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SN children

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Original poster

Yesterday, tomorrow etc

20 replies

Barmymummy · 05/09/2009 14:34

DS seems to be living 'in the moment' all the time. He can recall places we have been to so clearly remembers OK but he finds it impossible to understand 'yesterday or tomorrow.' As for next week, next year etc there's not a hope in hell!!! Trying to explain to him when xmas is for example is a total lost cause though I realise he is probably still too young to properly grasp this bit.

Just wondered when your dc got the hang of these concepts? Am about to laminate 3 pieces of paper with yesterday, today and tomorrow on and get some symbols to stick on them so he can follow the progress from tomorrow through to today through to yesterday iykwim!

He is 4.3 btw. Thanks

OP posts:

lingle · 05/09/2009 19:16

Hi Barmy

I think a calendar is your solution as recommended by the one and only moondog. Are you using one yet? If not, you have to stick one by his bed and cross off each day then after a month or so start putting stickers on special days a few days hence so he can see when they are coming.....by December he'll understand that special sticker on day 25!

do an advanced search for moondog+calendar or reply if you can't find the threads.

loved your "how" thread btw. Must try that (a little tired of speech therapy just now after 7 weeks of no childcare....)

Original poster

Barmymummy · 05/09/2009 20:30

Brill! Thanks! Off to 'search' and will go get a calendar tomorrow. Do you mean just a normal month to a page type thing that I can hang on the wall?

Glad you liked the 'how' thread, not often I can contribute usefully

OP posts:

tclanger · 05/09/2009 21:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lingle · 05/09/2009 21:19

Barmy, I think at this stage yes just a month to a page type thing.

Your ideal would be a large but slimline one where all the days in the month are on top of each other. You literally just tick off the day every day saying "today's finished". My DS2 is very number-oriented so he likes saying "it's day number 7, but day number 7's finished" and "my birthday is day number 21 - it's day number 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20 then my birthday party" but obviously for other children that wouldn't work at all.

Moondog says that you mustn't ever miss a day but I often did which is probably why it took me until about 3.10/3.11 to see it working. But now it's lovely, he knows that he's going to count some more days and then it will be back to nursery/holiday/birthday, etc.

As for truly measuring the time ie understanding the difference between tomorrow and next week and next month - I don't think that is truly expected of children at four - many of them of course have and use the vocabulary but they don't really understand it. Maybe someone can post an account of what is expected in relation to this.

Original poster

Barmymummy · 05/09/2009 21:41

Thank you, I can really see this working for DS. Am all eager to get one now lol!

Am trying to explain that playschool is Monday but he just looks worry stricken and says "now????"

OP posts:

mumslife · 06/09/2009 09:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bubblagirl · 06/09/2009 09:37

ds is 4.3 and were working on this at the moment we have a calender

his got this huge idea at the moment that monday he says is moonday and the moon comes out and sunday yes you got it the sun comes out bless him were just trying with days and yesterday and tomorrow not sure if he gets it or not to be honest as a lot he says i'll do it tomorrow lol

jubee · 06/09/2009 21:15

Have 11 year old with special needs. has no concept of today tomorrow, next week etc. he is really confused because we went to town last week and all the bloody christmas stuff in the shops already. he keeps doing the sign for christmas and i have to tell we have to wait till it gets cold !!!!! He keeps pointing to the loft to get the christmas tree out!!

moondog · 06/09/2009 21:35

Glad it came together for you Lingle.
It is so simple and so worth doing.
My kids now do it independently. Such pleasure from knowing and understanding when daddy is home (away abroad), parties, Halloween, Christmas, cinema trips and so on.

Weren't quite so keen to see my entry detailing our child free trip to Italy in a month or so though.

moondog · 06/09/2009 21:37

Qnd no, wouldn't expect even a 5 year old to really understand this.

But, giving a concrete way of understanding past present and future is essential. It is one of major things language used for, after satisfying immediate needs/wants.

theDMplagiarisedLeonie · 06/09/2009 22:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

mysonben · 06/09/2009 23:33

DS is 3.10, mild asd, and he still doesn't grasps "tomorrow, yesterday,last/next week or year,..." , dito with Xmas or birthdays , ds has no idea that he will be 4 in november.
The only thing he understands clearly is "in a minute", and "after" he mastered that one not long ago.

My nephew who is 3.7, NT, already gets "yesterday, tomorrow" he understands the concept of weeks and months , although he gets them confused sometimes.

I expect they will get there soon or later
I find in general that ds takes a fair bit longer to understand and learn a lot of things , especially asbtract stuff that can't be seen.

anonandlikeit · 06/09/2009 23:34

ds2 is 6.5, not got much concept of time but does geralise, so anything that has already happened is "last day" uses the same phrase for things that happened 10 mins ago or 6 months ago.
Anything in the future he seems to refer to as "another day"

he always askes me to "fastforward backwards" his DVD's which makes me

TBH I hadn't considered if this is all age appropriate or not?

lingle · 07/09/2009 10:41

moondog, I'm going in to see our headmistress soon to try to persuade her to get school nursery to do a little bit less meaningless recital of days of the week/months of the year (which of course he's been doing since 2 with no point whatsoever) and a bit more visual calendar stuff in nursery. Any tips for persuading her? My SALT seems to think many kids benefit from a more visual approach. She (the head) is lovely and very intelligent.

fatzak · 07/09/2009 12:52

Interesting reading this! DS(6) still hasn't got time although I suspect it is prob linked to his dyspraxic type probs. Anything in the past is "When I was 5...". He will often pipe up at say 3.00pm on a Saturday, when we've been out and about etc "Are we going to school soon?"

moondog · 07/09/2009 16:06

Lingle, just take in your calendar to show her.
I don';t get involved in convoluted explanations (most peopel glaze over).I just go for practiucal demonstrations.

lingle · 07/09/2009 19:45

that would make sense moondog given that I'm trying to persuade her to take a more visual-learner-friendly stance!!!!

I could also take the timetimer and the family tree I've drawn (there is simply no way he'd understand the word "family" without it - keep meaning to do another one to explain the word " neighbour").

moondog · 07/09/2009 23:35

Great.
(Love family tree one too. That's bloody difficult as you have got the whole bi dimensional thing ie 'I'm your sister but you are my brother'. )

We should press for MN guide to addressing SN.

lingle · 08/09/2009 08:43

"We should press for MN guide to addressing SN"

seriously?

Marne · 08/09/2009 10:49

Dd1 struggles with this too, she's 5.5 with mild AS.

She understands tomorrow but not yesterday, she uses the word 'yesterday' for anything that happened in the past, weather its 1 day ago or a year ago . She understands Months and the seasons, she knows the date of every ones birthday but doesn't always understand 'next year' .

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