Hello folks,My son is 14 he has learning disabilities. He can read and write but is slow in picking up. He is under SLT for speech and Physio for his posture and muscles. He is on the waiting list to get a social worker from cheviots He is at special needs school. I am worried for his future as he is growing up. Not sure what he will come out with from school. What can I do to help him improve academically. I understand school is doing things their way.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
sadly these children are written off as non academic . You should continue to help him yourself in literacy and numeracy and use resources . The special needs schools are no - hopers and won’t do much . At the same time go in slow steps and see what he can manage while managing his anxiety and stress levels overload can be very damaging too so you have to drive a fine balance .
He is very welcome to join our Zoom activities to boost his self-confidence. We do have sessions where he could learn about the world in Wish You Were Here? (we 'went' to Seville yesterday!) and next week we have a fabulous session on crocodiles! If you would like any free links then do get in touch, Carol x
Hi carolThanks for that. Do send me the link please. How long is it for and what time does it start?
I'm so sorry - I don't know how I missed your comment.....On Wednesday at 6.15pm we have a session on Chinchillas and here is the link -
Zoom join link: us06web.zoom.us/j/88605524229
Please do join us. Again, many apologies, Carol x
"The special needs schools are no - hopers and won’t do much " certainly isn't my experience with my son. All depends on the school. My son attended a resource centre in a mainstream school first and that culture was much more 'hopeless'. His special school brought on his speech, his maths , writing and other English, gave him work experience in the school cafe. I would read every day with your son, talk with him, give him as many life experiences as he can manage without overloading him and - most of all - nurture any friendships with his class friends. This last part is very difficult, especially because you don't tend to meet other parents at the school gate, but ask the class teacher to out you in touch with other parents, organise activities outside school, have parties, let your son learn from social experiences - these will be the most important lessons for his future life, in my opinion. We won't always be here so we need resilient adult children who have friends, or are used to being with other people of their own age. Oh yes! And don't make the mistake of encouraging friendships with much younger children (unless they're in the family), just because your son has a learning disability. All the best
I agree my son is 49 and went to special school rill he was 19 years old. He is not academic but is a wonderful human being which I feel is more important especially these days. His school was amazing.
I agree with these comments. My daughter has Sotos syndrome and attended mainstream school with significant special needs support, physio and SPLT. We provided as much access to books as possible and as many interesting and stimulating outings and activities as we could handle. I tried private tutoring and also extra to tutoring myself but it was just overload for her. School is hard work when you’re struggling and I learned that it was best for her to learn naturally and that my role was to enable but not force that. She was never going to be academic but she can read and write at a functional level. Her maths is truly appalling 😂 but she can manage her spending money. Although like us all she often regrets spending it too soon. Importantly she is resilient as she’s been allowed to fail and learn from it. She knows what she can do and what she needs to get help with, and critically, she is able to get on with people and has many friends and people who look out for her because she knows how to socialise within society’s norms. With hindsight these are the important lessons to teach our children and these are the skills that enable her independence. She is 37 now and she is happy and safe. She has support from us but lives independently in her flat staying with us a couple of evenings a week. She travels on days out with a trusted friend and cooks for herself a and often meets friends for tge cinena, a coffee or lunch. She’s held down a part time job with Mcdonalds for 19yrs and is still there. They have been beyond AMAZING in helping her stay active and engaged with the society (well part of it). As an academic myself with a PhD it’s not what I expected for my child when I was pregnant but it’s way more than I hoped for as she was growing up. Don’t agonise over academic stuff, make life fun for all of you and he will learn as much as he is able to. Immerse him in the world xxx
Hi Mum, My son is 52. MLD school from 5yrs old. {UNspecified learning dif's. No tests done in those days ! Through Juniors, was always reported----No concentration/interest/not trying. I did things at home ,'outside ' things ie- Club/ Camping/ but Academics--- [Read WriteSums] didnt make sense. Into MLD Upper school------Huge difference. Super devoted Head: Good Staff--All Positive --Looking to future for pupils. Loads of Input for After school stuff, AND From 14 yrs, Duke of Edinburgh [DofE] encouraged. My son did Bronze/Silver/Gold. Fully involved and found interests. He was lucky with that school . After he left ; our Authority decided to close as many 'Specials' as possible and combine MLD kids with Main stream , Plus Class Assistants. [Cheaper than Specials] so it may be harder to find a really good Special now. An Education Psycho; should help if you can locate one --Either by GP , School, or Child Social Help. Good luck Mum Keep pushing. Flaounes 4 T
Thanks all for your support
There's a lot of good information on this web page about preparing for adulthood: scope.org.uk/advice-and-sup... About half way down the page there's a link to "Preparing for Adulthood: EHC Planning (National Development Team for Inclusion)" - follow that for some great information on making sure your son's EHCP is up to speed.
Government guidance states that all EHCP outcomes should be ambitious and stretching. If you feel that the school is expecting too little of your son in terms of academic progress, then ask for a reassessment to be conducted by an educational psychologist.
Also bear in mind that he can stay in school until he's 25, and that there are a whole array of functional skills and life skills qualifications available to young people who are not able to take GCSEs. Plus apprenticeships and supported internships to help them secure employment.
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