A Newsletter on Parenting Special, Talented, Abled and Resilient Children

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Parenting

Dear Parents,

An insurance plan specially catered for children and young adults with Autism has

been launched by NTUC Income.

News articles on this insurance plan have been attached to the back of this newsletter

for your convenience.

You can also find more information and download application forms online at:

(English) www.income.com.sg/insurance/SpecialCareAutism/index.asp

(Chinese) www.income.com.sg/forms/brochure/SpecialCare_Chinese.pdf

Miss Adeline Loh

Allied Educator

(Learning & Behavioural Support)

East Spring Primary School

News - Insurance plan for children with Autism

In this issue: • News: Insurance

Plan for Children

with Autism

• Dyslexia: Spelling At

Home

• ADHD: Managing

Procrastination

• ASD: Planning A

Holiday

Nobody can go

back and start a

new beginning, but

anyone can start

today and make a

new ending.

Maria Robinson

Word families and patterns

Good spellers are often able to spot familiar spelling

patterns and understand word structure. It will be

easier for your child to learn spelling when words with

a common pattern or structure are taught in a group.

This is better than learning “rules” in isolation,

especially for rules with many exceptions.

Also, avoid teaching homophones such as “their” and

“there” in the same session. It can be very confusing

for a child with Dyslexia, and he will not be able to

memorise the difference. It is better if the words were

taught differently with words sharing a similar pattern

such as “there”, “here” and “where”.

Most of all, ensure that your child learns the meaning

of the word, along with the spelling. This will aid in his

memory. For example, when introducing your child to

the word "there", you may say "the ball is there (point

to a physical ball)". Once the meaning and context is

clear to your child, you may continue with teaching of

the spelling.

Tips for the reluctant writer

The best way to help your child become a better writer

is to separate the mechanics of writing (spelling,

punctuation, grammar, handwriting) from the creative

aspects. Many children with Dyslexia already possess a

valuable asset that good writers need: vivid

imagination. Help your child realize that writing comes

in 2 stages; the first is getting ideas on paper;

correcting and editing work is the second step.

Adapted from Abigail Marshall

Dyslexia: Spelling at home

Helping with spelling:

Difficulty with spelling is the most persistent difficulty

that accompanies Dyslexia. Even after your child

becomes a capable reader, his writing is still likely to

be riddled with spelling errors. This is partly due to

the extreme variability of English spelling. Many rules

taught come with exceptions and there are many

words not spelled the way they sound.

Building visual memory for spelling

Avoid techniques that expose your child to

incorrectly spelled versions of the word. Children with

Dyslexia often have a strong visual memory, which

means they will remember the erroneous spellings as

easily as correct ones, with no way of knowing which

of the two words is correct. It is counterproductive

for learning the correct spelling.

Better parenting practice

When practicing spelling with your child at home,

observe to see if he does better when spelling orally

or writing. If your child does better with oral spelling,

encourage him to say the letters out loud as he

practices writing the words. Another technique that

can work, especially for those with strong visual skills,

is to learn how to spell backwards as well as forward.

Get your child to visualize the word in his mind. The

mental picture must be clear. He can then spell

backwards by “seeing” the letters in order and calling

them off from right to left.

Term 4, 2013 ● Issue 2 ● East Spring Primary School ● Singapore

Using a timer

Consider using a timer to help your child feel like he is racing against the clock. Some children with ADHD may focus better when they feel a

sense of urgency. They may also find it exciting to race against the clock, as though he was playing a game. A visual timer which clearly shows

elapsed time by colour coding would be ideal. You can find such a timer for free at: www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-clock/full-screen/ .

When the yellow runs out, time is up.

Getting help

Provide your child with an accountability buddy, which could be a family member as well. Your child may call the buddy at the beginning of a

task to let her know he is now beginning the task. He will then call the buddy back after an hour and let her know how much progress has been

made.

Pairing pleasant activities with unpleasant ones

An example of how this works: Your child can listen to his favorite music while he files his worksheet and packs his bag.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), procrastination

tends to be a problem. There are two main reasons for it:

1. It is difficult for your child with ADHD to get stimulated unless the activity is

interesting. Boredom fuels procrastination. Your child may seek to delay

completing the undesired task.

2. Executive areas of the brain responsible for processing and organizing

information develop slower in individuals with ADHD. This makes it tougher for

your child to separate tasks into smaller steps. Starting projects, therefore,

becomes overwhelming.

But behavioral strategies can help. Below are some tips from ADHD experts on

how individuals with ADHD can push through procrastination and get things

done.

Setting up mini goals

Create mini goals to help your child complete the task without feeling

overwhelmed. For instance, to complete a project due in one month, your child

can schedule a block of time every week to work on it.

Using technology

Consider the use of apps such as “Trello” and “ToodleDo”, which can be used on your

smartphones or desktop computer. These apps can help your child manage tasks and

projects, set alarms, set priority statuses – low, medium or high, pick deadlines and put

tasks in specific categories. “Trello” in particular has received many positive reviews and

is highly customizable for both you and your child.

Working a short time

Ease your child into tasks by initially committing to 15 minutes. More often than not,

your child is likely to continue once he gets the momentum started. An alternative

strategy is the 40-second rule. If you can get your child to spend 40 seconds trying to

start the task, that is usually enough to get past the initial obstacle.

ADHD: Managing Procrastination

travel agency what times meals are served). Design the timetable

according to your child's needs: You may be detailed, describing the

daily activities. Alternatively, your child may be happy with 'explore

the resort' on the first day, 'go to beach' for the second day and so on.

Sticking to some sort of routine each day should benefit everyone.

3. If your child has not travelled on a plane before, you may like to

visit the airport before you go on holiday. Alternatively, you may

create a visual support for your child such as this:

http://www.dublinairport.com/Libraries/Mobility_Management_-

_Travel_Plan/T1_Autism_Guide_1.sflb.ashx

Check-in

The back row often has space behind the seats where your child can

ASD: Planning a holiday

Planning a holiday is exciting

and sometimes stressful. If you

have a child with an autism

spectrum disorder (ASD) a trip

away may involve extra

organising and preparation.

This guide will help you to

prepare.

Preparation

Once you have decided on

your destination, it is

advisable to tell your child

about the trip. Individuals with

an ASD can find change

difficult, which may lead to

anxiety and challenging

behaviour. However, by

preparing your child as much

as possible, any fears will

hopefully be kept to a

minimum.

1. You could compile a

booklet about the holiday,

including pictures from the

holiday brochure. These visual

supports will help your child

to understand where they are

going and what it will be like

when they are there. However,

be careful if your child's

understanding is very literal,

as they may be upset if the

holiday is not the same as the

pictures in their booklet.

2. You could create a

timetable of what you will be

doing on each day. You could

start with the times that you

will have breakfast, lunch and

dinner (find out from your

Term 4, 2013 ● Issue 2 ● East Spring Primary School ● Singapore

walk about. However, remember that the toilets

are often in this area too, which means there

may be a high level of activity which could be

distressing for some people with an ASD.

Special requirements

1. Remember to give the airline advance notice

if your child has any special dietary

requirements, particularly if they are following

the gluten or casein-free diet. To be on the safe

side, it may be a good idea to take your own

meal for the flight and provide any evidence

(e.g. a doctor's letter) about why you need to

take food on board (if required by the airline).

2. Remember to take medication that your child

will require for the length of your stay.

Delays

Even a well-planned holiday may be affected by

unexpected delays. Your child may find it

difficult to deal with these unplanned aspects of

the trip. While waiting, it may help having a

favourite toy or activity to entertain your child.

As part of your preparation, you could write a

social story to explain that delays can occur.

Flying time

1. To help cope with aircraft noise, particularly

during take-off and landing, some individuals

with ASD like to listen to music, such as a familiar

piece of calming music. Earplugs can also be

used.

2. Bring along items which can keep your child

occupied and happy while travelling, such as

favourite toys or objects they like to fiddle with.

You could bring your child's pillow for comfort

during the flight. Any items which are used as

comforters at home or for relaxing your child can

be brought on the trip.

Behaviour

1. At the start of the holiday you may like to

establish clear, simple holiday rules. These should

tell your child about your expectations and

should be positive. Write these down if your child

is able to read. Use clear language as a reminder:

'We don't do that on holiday. Do________ instead'

Once you have decided on these rules, stick with

them and be consistent. This will establish

boundaries for the holiday.

2. Look out for behavioural changes. A regular

behaviour may disappear only to be replaced by

a new one. This may be due to change of

environment and routine. For example, they may

communicate being tired, bored or stressed in a

different way.