Great parent's evening

[Sammysnake]

Just come from my daughter's first Year 5 parent's evening and I'm over the moon. I knew she was feeling more settled from her general body language coming into and walking out of school, lack of tear-streaked face at hometime etc (dead giveaways!) and it was lovely to have that confirmed by the teachers. She is chatting to them more, enjoying PE (which used to be her idea of hell), she's happier to join in, seems more aware of her own needs and emotions and can control them more. Her literacy teacher said she loves having her in the lesson as she always has a very unique perspective on the texts which really makes the teacher think more deeply and she's not currently getting stressed about writing (she has millions of ideas but lots of problems getting it onto paper).

 

I asked my daughter a while ago what she thought was making it easier and she said she didn't know but each year got easier(growing up I guess). The teachers said they didn't know what was different either but both of them talked about explaining changes in the usual timetable to her before it happens, letting her know when time is nearly up for completing a piece of work, giving her the option of extra time for longer written pieces so she can get down everything she wants to and not making her change seats in the classroom. Things like that are so simple and seem obvious but I know it's not always easy to do it in a classroom full of kids. I think they are really understanding her as an individual now, especially since the diagnosis (ie there is a reason for her stresses and it's not me imaginging it!) and they don't realise how vital those little supports are being. They've discussed other supports with her too but she says she doesn't need them.

 

I'm really proud of the progress she's making every year in so many areas. I just need to have a chat with her now to find out why she doesn't like to read in class but even with that, the teacher says she needs to do the same as the other kids but wants to work with me to find out first if there is something that is making her uncomfortable and if there is a simple provision that can be made to help her do what she's being asked. They're not just saying 'get on with it and do what you're told'.

[Karen A]

That is great news.

Karen.

[Kathryn]

So good to hear of a school that's getting it right. Give yourself credit too as a parent for they way you've supported her.

 

K x

[Sammysnake]

OK, this is weird. Just spoke to Beth about what the issue is with reading in class and she doesn't know, but she got one of those looks on her face which clearly showed there is some sort of issue and she was getting stressed just thinking about it. Beth is a brilliant reader and reads loads at home and always picks up a book as soon as we get into school(we arrive early because I work there). She is apparantly happy to take part in group reading in class and will read aloud to me no problems. She is reluctant to read to an adult in school but this could be because of having to stop one activity to go outside for reading. The main issue is she is spending time doodling instead of getting her book out to read independently when the reast of the class are sitting reading. She says she prefers to do something with her hands at that time.

 

She says it's not that the class is distracting and feels that reading in another room wouldn't help. She doesn't know what the issue is. I asked what it feels like when it's time to read and she said "it's like really mild Tourettes, like something's trying to get out and you're trying to stop it". She doesn't know what 'it' is though. Any ideas? I suggested talking it through with an adult the next time they have a reading session as it may be easier for her to identify what's going on whilst it's happening. I explained that other children are noticing that she's not reading and it's not fair on them so it's something she will have to do but we will work together to find a way to make it more comfortable for her. She looked really unhappy that it's something that has to be followed up and had a 'shutting down' look that I haven't seen for some time.

 

I'll chat to the teacher tomorrow but any ideas gratefully received .

[Boy]

Could it be the fact that her reading will be ended fairly soon, and she doesn't want to get engrossed in the book only to have to stop reading? I used to find that difficult at school.

 

It sounds from what you've posted so far like she does enjoy reading quite a bit, but just to check... Does she read aloud, usually, or in silence? If aloud then perhaps she struggles with keeping quiet whilst reading (as sometimes reciting and reading aloud can be a form of stimming). And does she enjoy reading most of the time, or is it possible that she's reading in her free time anyway and just happens to find it quite boring in school (having already spent time reading before school)?

 

This might not help at all, but if she likes fidding, would it be possible for her to copy passages from her reading book for those parts of the day? Or to answer questions about the text so that she is reading the text properly but with a particular goal in mind (to get the information to answer the question)? Or perhaps she could make her own bookmark that could act as a sensory toy that she could play with whilst reading? Or perhaps she does just need some more definites (for example, that she will be given a specific amount to read that makes her feel comfortable, so she is guaranteed to be able to finish a paragraph or to finish her chapter if that makes her feel more comfortable). Or maybe, if the reading book in class time is one that she's allowed to take home she'd be more motivated to read it if it was limited to class time (and she had a separate book to take home). Similarly, if it's a book that stays in the class, it could be that she's worried about not being able to read the same book again the next day, in which case being able to keep any book she is reading aside to pick up again for each reading session, or letting her read her book from home might help.