags 2 wastage
How much profit does he make?
312X £1.50 = £468
Profit 468-120= 348 answer $348

It is really important he gets over his reading and writing issues. He would benefit from using a lap top with word processing for writing. he does not have to touch type but can use 2 fingers and a thumb. He will quickly biuld up speed. This way he can jot his ideas down then re format and add to or alter his writing. See a polished written product will help his sense of self worth.

He needs to improve the fluency and comprehension of whe he reads but it does not have to be fiction. Boys usually prefer non fiction on topics which interest them. If he's not keen on books let him use the internet to sect extracts to read. Occasionally ask him to summarise one in 5 bullet points; copy into Word, rearrange the paragraphs, print and give to you to re-arrange them. He can then mark the work. Similarly he can write questions on a piece for you to answer. For there to be significant imrovement he needs to be doing this at least 3 times per week preferably 5.

pm me if you need more info or examples of revision guides.