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learning support in school

re... : learning support in school           reply
21/10/2010 16:39 - Ask Mother Hen
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Sorry to hear you have been having a difficult time but as a Mum, I have to say that September is always the most difficult time of the year and the time when problems are often at their worst.



re... : learning support in school           reply
07/10/2010 12:43 - Ask Mother Hen
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Hello,

Many thanks for taking the time to reply and give really good advice, I really appreciate that. I do have the report now. My son is dyslexic and we´ll go and see a clinical psychologist to assess if he has dyspraxia. His teacher and class mates have been fantastic.

Thanks again,

Pip



re... : learning support in school           reply
21/10/2010 16:41 - Ask Mother Hen
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My apologies, that last message was sent before I had finished. What I also wanted to say was do you have a Dyslexia Association branch near you? There´s great support on offer.



re : learning support in school           reply
02/11/2010 11:54 - Ask Mother Hen
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Hi all,

Just to say we now have a diagnosis for my lad, he does have dyspraxia. We have an appointment with an occupational therapist in a few weeks time to fully assess him and write a report. I would imagine she´ll be able to tell us what further support he´ll be entitled to in school - he desperately needs handwriting help and help for his sensory processing disorders! As I´ve only just found out i´m busy learning as much about the condition as I can. I´ve joined the Dyspraxia Society. It would be good to hear from mums going through the same things as we are. If there are people out there who has experience of dyspraxia and could fill me in on what help my lad should get in school I would be so grateful, thanks!

Take care,

Pip



re... : learning support in school           reply
03/11/2010 21:08 - Ask Mother Hen
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Hi , Balance boards and bean bags work well for Dyspraxia. Bean bags are particularly well adapted for developing the ability to throw and catch objects. Children with motor or visual difficulties can play successfully with a bean bag when it would be impossible for them to play with a ball. The child is able to catch the bean bag by just getting his hand in front of it whereas he has to coordinate his grasp to a much greater extent to catch a ball. If he misses the bean bag, it hits the ground and slides to a stop in a short distance. If he misses the ball, it bounces and rolls and the child has to chase it. Therefore the bean bag is much less frustrating. A balance board can be added in later. I have found balance boards great for concentration and for learning tables, poetry etc. Modelling clay, cutting out shapes, squeeze ball to increase strength in the hands are also great for fine motor skills. I hope this helps. If you want to contact me I have an advertisement in the Dyslexia section I can send you some free exercises by email. Good luck.



re... : learning support in school           reply
22/10/2010 07:49 - Ask Mother Hen
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I also heard of the dyslexia group and know that many people have been helped by it so if your not already involved, it would be worth a go.



re... : learning support in school           reply
22/10/2010 13:21 - Ask Mother Hen
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Well done Pippa. You are being very sensible and you are doing all the right things. Have a great Bank Holiday weekend and best of luck with the visit to the lady. I´d be interested to know how you get on. It is possible that she might refer you on to another service but that is all good if you can come to the bottom of your son´s challenges and help him even more. Well done.



re... : learning support in school           reply
22/10/2010 09:53 - Ask Mother Hen
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My nephew has dyslexia. I understand it is more common among boys but he has done his Junior Cert and it was so much better for him because of provisions that were made for his exams.



re... : learning support in school           reply
21/10/2010 14:09 - Ask Mother Hen
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Pip, I hope things are beginning to get a bit easier for you all. From just reading what you initially said about the dyslexia and the teachers not fully going along with that, perhaps they felt that that was not the underlying cause of your son´s difficulties. I have a friend whose son was diagnosed as dyslexic several years ago. Any difficulties were explained away by putting it down to dyslexia whereas there was another underlying difficulty there. Once that was identified, things got much easier. She says that while dyslexia is an issue, sometimes people can be blinded by it and can´t see beyond it. Hopefully that makes sense and that all will be well.



re... : learning support in school           reply
21/10/2010 16:39 - Ask Mother Hen
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Sorry to hear you have been having a difficult time but as a Mum, I have to say that September is always the most difficult time of the year and the time when problems are often at their worst.



re... : learning support in school           reply
22/10/2010 12:06 - Ask Mother Hen
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Hello EllySull, Lynda and Ulysses!

Many many thanks for taking the time to reply and for all your sound advice, really appreciate that :)

I have joined the Dyslexia Association of Ireland and intend to go to some workshops, they sound really helpful. I´ve always had a gut feeling in the back of my mind that my son´s symptoms showed a bigger picture that just dyslexia. I´m sure you mums out there know what I mean so I did a load of research and phoned around. Next week we´re off to see a lady who specialises in special needs - I sent her a copy of my son´s educational assessment and she agrees that my son has more going on than dyslexia. She really seems to know her stuff so that´s great.

Anyway, I´ll sign off here. Thanks once again, have a great bank holiday weekend!

Pip



re : learning support in school           reply
07/10/2010 08:49 - Ask Mother Hen
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I understand that you are anxious about this but I think it would be wise to wait for the final report. Worrying about the ´what ifs´ can be very stressful and you end up using up your valuable energy for no reason. You could also transfer anxiety to your son so please - try to put this to one side until the report is available.
There are many children in Ireland with dyspraxia and if you want more information on that, visit www.dyspraxiaireland.com.
I hope all goes well for you - do let us know how you get on.




learning support in school           reply
29/09/2010 12:34 - Ask Mother Hen (Locality: Galway)
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Hi everyone, I´m wondering if anyone can help please. We had our 8 year old son assessed for dyslexia 3 weeks ago by an educational psychologist and she said he was a "text book" dyslexic. However, his teacher and learning support teacher feel that he isn´t dyslexic as his reading isn´t too bad, although his maths skills are pretty poor. We are waiting for the report back from the psychologist and she is referring us to a clinical psycholgist as he has behaviour issues in school and at home - he has a fear of noise and gets upset with any change in routine. Plus, although he isn´t really clumsy he is very slow to get dressed... or to get anything done, really!!! He is a very intelligent, scatterbrained and kind boy and is popular in school - i think the kids on the whole think he´s quirky! - but he is pretty awkward in social settings. it´s all affected his self esteem, which is the most important thing which needs to be sorted out, it´s heart breaking to hear him call himself stupid and he has been bullied because he isn´t getting his work finished ...

I know I´m jumping the gun - can´t wait for the report to come in the post but soooo nervous about it - but reading info on the net I do suspect he is dyspraxic and was wondering if any of you out there could please share and experiences similar to mine and give any advice please? I was wondering, if my son was dyspraxic,what sort of learning support would there be for him in his school?

Sorry for babbling - I just feel it´s all up in the air and I´m thinking "what ifs?", I don´t know anyone else to discuss this with..

Many thanks in advance, I´ll look forward to hearing from you out there..



re... : learning support in school           reply
03/11/2010 08:58 - Ask Mother Hen
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My nephew has dyspraxia and he goes to an occupational therapist. He also gets extra help in school and he uses a laptop.



re... : learning support in school           reply
22/10/2010 16:49 - Ask Mother Hen
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Hey elliesull,

Thanks very much for your kind comments. I know I won´t rest til we get to the bottom of this. I´ll let you know how it goes next week, thanks. You have a lovely bank hol weekend as well.

Take care,

Pip




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