A mother asking - WHAT WORKED FOR YOU?

[natty]

Hi everyone

I did my big cry rant in the General Chat section...but if I could ask any adults looking back on their childhood what sort of tasks,etc helped you with schooling, studying?

I would do ANYTHING to make my daughters eduction a fun time for her.

Thanks

[cpr02]

hi

it's been a couple of years since Ive been to school but this is what helped me !

In primary school I struggled with writting I could do the work and i could know what I wanted to write but my writting was slower and if I had to write great amounts I would get cramps in my hand and this would hurt what helped with this was being sat nearer the blackboard NOT being sat near a window because I used to get distracted far to easily and would just daydream , being allowed a bit extra time to copy things down and you used to get pencil grips ? that I think helped just with griping / extra control with the pencil I know if writting remains a problem some schools will provide a computer

Subjects like PE were also difficult as I found the co - ordination / sequencing difficult I'm sorry I can't really remember what helped me with this other than practice !

In high school

as it was bigger I struggled with my sense of direction at first i got lost v easily what helped with this was making sure I was with someone who was going to the same class I was ! even if we got lost i think it always feels better getting lost with someone else than on your own !

organisation - in high school there were more demands placed on you homework / studying etc and I found it helped to write things down and I know this sounds sad but to approach tasks as soon as I was given them as if left I would tend to forget or loose interest

I hope this helps ?!

[natty]

Thank you. Everyone on this post has been so wonderful. Big School is next year, and I have written these thing down to talk to the teacher about.

[cpr02]

Thats ok glad I could help Good luck I'm sure your daughter will learn ways of getting round things /coping with her dyspraxia. It doesn't have to hold you back I managed to do my training and (somehow ) qualify as a nurse at the end of it ! I would be lying if I said there wasn't areas that I found more difficult but I managed to work around them

[littlemissbump14]

My experience was that I just found my mum was amazing! It sounds like your daughter will also have that luck.

I agree that organistion was a NIGHTMARE (still is actually and I'm 21 now) My mum helped with that. he would encourage me to sit down as soon as I got home and work through the homework set that day in the order it was written in my homework diary because otherwise it didn't get done as I forgot about it! My school provided the homework diary to write down what subject it was, what it was, and when it was due in columns. If your daughter's school doesn't do that maybe make your own for her. I know personally that if all my homework wasn't written in one place bits would end up not being done as I would forget I had been set them!

Also on homework, it sounds bad, but do some things for her. I don't mean cheat, but drawing diagrams and graphs etc can be a real stress for a dyspraxic, so if your daugheter has that issue do it for her. My mum used to, we would sit and discuss the task and I would explain verbally what needed to be done, to show mum I had understood the task and learnt what I was supposed to so I didn't et credit for her smarts, but the she wuld actually draw the graph/diagram etc for me.

Also, the computer is a wonderful thing. If handwriting is a big problem, don't do it. type, then just staple the page into excercise books if necesary.

Oh, this may not be relevant, but we had to wear long sleeved blouses for our unifrm and I could not do up the cuff buttons on my own. So my mum sewed the button onto discreet elastic and did up the cuffs. My shirt looked the same as everybody else, but I could just stuff my arms through the cuffs without having to undo them. It made PE changing an awful lot easier!! I also had elasticated and loose trousers/skirts to make life easier and I never, ever, had laces on school shoes. I just found tying them quickly after PE too difficult.

My main advice would be if it is too darn hard to do, try and find ways around doing it. I sounds soo pessimistic but if it stresses her out so much, why bother? There will be plenty of things that aren't too hard that she will just have to struggle and persevere through, so where you can take the pressure off, do!

I can't think of much else right now, but will post again if I think of anything!

Good luck to you both!

One final thing, teach her not to be ashamed of being dyspraxic, and accept that it is who she is, but doesn't mean she is stupid. She will just have to try harder at some things, and that it is therefore ok to ask for help if she needs it. If you make her teachers aware of her problems then they should hpefully be supportive when she asks for that help.

[agsiul]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Maps-Kids- ... 0007151330
I've just deleted the message for the 4th time I had troulbe with writing, planning, maths, spelling, social skills, etc. Planning was also a problem. i give parents that book which is great for showing the kids how to do mind mapping. I'm a teacher now so if your daughter has trouble with maths let me know and I might be able to make a list of triks for you that she can use.

[LuluBoo]

try to encorperate favourite characters ect when helping her
educational games on bitesize are helpful
also i learned fractions with sweets and cake
even make her activity sheets ect

[sanahasacat]

I'm not sure, because the only subjects I really struggled with were maths and PE, and I dealt with them by the good ol' route of "don't even bother". Though, I will say I always found it easier to learn things in my own time by my own choice, rather than in a class- I'd look up things I found interesting, and would often be miles ahead of everyone else in one subject and barely passing in another. Also, a trick to help with handwriting, especially if she gets cramp, is to write on some sort of slope rather than a flat surface- actual assistive technology of that variety is expensive and will make it obvious she has a disability (which, trust me, will not be good for her social life), so a good alternative is to buy her a large ring-binder folder to lean on; this has the additional advantage of being a way for her to keep her schoolwork somewhat organised, particularly if you divide it up by subject.

[Shancoll]

I am currently 31 and was diagnosed with what they then called minor neurological disorder at 8. I had a lot of help from the get go because my symptoms were apparent. What worked for me was a lot of practice in areas I had difficulty in, I did a lot of extracurricular activities. Even the ones I sucked at, and practice sea,Ed to work for me. Also a lot of patience, love, and people who understood me.