My 9 year old son has hypotonia (low muscle tone) and Sensory Integration Disorder. His IQ is 126, and he receives support and accomodations in the regular classroom. Supports include P.T., O.T., Speech, and S.I. therapy. He goes to Learning Support for the first 1/2 hour or so to catch up on written work.
Because of his low muscle tone, his writing is very slow as is his mental processing. Anything and everything is distracting to him when he is given a written assignment. (ADHD doesn’t fit). Keyboarding is faster for him, but not fast enough at this point. At home, I allow my son to dictate to me to complete his assignments that are lengthy, and this works out very well. He typically understands whatever material is presented to him the first time around in the classroom, so learning is not the issue. If an aide were available all of the time at school, I’d request that he be allowed to dictate as needed. Speech recognition devices may be the way to go in the future, but for now, they seem too complicated and tedious to implement.
The school has been very cooperative, but admittedly has not encountered a child with my son’s motor problems or other various learning issues before. My son is very bright and has a very optimistic attitude. I worry that he’s going to become frustrated with learning as well as with himself. We are due to meet again soon to revise his IEP. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s dealt with dysgraphia and/or any of the other learning differences my son has.
You might want to check out Balametrics for your son. I lent my board and bean bags to the mother of a 13yo boy at school, and it seems to me to be helping him with processing speed — which typically is extremely slow. We also figured it would help with his balance and coordination, hopefully so he can learn to ride a bicycle this year. He has been doing only 10 minutes a day, so it’s not necessarily a big investment of time. Website is http://www.balametrics.com
I would think that Interactive Metronome would also be of benefit. Website is http://www.interactivemetronome.com
Audiblox (http://www.audiblox2000.com) or PACE (http://www.learninginfo.com) would probably help automate some of his processing, increasing speed and efficiency.
None of these would typically be offered by a school, so would be out of your own pocket.
Mary