Hi all, i am new but hv been a hardworking reader in KSP for q sometimes. Like to say a BIG THANK YOU for getting me through each challenge with my 3dd and mil.


larkspur,
I like to share with on my experience with dd2, she was attending PAP childcare but managed by local big name pre school from N2 to early k1. In k1, dd couldn’t write, it was hell…yes, lots of screaming, shouting and even thot of throwing dd down the window.

Principal urged me to send dd for assessment, want me to take dd home by 3pm everyday, so i can practise writing with her and even suggest me to repeat dd in N2 instead of going on to K1. Both her english and chinese teachers were of no help, they cold storage her. I requested them to dot the letter or chinese word for dd to trace, slapped on my face “dot what dot, everyone already can write” send her to mindstretcher k1 preparation class… got kick out by the teacher… really “no road to go” and feeling soooo helpless… KSP saved me… THANK YOU!

Yes we went to kkh, doctor diagnosed her global delay…assigned dd for literacy and OT therapy. We attend 5 session of literacy therapy, it was great but have to wait for another 2-3 months for next round of therapy… q ineffective. Whereas OT, i rather go gymnastic.

Dd k2 this year and she can write, with challenges at every stage. And i suspect dd is having “visual-motor integration” is required for writing, copying, it is like using non-dominant hand to write, spacing and visual tracking…

These are what i do :

Stage One:
to make writing easy, use big square exercise books :

1 book for number 1 to 10
1 book for Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd
1 book for chinese basic strokes
(occassionally i stop chinese, as it is too much to cope)

You need to pre-write all the letter and let your boy trace, keep tracing, make it daily work with manageable quantity.

After sometime, you can test him if he can write those without tracing.

Stage two :
use big single line exercise book:

start with small word ie, big, good
to make peaceful for everyone, let him trace – if ok – freehand

Once ok, move to longer word ie chocolate – same let him trace 1st then freehand

Stage three:
use 3 lines writing exercise book, this is very tough for my dd, ever thot to give up but seeing her letter floating everywhere, we challenge on, now she writing are less floating and much neater.

Start with short sentence– ie, I am happy.
note draw vertical line inbetween the words, my dd couldn’t give spacing after each words – I | am | happy. Then move to longer sentence.

For chinese, totally can’t write in k1, until early k2, she can visual and write , slow and not so pretty, enuf for me. She attends enrichment with tien hsia, teacher is very caring and helpful, she survives ting xie…

OH Yes, last week, we sent dd to kkh for p1 readiness test/IQ test, oh… if i can turn back the clock i will not waste my time and $$.

There is no warm up and q robotic.
Basically, they test dd on spelling ie, chair, up, big and etc, number recogition 1-10, counting 1-20, words recognition – was, he, she, the and etc, some visual game, and question asking such as :

what is hero
what is castle
what is glow
what does shoe made of
what is opposite of south
what is a tree
what is a leave
what do you use to chew
what do you need to bake a cake
what are the colors in the rainbow
what is that room for cooking
where does milk come from
and …

anyway, the conclusion given is dd doesn’t need to go special school and will struggle in mainstream…

No one can tell me what is wrong with dd…but i feel strongly the main responsibilty is on my shoulders… now she is with Wonderful kindi with great principal and teachers, they are my great pillar… fear already kicking in - come next year - p1…