Guest Posted April 11, 2004 Posted April 11, 2004 Hi! This is something I have meant to investigate for some time but typically have only found time to do so in the holidays! I wanted to see if anyone has any checklists for helping SENCO's in groups, keyworkers etc fine tune their thinking. I was thinking that often we have a gut reaction that all is not well but can't always put our finger on the problem. I have one list for helping with issues around hearing which asks questions like: does child often say ‘eh’ or ‘what’ Does child often do or say the wrong things Shows signs of frustration or apparent disobedience Sometimes give you non-sensical answers to questions Ask for things to be repeated Having difficulty locating your voice in a large or noisy area A daydreamer Apparently straining to listen to you Appear to hear you & at other times not respond in same sit. Turns head to one side to listen Are you conscious of child watching your face intently You raise your voice consistently before you get a reaction Always telling child not to shout Difficulty understanding what child is saying? Does child miss out parts of words (Specify) Does child confuse sounds in their speech(specify) Is vocabulary more limited than you might expect Difficulty learning new words Lacks concentration during stories Do parents show concern about child’s hearing This has been really useful for finetuning our attention and focussing on what needs to be addressed on an IEP. If anyone has anything similar for different learning difficulties I would be very interested to see them. Please say if its ok for me to use them in my setting.... Lisa
AnonyMouse_1027 Posted April 13, 2004 Posted April 13, 2004 Hi Lisa That sounds like a very good idea. i had not thought of a check list. You could add things like not making eye contact or never being able to settle at an activity unless with a one to one with an adult.
Steve Posted April 13, 2004 Posted April 13, 2004 Hi Lisa - Sounds very interesting. I think it would be important to try to avoid any appearance of trying to arrive at a diagnosis though - although listing observed behavioural problems is fine. I wonder if there might be a temptation also to look very hard for a behavioural characteristic if you've seen it on a list, and check the box due to being too sensitive to it? Just a thought.
Guest Posted April 16, 2004 Posted April 16, 2004 Now you'll think me really incompetent! Someone sent me a private message on this topic and before I read it properly I think I must have deleted it! If the sender could send the message again I promise not to delete it this time! ABJECT APOLOGIES!
Guest Posted April 16, 2004 Posted April 16, 2004 I don`t know if this is of any interest.my daughter is dyslexic , when she started at school (which she loved ) she would actually feel physically sick when working in a group. the colour would drain from her face and she would ask for a drink of water. she was sent home several times, but would be fine again before we even made it in the front door! looking back this was one of many obvious signs.
Guest Posted April 16, 2004 Posted April 16, 2004 sorry what i forgot to add was your list is similar to signs of dyslexia. the first things i was asked was to have my daughters hearing then sight checked.
AnonyMouse_1999 Posted April 16, 2004 Posted April 16, 2004 Interesting topic. I agree Steve, that maybe there could be a trend to start ticking the list / looking for children to display things detailed on it and yet i think an idea of what to look out for is also a good idea!!! There again I think we are all fairly astute at picking up anythng odd/strange/unusual/out of character/repetitive etc etc but it can be a fine balancing act between recognising there is a problem and totally over reacting. I find that of late, there is a 'keeness' to label children and I really don't like it!! We had a lovely little girl just 21/2 settled really well but a little shy. It was suggested that her shyness was a "behavioural problem" and there was me thinking she was a delightful, perfectly able little girl who was finding her feet and doing so tentatively - I don't see that as a problem. Now she is one of the loudest, one of the most outspoken (still delightful of course) but no I didnt rush for Early Years Action and an IEP MMM just rambling now!!
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