Thursday, November 20, 2008

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE



The parents of a dyslexic child are stuck between a rock and a hard place when their child is going through school.

THE ROCK. You want to do the best for your child and do what you can at home to support them. You look for private tuition, sit with them to do homework etc. However the child is often very difficult because they don't want to do the extra lessons at home, they don't want to do their reading etc.The constant battle to get homework done or even getting them to school etc creates a very stressful environment of arguments and tantrums and can have a negative effect on your relationship with the child and can affect other family members.

The reason the child is being difficult at home is because they find school a very stressful place where they're constantly put under pressure to get work finished, struggling with reading, or are fighting emotions where they've been told their work is just not good enough. They're very much aware of their limitations when they compare themselves with their own peer group. They often keep their emotions in check in school and vent their frustrations, anger, upsets at home. The last thing they want is to come home and find its a continuation of school more reading, more work etc.

HARD PLACE. When the homework, reading practise etc fails to get done at home, you are viewed, by the school, as unsupportive parents. If you go into the school asking for help etc. you are viewed as "pushy parents"
Recognise what ever you do it isn't going to please everyone. Although its difficult, don't give up or allow your self to be drown trodden. Keep home as his bolt hole from the frustrations of the day.

One important thing to do is to boost the child's self-esteem and confidence. Encourage him to do things he's good at. e.g football, drawing, skateboarding etc.

There are no quick fixes as far as progress is concerned.Progress can be very slow, often only a few months improvement in a year. I tend to find some of my pupils seems to plateau for a while then suddenly make a big jump in improvement, so don't get disheartened.However if progress is not being made then everyone needs to evaluate if the current support is appropriate and what if anything, needs to be altered.Sometimes the scores at school don't show the actual progress being made.They can often perform better at home than at school with their lessons

Printed with kind permission from Sheridan Sharp – a mother of children with dyslexia as well as being a special needs teacher.


THANKS a lot to Sheridan for allowing me to use her words – I couldn’t have written it better myself she really sums up how the parent can be stuck between the school and the child.
NB 'Between a rock and a hard place ' - Meaning -In difficulty, faced with a choice between two unsatisfactory options.

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