pinkamoon:

....

As a mother, I did not feel that OT is very useful for my child. That being said, it does not mean OT sessions are not useful for all children. Every child is different. The basic principle of OT, I feel, is play. Playing should be fun, engaging and child centred. Very often, OT sessions became instructional. How can we expect our children to enjoy playing when what was expected of them was unenjoyable. We should go into their world instead, enjoy what they enjoy and laugh over what makes them happy. When I told my therapist what I intended to do, he was unconvinced. When I shared my dietary intervention with him, he too was not very supportive and cited examples of dietary interventions not working on other children.

Hi Pinkamoon, need to clarify something here. The basic principle of OT is NOT about play. (the play part is a bonus in OT) The basic principle of Occupational Therapy is meant to develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills of people with a physical, mental or developmental condition.

Occupational therapists make use of \"play\" to teach the child functional skills. The OT room is designed like a gym area where there are climb ropes, swings, sand play/water play... etc. But the purpose is to teach the child skills to help them to function better in daily living. It's not supposed to be \"fun\" as in playground \"fun\".

A good OT will see what is lacking in the child and will develop an OT activity whose goal is to correct or improve on a certain function or occupation. For example, an activity like climbing ropes helps the child with self-confidence, hand-eye coordination, vestibular balance , proprioception, etc. Another OT activity may help the child with organisational skills and planning in a step-by-step activity.

Some may argue that parents can also do the same with our kids. I agree. But we are not trained therapists, unless the parent reads widely and asks around to gather informed knowledge in order to help the child.

If you want play \"fun\", then gym classes or playgrounds will fit the bill.

Remember to buffer time for your EP/OT to prepare the letter. On average, they need about 4-6 weeks (or that's what i was told during my girl's time). Didn't think they would need such a long time to write a letter but


Tell myself that my case is not the only one they are handling. Apart from the day-to-day therapy they have with their existing cases, they still have to diagnose, review and write reports for new cases too.

Good time to start the letter prep would be in Oct (or after SA2 results).

janet_lee88:

Tabgha, can you please advise how long roughly it takes for MOE to grant extra time?
Thanks.

I think about 2-3 months before MOE reverts with the approval. We submitted the special arrangements request letter in Jan to sch, who will in turn \"support\" our application and submit to MOE in Feb. Think this is done during the period where schools register their students for national exams. If not mistaken, think we got the approval some time mid/end April (just before SA1).

I've also heard of urgent cases where MOE approves within a month. OT told me of a case where the parents made a last minute request in early Sept and MOE had to revert by end Sept as PSLE was 1st week Oct. Too stressful and last minute!!

slmkhoo:

janet_lee88:

Does the extra time apply to all subjects or just one? Because when applying for MT exemption, the therapist recommended extra time...so I thought it will apply to all subjects taken during PSLE.

I just asked that question, and my daughter's teachers said that I can ask for extra time for just 1 subject or for all. The A level certificate will indicate against that subject that some accommodation was made (not sure exactly how it is worded). I presume that will be the same for PSLE and O level too.

If not mistaken, it's \"the candidate has sat for the O level exam under special arrangements (or was it conditions). Details may be obtained from MOE\". Something to that effect.

janet_lee88:

tabgha:

[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]my worry is whether the 'extra' time will be to her advantage because she would have to sit down longer and for math, it will be more tiring. i'll seek her FT's opinion.

Not necessarily so. The extra time may help her to process the info and time to check on her work. PSLE maths feels like sitting for English compre paper instead of a maths paper. :razz:

My daughter has problems processing information. The extra time was particularly useful under exam condition.

That's why, in my girl's case, the diploma route is more suitable for her. Students get to do a mix of exams, class participation and projects. The study pace is more spread out.

Agree...sitting for a math exam now feels like English comprehension :stupid:
A problem sum is like a mini comprehension passage...honestly I get switched off too but can't say that to my daughter.
Does the extra time apply to all subjects or just one? Because when applying for MT exemption, the therapist recommended extra time...so I thought it will apply to all subjects taken during PSLE.[/quote]You can request for all subjects or selected subject(s). That's why it's important to think through what needs to be done.

As a suggestion, for those whose kids are not sitting for any major exam next 2 years, take this time to monitor your child. Some kids will benefit from the extra time (even that extra 5-10 mins help a lot) and for some kids, the extra time is not beneficial nor necessary.

In any case, once you request for extra time and that's approved by SEAB, the school will make arrangements for the child to sit for exams and common tests with the extra time provision. The child gets a sense of what to expect before the major national exams.

bb_ mom:

In my case, extra time may not be useful cos my hyper DS just wants to quick quick finish. But maybe the invigilator can tap on shoulder to bring him back to paper? That would be good...

Haha... maybe indicate in the letter, \"to tap student on shoulder when he starts to fidget and daydream.\" So, because it's in the special request letter, invigilator has no choice but to follow instructions.

janet_lee88:

my worry is whether the 'extra' time will be to her advantage because she would have to sit down longer and for math, it will be more tiring. i'll seek her FT's opinion.

Not necessarily so. The extra time may help her to process the info and time to check on her work. PSLE maths feels like sitting for English compre paper instead of a maths paper. :razz:

My daughter has problems processing information. The extra time was particularly useful under exam condition.

That's why, in my girl's case, the diploma route is more suitable for her. Students get to do a mix of exams, class participation and projects. The study pace is more spread out.

Having said that, my daughter has 2 friends, one in JC and one in IB prog and both doing well. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

slmkhoo:

Is she preparing of A levels now? I see that most A level exams are about 3 hrs long already, so I'm not sure how much use extra time would be.

No, she's not taking A levels. She's going the diploma route where we feel that the curriculum and mode of teaching is more suitable for her interest and learning style.

If it's a 3 hr long paper, maybe, not necessary to request for extra time. Poor child will be sitting for a 4 hour paper in that case. :yikes:

slmkhoo:

tabgha:

During my daughter's time at PSLE, the invigilators were very nice and kind. At one point during the exam paper, my daughter requested permission to stretch herself. The invigilator even stretched with her. That broke the ice and they both laughed. My girl felt very much at ease after that. Will never forget that act of kindness. :love:

That's so kind! Did your daughter find that she was too tired to really make the most of the extra time? Is she preparing of A levels now? I see that most A level exams are about 3 hrs long already, so I'm not sure how much use extra time would be.

Think will definitely feel mentally tired and drained, be it at 12 or 16yo. That's where certain simple \"strategies\" help. For example, simple stretching, taking sips of water, close eyes for 1-2 mins (hopefully won't fall asleep here :nailbite: ) or quick toilet break. We usually get her to take a mini break 1/2 way through the exam. They are very simple tasks but my kid found them very effective to survive mental fatigue.

Having said that, a lot also depends on the temperament of the child. Every kid is different. I'm not sure if a ADHD child might get too distracted and carried away with the mini breaks. Just sharing what I did what my child and those activities have helped her.

During my daughter's time at PSLE, the invigilators were very nice and kind. At one point during the exam paper, my daughter requested permission to stretch herself. The invigilator even stretched with her. That broke the ice and they both laughed. My girl felt very much at ease after that. Will never forget that act of kindness. :love: