Who the hell is supposed to be teaching my son these dyspraxia strategies?

[Gillway]

Hello amazing mothers of the internet. Can anyone tell me who the hell is supposed to be implementing dyspraxic DS’s Ed psych’s recommendations? Our beloved, super bright, irascible, pain in the arse, ASD-pathway DS has zero patience with me or DH aka according to him “the two retards” trying to lure him in to learning, even with the offer of new trainers or just plain cash. Never has done. The school have had these recommendations for over a year and despite saying otherwise, have never implemented them. As the Secondary school curriculum gets harder, DS has struggled, gone down in groups and eventually descended into school refusal mode. We have descended into being under threat of prosecution for his absence.

Teachers don’t seem to know how to teach these strategies, they’re too busy, and he has no TA because according to SENCO, “he scores too highly to qualify”.

We’ve tried home tutors but despite them saying they’d had “SEN experience”, none had a clue about how to teach him these learning skills.

From research on my EHCP journey, I can see that More House and Frewen among the other handful of expensive specialist schools catering for Specific Learning Disabilities like Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, DO seem to use these strategies in everyday classrooms run by specialist teachers. I think they really do need to be implemented in every lesson and not just here and there, now and again.

But an EHCP to get into one of these expensive specialist schools could take years and basically bankrupt us.

As our mainstream school like most UK wide are insisting on their lie of “inclusion” ie that SEN kids like mine should be able to cope in school despite their needs not being met, I have to be realistic and GET the damn help instead of waiting to be helped.

What an idiot for not realising before. I guess that was because the school said they were going to provide this help and I believed them.

So if anyone could look at the following and tell me who can teach DS these, I would be most grateful.

ED PSYCH RECOMMENDATIONS

1.	He should be reading with a view to answering the specific questions that he formulated when he’d decided to look for the information, so as not to go off track. He should begin with an overview, reading questions before a passage, using skimming and scanning.
2.	He should be taught to plan written work systematically, step by step, reducing cognitive load when having to writing or type. In time, his planning will focus his reading, and help him to organise information when preparing essays.
3.	He needs to learn to rely on technological aids for spelling, but should also know how to use memory strategies to assist with words such as homophones.
4.	emphasis in maths should be on strategies that overcome his memory problem, including looking at symbols first and then muttering them quietly so as to avoid misinterpreting them.
5.	He needs to be taught very specific strategies for managing mathematical questions so he is able to isolate the important numeric and symbolic information. His problem with naming may mean that it is difficult to remember the answers to tables automatically so he should be taught alternative strategies such as reliance upon logic.
6.	Because of memory problems, he will need to work much harder than other pupils and this may make him liable to distraction.He should be made to focus on specific work for short periods, and then engage in differing activities.
7.	Recording activities may be demanding, particularly as his handwriting is very poor. He may be instructed in a minimalist technique involving symbols and images.
8.	He should learn to check his work systematically. Eg after one draft of work, go step by step focusing on grammar, punctuation and spelling one sweep after another.
9.	He should be taught memory development strategies, experimenting until he finds the most effective.

Compensation

1. Teach him to develop his typing to an automatic level so as to reduce cognitive load.
2. Train him to be comfortable with voice recognition as a direct match between his strong verbal ability and written work.

3. learn to use planning software to aid poor organisation skills.

1. Introduce him to computer based games for maths and spelling.
2. He should be taught to rely increasingly on lists, diaries, calendars.

6. He has to be shown how to work round his problem with time keeping, how to work using a clock or electronic device.

Accommodations

Adjustments should be made in class, as well as when his work is evaluated. Includes:

1.	Instructions in a busy class should be given in one long go so as to overload him. They should be repeated as often as necessary. 
2.	He should be encouraged to ask for repetition and clarification.
3.	His problem with naming means he should be given encouragement to respond so as not to make him feel incompetent as he is quite the opposite.
4.	He should have opportunities to dictate to an adult and have work transcribed.
5.	For formal tests: He should have extra time so he does not have to write quickly. If he develops competence in typing or voice recognition, he should be allowed a computer in exams.
6.	When his performance in maths is being considered, errors which are procedural such as misinterpreting symbols should have allowances made for.
7.	In evaluation of his work, the emphasis should be on content, an allowance being made for his unreliable spelling.

Thanks I really hope someone can help!

Bump

You dont need an EHCP to get your child into Frewen, just dyslexia & associated conditions and a lot of cash. But Frewen take in children with severe dyslexia et al and that clearly affects the provision and options they offer. So if your child is bright it may not be the right placement.

The Ed Psych has suggested these strategies, but I'm unclear whether your son has an EHCP. The EHCP would say whose responsibility it is to teach and follow those strategies ....

Thanks Sponge Dog, no we don't have a spare £100k sadly so we are on the EHCP journey.

Thanks Eggysmom. I guess what I'm asking is who is implementing these strategies to other children? Is it normally delivered by a Specialist spld trained 1-1 TA? Or do these interventions look like they need to be implemented throughout all lessons throughout the day by all teachers for them to have any effect? Or are they basically only ever going to be implemented in a specialist school?

Has your son got an EHCP at present?

Ignore me. I see you're in the process of applying for one. In short, no one is legally obliged to do any of the suggestions made by the EP until they're in the EHCP. Where are you in the process? I am guessing you're at assessment phase?

If or when the LA agrees to assess, try to push them hard to get an occupational therapy report, which they obviously should under Regulation 6(1) of the SEND Regulations 2014. If they won't do it, point out that if you have to get your own you will be putting in a formal complaint and asking for repayment - refer them to this Ombudsman case: www.lgo.org.uk/decisions/education/special-educational-needs/15-011-838

I should have said that the reason I'm suggesting an OT report is that they are normally the best people to diagnose and advise on dyspraxia, rather than Educational Psychologists.

Thanks Saturdaynext! We are at early stages of EHCP journey and I'm trying to gather info on what setting is best for DS. We've already had an NHS OT and Physio's diagnosis of DCD since 2017 stating DS's motor function and visual perceptual problems are "significant and persistent and school will have to explore alternative strategies in order for him to access the curriculum to his full potential." Something like that. Then top Ed Psych made detailed recommendations which the school led me to believe they would follow when we joined. They did not and DS went downhill. The lack of understanding for his SEN, his sensory issues in combo with the general bullying and student violence and nasty pig ignorant staff caused his decline into anxiety based school avoidance.

My question was, can the ed psych recommendations I listed be implemented by a 1-1 TA or do we require a Specialist school setting so the recommendations can be implemented all day long and DS doesn't become too dependent on one person (TA) for everything?

However, I've now visited several specialist schools and I can see Specialist is the only way these can be implemented unless someone here can tell me that they can be implemented in mainstream because "inclusion" really works?

Nancy74 we are 1-2 years away from any ehcp!

@Gillway. You won't necessarily get any recommendations implemented unless it's in an EHCP. Well, unless you're lucky and the school are able to accommodate it without the extra funding that should come with an EHCP.

Your question about whether your son should be in a specific setting should have been answered by your EP. They are best placed to say if mainstream or specialised is needed. You won't get a full picture until a multi disciplinary assessment is done. Ie, he may also have sensory needs picked up by the OT, or speech and language needs identified by the SALT which means alot more accommodations and interventions so the overall picture is specialised and not mainstream.

I don't understand why you say your 1-2 years from an EHCP. You also say you're in the early stages.

When exactly did your local authority receive your application and at what stage are you at?

There are legal time limits for the whole process, it should take 20 weeks from when they receive your application. Then from that they have up to 6 weeks to tell you if they will assess (did they agree?), if they agree they have 10 weeks to get the assessments done and inform you if an EHCP will be given and the final 4 weeks to agree the contents of the final plan. There is a specific list of professionals that should be asked for advice during the assessment phase (EP, paediatrician etc) and they have 6 weeks to submit their reports to the LA after they've been approached.

There will inevitably be hold ups, Las often refuse to assess being one, or it will likely be the case that you won't agree with the provision or school they recommend which then means you need to appeal and possibly go to tribunal.

From what I gather you've had a private report done, the school have said yes they'll follow it but in reality they haven't. Has he been on the schools SEN register so you have a record of all this? If he's on the register the he should be on some sort of plan. Sometimes called an IEP or 'My plan' which is regularlt reviewed with you. It's not the same as an EHCP which is legally enforceable, but if they can't follow it, then that is arguably a reason he needs to progress to an EHCP to give more funding to meet his needs.

Happy to speak via Pm if you prefer.

You're very unlikely to be 1-2 years away from getting an EHCP if your child fits the criteria, and on what you say he clearly does. One of the criteria is whether the child's needs can be met within normal mainstream resources, and if the school is saying it can't follow the EP's recommendations then obviously they can't.