All About Autism

[sharonkhoo]

Another thing, much as I really dislike a lot of "model compos" on the market, you could get him to read a few to get an idea of what he’s aiming for. If you find they are too flowery (my pet peeve), then get simpler ones first, or even write your own.

[tyeogh]

Writing compo is not just an aspie problem. Last year, my NT P3 daughter also struggled with it.


If your child is younger than P3, you should be given a picture on the topic. Try asking her to describe the picture with the who, what, when, why, where. Talk it out with her first.

Then write it for her to demonstrate how it is done. Add dialogues here and there.

I did it like 20-30 times with my daughter before she got the hang of it. Then she wrote on her own.

Yes, like slmkhoo suggested, I got her model compos and I didn’t like their flowery styles too so I used the pictures and asked my girl to practice on it with simple precise English. Short sentences, direct to the point, no mambo jumbo (is there anything slmkhoo don’t know?!)

She can’t write well because she does not read any book. She can talk about the picture so it is about getting her to talk it out first then write. Now that she is in P4, I am forcing her to read a book everyday. Starting with Archies, Betty and Veronica! LoL.

[tyeogh]

ps: You don’t have to physically write 20-30 compos with a pencil and eraser lah. That would be madness. I use Word to type out the compos in front of her while she described the picture. Then print and done!

[Couragemom]

Hi Gifts from Heaven,


You have PM.

[pinkamoon]

About the topic of dating, my husband and I try to catch a movie weekly and sometimes, we do eat supper once a while when all the kids are sleeping because I am one of the lucky few who stays with my mother-in-law.


My three kids do quarrel a lot and I even have neighbour staying one floor below me knocking on my door saying that we are too loud. Once this young man made this complaint at 8pm Sat night! I told him I have tried to put mats when they play with toys and if they sometimes run around in the house, it is normal because they are children, am I right? Then once I was inflating a balloon with a pump at 5pm, guess what? The Mrs was at my door peeping at what I was doing. OMG!

[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!

[Gifts from Heaven]

Couragemom:

Hi Gifts from Heaven,


You have PM.

Hi Couragemom,

Thanks for your PM.
I will keep that in view .

[pinkamoon]

Hi Gifts from heaven,

How about asking your son to draw simple stick men to link up the pictures? As you say, 3 pictures are unrelated and the pupils are required to link them together. By drawing pictures, your son may have some ideas of what is going on and then you can teach him to write simple sentences about the compo. Something visual may help too.

There is a game which I have bought for my nieces when they were younger. Maybe you want to buy it and play with your child to get him used to using random pictured to make up a story.
http://www.amazon.com/Gamewright-318-Ro ... B003EIK136

[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.