w/c 2nd & 10th November 2014

This week M had difficulty with his Briteschool maths assignment on fractions, which for M is very unusual and so this took up more of our time than anticipated. M is behind in maths, not because he lacks aptitude for the subject but because his previous school career was so disjointed and he spent several years unsupported and unable to access the curriculum.

We also went for our first appointment at the new GP to get the persistent verrucca on his foot looked at. I was so pleased that he allowed his foot to be examined and asked sensible questions about the wait and procedure to have it removed. The OT's advice at our last appointment was superb and really made the difference as prior to her prescribed desensitisation programme M would not have consented to the examination. This represents a major success in coping with his sensory issues for M!

Wednesday was Bonfire night and M's recent forays into reading the newspaper have made him curious as to how the government actually works. To begin we used the excellent free resources and lesson plans available here on the topical gunpowder plot:-

 http://www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/gunpowder-plot-part-1/



M finds the bangs of fireworks problematic, so this helped to keep him distracted. (He does enjoy the visual displays so we watched the fireworks over the Swansea valleys from the upstairs windows of our home armed with ear defenders & his sympathetic whippet). He did manage to attend some of the neighbours celebrations 



http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/Careers_resources/Engineering_activities/ A useful free link we uncovered.

We've discovered the funding for the Children's University does not cover passports for Welsh home ed children and so are cheering on those who are off to a meeting with the National Head Office. Hopefully they'll come away with a result that will mean home educated children will be able to record credits on this scheme, in the way that Welsh school children can.

M is now halfway through the 12 audio book series entitled "Flat Stanleys adventures around the world". This puts him on target to join the postal scheme with his own Flat Stanley after Xmas which is great, as I think he'll derive a great deal out of it.

Our weekend was disrupted by the D&V bug that has been doing the rounds. This meant that most of the week commencing 10th November once M started to feel better was spent playing catch up with Briteschool homework. He will probably need to listen to a couple of the lesson recordings before he can tackle the homeworks set due to feeling under the weather. One of the huge advantage of online school is you can still participate from bed if need be!

w/c 27th October 2014 Highlights

This was the week I felt like social activities for M in our new home and locale are finally falling into place. Our regular activities are now as follows:-

Monday Evening -  Social club at Families for the Disabled. (Council activity for SN kids with any diagnosis).
Wednesday Evening - Puppy Training class
Friday Evening - Youth Club at the Trehafod Gospel Hall
Sundays - Sunday School at the Trehafod Gospel Hall.

Monthly - Porthcawl Home Ed Group (date will vary as some activities are more suitable than others).

In addition we have learning related Home Education Trips planned with other home educators at various points during the year. I'm particularly looking forward to the Tudor House trip to Tenby. Unfortunately M's current diagnosis means that he is ineligible for Trehafod organised autism outreach activities and I have to admit this has confirmed to me that a mainstream school in Swansea would have been wholly unsuitable for his needs. Previous bitter experience has taught us both that behavioral support must be given through an autism lens or it is always doomed to failure. It is a shame we are cut off from that form of support but not a surprise, given our experiences to date. Thank goodness our informal network is proving to be a great form of support for both of us.

I now feel that M has several regular outlets for socialization that can meet his need to make friends and that will help him settle into our new community; both with schooled children and those who may live a little further afield but share the home education experience. The routine social meets meet his need for regularity and structure but are not so onerous that we can't find time for impromptu playdates and outings.

Academically I am still chuckling at M's reading attempts. He is quietly reading an article from the newspaper daily alone with his mid-morning snack. He is gaining confidence about asking questions about what he has read. He now asks the neighbours as well as myself so is gaining ground. He is however still liable to shut down when asked to read out loud directly. I feel like we are at a delicate stage now, where gentle encouragement and provision of regular access to titles on the High Interest/low ability book list provided by Swansea LA is important.

I do worry that he will be put off once more if any outsiders question him too deeply, as he is still very anxious about reading. It is lovely to see his fledgling research skills emerge ably encouraged by his Briteschool teachers and he is gaining confidence in looking up text articles for himself on various topics. Our Monday morning global breakfast encourages this activity as he is keen to find out more about the nation whose cuisine he has just sampled each week.

The new exercises that the OT recommended at our last appointment are becoming entrenched into our routine and I am seeing M reaping the benefits, and improving his own ability to recognise when he is becoming over stimulated & take appropriate mitigating action. This is incredibly useful as his sensory issues do seem to flaring up at present.

On a practical level M is still adjusting to his mattress being moved to the floor. He was breaking his bed slats on a regular basis. The adjustment means that he is having trouble sleeping and being awake from midnight till 4 am is affecting him a little during day time hours. This is something we are just going to have to work through as he needs to be safe at night. Last week's inadvertent school reminder has also had an impact and is still troubling him at night a little.