All About Autism

[sharonkhoo]

Gifts from Heaven:

Hi slmkhoo and tyeogh,

Thanks for your pointers. I will try them out on him and see what happens. Problem with this boy is he is v stubborn. He just won't lift his pencil to write unless I'm next to him, reciting my version of the story. Ask him for any input, he'll just say 'I don't know' and kick up a fuss. As he is in the afternoon session and time is v short for him to do his homework at night, we really need to be v focus, else we would not be able to finish and would have to work past midnight.
tyeogh, I really salute you....writing 20-30 compos with your NT gal, even though it is just typing out! Think I haven't done enough...abt 5 compos only and I felt that my brain juices were all sucked dry. Sometimes. the teacher make them write another version on the same topic again the next day, and I really felt like 'Uuggghhhh! I want to raise the white flag!' The thing abt the topics given is there are no pictures. Think they are being trained the new exam format where they will be given 3 unrelated pictures and they will have to weave their story around the pictures....not like the old format where the kids can tell a story by looking at the 4 related pictures.

If anyone has any more pointers, plse share with me.

Thanks a lot!

Your son is in P1? Plenty of time before P6 and PSLE, so don't think so far ahead. If it's really too difficult for your son, can you talk to the teacher to simplify the task for him? He may need a slower start and build up from there. And if he can't cope with doing it in the evenings, can you ask the teacher to let him just do 1 or 2 over the weekend when time is not so tight?

tyeogh - I'm flattered that you think I know everything! Actually, although we lived overseas until 2013, my kids were in Singapore school for short periods now and then, and my younger (NT) girl took the PSLE in 2011. So I had to give her crash course in doing PSLE stuff, including compos. I wrote a few for her too. I guess if my aspie daughter had had to take the PSLE, we would just have had to moderate our expectations, and moderate the teachers' expectations too.

[phtthp]

Hi Gifts from heaven,


There is one Conposition book sold in Popular, that illustrate how to link 3 un-related pictures, then form a link out of it, to link them up in order to write a Compo.

Publisher : EPH
Color : orange
Level : P4 composition

Although Labelled P4, however its content is only 1 page Compo, so P1 and P2 also can read easily.

may ask your son to read, daily.
input : you need to guide him, how to link up these 3 pic together, to form a Theme out of it. This is the new Psle format requirement for English Compo writing, starting from this year : Psle 2015 batch.
so your son’s school has started training the children, this.
Other primary schools also started this new format.

Beginning may not be easy. But pesevere on. After a while, your son will gradually get the hang of it.

In Popular bookstore, so far this is the only Compo book that illustrate how to link up 3 pic together. The rest are : 4 pic format (old Psle format)

On top of these, he still need to read simple Compo (4 picture type).
Publisher EPH have a lot, for this.

Besides reading,need to build up his Grammar too.
marking Composition involve 2 components -
Content, plus language usage.
If class exercise Compo paper is 10 marks : then, each portion carry 5 marks.
If test Compo paper is 20 marks : then, each portion carries 10 marks.

Content / the flow of logic, presentation : can gather, from reading through more storybooks.
But Grammar : need to learn simple past tense, because most Compo are written in past tense. This part : you may guide him, at home.

Is your son P1 or P2 ?
you may approach his Compo Tr :
ask for Compo class exercises : can she let you know the Topic beforehand, first ?
Once you get the topic, you may ask your boy to try writing one first, at home, to familiarize him, beforehand.
Then when he go to the class to write out the actual Compo, since this is the 2nd time he is writing, he more or less may be already familiar.
If is just normal class Compo exercises : English Tr can let parents know beforehand first, ESP. if there is a genuine need.
Because normal class Compo exercises do not constitute any weightage to the final year end Total marks, for English.

But, if is a class Test Compo : then No !
of course Tr cannot possibly reveal the Topic for Test Compo, to any parent.

[Blokus]

Gifts from Heaven:

This is a bad week for me. :sad:

School started to introduce composition writing and my aspie DS had to write compos every day as homework. He came home every night and looked at me to help him do his compo homework cos he had practically no idea what to write for the given topic. Coupled with his unwillingness to write and his inclination for perfection, he had meltdowns every night.

Anyone knows how I can help him write on his own, rather than I write for him? How can I teach him how to come up with ideas and creative phrases for his compo? How can I make him more willing to write his own compos and not fearful that his writing is not good enough? Anyone has walked this path? Can give me some pointers?
:imdrowning:

TIA

I think you've got a lot of things going against you at the moment. The best way is to tackle one area at a time instead of tackling all at once.

1) try to interest him to contribute to the story line but you write down for him. Simply focus on him brain storming ideas. Start at his comfort level and very simple things like 'what shall we name our character?' And then praise him like nobody's business. And then slowly increase more questions like 'what is the character doing?'. You may even need to just focus one question at a time/day/week & slowly increase it over a span of period.

2) once he's interested in coming up the story, then slowly get him to write down his ideas. Slowly start with one sentence, paragraph depending on what his comfort level is.

Yes it's going to be a long drawn process. But since you have some time before psle, best is to build the foundation rather than focus on the short term objective ie finish homework. Your ultimate goal is the PSLE.

I agree with Sim Khoo, talk to the teacher and ask for lighter workload for him. You may even try to ask the teacher to let him do the same topic for a week so you can focus with him on the above areas. I don't know just a suggestion. But wah Lao, everyday do 1 compo for p1/2 NT kid is already no joke leh. So siong!!!

[sharonkhoo]

Blokus:

Gifts from Heaven:

This is a bad week for me. :sad:

School started to introduce composition writing and my aspie DS had to write compos every day as homework. He came home every night and looked at me to help him do his compo homework cos he had practically no idea what to write for the given topic. Coupled with his unwillingness to write and his inclination for perfection, he had meltdowns every night.

Anyone knows how I can help him write on his own, rather than I write for him? How can I teach him how to come up with ideas and creative phrases for his compo? How can I make him more willing to write his own compos and not fearful that his writing is not good enough? Anyone has walked this path? Can give me some pointers?
:imdrowning:

TIA

I think you've got a lot of things going against you at the moment. The best way is to tackle one area at a time instead of tackling all at once.

1) try to interest him to contribute to the story line but you write down for him. Simply focus on him brain storming ideas. Start at his comfort level and very simple things like 'what shall we name our character?' And then praise him like nobody's business. And then slowly increase more questions like 'what is the character doing?'. You may even need to just focus one question at a time/day/week & slowly increase it over a span of period.

2) once he's interested in coming up the story, then slowly get him to write down his ideas. Slowly start with one sentence, paragraph depending on what his comfort level is.

Yes it's going to take a long drawn process. But since you have some time before psle, best is to build the foundation rather than focus on the short term objective ie finish homework. Your ultimate goal is the PSLE.

I agree with Sim Khoo, talk to the teacher and ask for lighter workload for him. You may even try to ask the teacher to let him do the same topic for a week so you want focus with him on the above areas. I don't know just a suggestion. But wah Lao, everyday do 1 compo for p1/2 NT kid is already no joke leh. So siong!!!

Really agree with Blokus, especially the red part.

[starlight1968sg]

Sorry as am not following this thread closely.

I am puzzled by the effectiveness on "writing a compo daily" on the students.

[sharonkhoo]

starlight1968sg:

Sorry as am not following this thread closely.

I am puzzled by the effectiveness on \"writing a compo daily\" on the students.

For kids who can cope, it's a way of giving them lots of practice, like giving them 10 Maths questions a day, writing 10 Chinese words a day etc. P1/2 compos are quite short (80 words?), and some kids can churn them out very quickly. Some teachers (and parents) like the idea of a lot of repetition (look what P5/6 kids are asked to do!). However, I'm not sure of the effectiveness of this method even for NT kids - those who can do it easily probably don't need the practice, and those who struggle need to be taken through it more slowly.

[starlight1968sg]

Thanks slmkhoo for sharing.

Would the daily compo produced be marked or at least reviewed by the teacher?

[sharonkhoo]

starlight1968sg:

Thanks slmkhoo for sharing.

Would the daily compo produced be marked or at least reviewed by the teacher?

No idea. Maybe GfH can answer this. Must be a heavy load for the teacher, though.

[Blue Pearl]

Tks for the information. Valuable.

[tyeogh]

slmkhoo:

Blokus:

1) try to interest him to contribute to the story line but you write down for him. Simply focus on him brain storming ideas. Start at his comfort level and very simple things like 'what shall we name our character?' And then praise him like nobody's business. And then slowly increase more questions like 'what is the character doing?'. You may even need to just focus one question at a time/day/week & slowly increase it over a span of period.

2) once he's interested in coming up the story, then slowly get him to write down his ideas. Slowly start with one sentence, paragraph depending on what his comfort level is.

Yes it's going to take a long drawn process. But since you have some time before psle, best is to build the foundation rather than focus on the short term objective ie finish homework. Your ultimate goal is the PSLE.

I agree with Sim Khoo, talk to the teacher and ask for lighter workload for him. You may even try to ask the teacher to let him do the same topic for a week so you want focus with him on the above areas. I don't know just a suggestion. But wah Lao, everyday do 1 compo for p1/2 NT kid is already no joke leh. So siong!!!

Really agree with Blokus, especially the red part.

I agree with slmkhoo who agreed with Blokus. I view it more important to get the child interested than the actual compo writing, which is why I am starting my daughter on comics if thats the only thing she will ever read. This is why I also wrote 20-30 compos for and with her so that she does not see it as being difficult. Let her learn from imitation. If your son implodes, drop the compo and try another day.

Do you remember the teacher who flung your classmate's Maths exercise book out of the 3rd floor? That child will never like Maths ever again.