Aims of the Evening Some common barriers to learning

Process of identifying children with barriers

Support for children to improve attention and concentration

Support for pupils with handwriting difficulties

Support for pupils with barriers to reading and spelling

Common Barriers to Learning OT needs

Speech and language needs

Specific learning difficulties Dyslexia

Dyspraxia

Dyscalculia

ADD

ADHD

These needs are usually on a continuum, not a has/has not

Many of these needs devel0p and become more apparent as a child gets older

Process of Identifying and Helping Children with Barriers to Learning Concern

Parent

Teacher

Discussion between parent and teachers

Access advice clinic

Implement advice

Full referral to outside service

Report from outside agency

Support plans and provision map

Supporting children to improve attention and concentration

Children who are “fidgety” or appear on high alert Rule out if it is a need to fidget or a distraction

Either support children to fidget in an appropriate way School and home approaches

Tangles (not a toy)

Air cushion/ Disco seats

Wobble boards and bands

Chewy pencil topper

Provide fidgeting opportunities at other times

Provide calming strategies to prepare for learning

Include movement breaks (carrying heavy objects)

Supporting children to improve attention and concentration

Children who have low attention or appear to be on low alert

School and home approaches

Help child to be prepared for learning

Posture preparation

Organising activities sheet

Supporting children with handwriting skills

School and home approaches

Shared style across schools

Ensure seating is appropriate (feet on floor, sat up, comfortable pencil grip)

Happy hands and building muscles

Early letter formation

Left-handed children

Supporting children with handwriting skills

School and home approaches

Handwriting lessons/intervention

Soil, grass, sky paper

Squared paper

Alphabet strips

Multisensory activities (shaving foam, chalk, painting apps)

Writing for purpose

Use of ICT

Pen licence

Identifying children with barriers to reading and spelling - infants

Key indicators – infant children Has difficulties learning nursery rhymes Likes listening to stories by shows no interest in letters or

words Has difficulty learning to sing or recite the alphabet Has a history of slow speech development Gets words muddles – cubumber, flutterby Has difficulty keeping simple rhythm Finds it hard to carry out 2 or more instructions at one time

but is fine if presented in smaller units Forgets names of friends, teacher, colours Poor auditory discrimination

Might see letters ok but not be able to sound out words – not connect the letters to the sounds they make

Might not recognise words they have seen before, no matter how many times they have seen them – each time they have to start afresh

Identifying children with barriers to reading and spelling - Juniors Child struggling with spelling and/or writing and/or

reading

A child who does not progress as quickly as the classmates or makes no progress at all

Speed of processing spoken and/or written language is slow

Poor concentration

Has difficulty following instructions

Forgetful of words

Identifying children with barriers to reading See some letters as backwards or upside down

See text appearing to jump around on the page

Might not be able to tell the difference between letters that look similar in shape e.g. c, o, e

Might not be able to tell the difference between letters that have similar shape but different orientation e.g. b,p,q,d

The letters may look all jumbled up and out of order.

The letters and words may look all bunched together

The letters of some words might appear completely backwards e.g. bird looks like drib

Identifying children with barriers to spelling Produces messy work with many crossing outs and

words tried several times e.g. wippe, wype, wiep, wipe

Spells a word several different ways in one piece of writing

Makes anagrams of words e.g. tried for tried

Produces phonetic and bizarre spelling (not age/ability appropriate)

Uses unusual sequencing of letters or words

Supporting children with barriers to reading

Interventions

Phonics approach

Multisensory

Precision monitoring

Read Write Inc

Supporting children with barriers to spelling

Interventions

Precision monitoring of tricky words

SOS spelling programme

Diaphon (phonics-based approach for blends and patterns)

Word wasp

Spotting own spelling errors

Does a diagnosis of dyslexia help?

A Shared Approach Handwriting approaches

Support plans

Transition meetings

Vulnerable pupil transition group

Additional tours