Ian is now 11 years old and has the confidence to walk up to anyone greet them politely , have a chit-chat, make a joke, then excuse himself and disappear. He is Mr Confidence himself. People comment that Ian is friendly and well mannered. They are right, but they do not know how much Ian has struggled to get to where he is now.
Previously if you asked Ian if he had homework he would just say “No I finished it in class” or “that’s so easy”, when really he had forgotten to write it down. Often, I would arrive at parties or functions to hear other parents talking about projects or speeches that their kids had spent so much time on. I have never heard of many of these assignments.
Ian’s handwriting has always been untidy and it was difficult to make out what he was trying to express in his written work. Sentences were badly constructed and letters such as a, e, t, l, w, u, v, m and n all looked the same. Grammar didn’t really exist which made his writing even harder to understand. Difficulties in reading included making up his own words and transposing b, d, p, q and so on.
Maths was really bad. Concepts that should have come automatically to Ian just were not there and he battled with the basics. It took him five times longer to work anything out.
Everyday was filled with frustration and bad tempers, especially when it came to his sister. He once told me that he wanted to pick up his desk in the class and throw it down in frustration. Getting out of bed and being on time for school was just impossible.
It was only when he was 10 that someone told me about DORE. Good news followed, they opened a centre in Rivonia, Johannesburg . With no medication it sounded like the thing for us. DORE is not a quick fix; it takes time and patience from children and parents alike. We are now 8 months into the programme and still we struggle with a lot of things. Sometimes it just seems it’s hopeless BUT there are changes.
His handwriting is more structured than before. He has not only started to write down the homework but tells me he wants to do it in the afternoons. He lets me know when he has projects or speeches and although it’s a task to get them done, now at least I know about them.
The maths teacher says he is more productive in the class. Maths is still very difficult but his attitude is starting to change. He used to only get 4 out of 10 for small class tests and now is getting 5 and above for the same tests. There is still unfinished work but it looks much neater and comprehensive. His English spelling has improved greatly. The Afrikaans side still needs work, but we are getting there slowly. He played rugby and cricket this year and is better tempered. He still has his outbursts but calms down and apologises immediately.
We encourage him as far as we can with everything that he does. Ian has a great personality and he has good friends at school. He makes friends very easily. His passion in life is farming and the outdoors - luckily we can give that to him. He is always busy outside and is always cooking up a plan.