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Children with spina bifida and
hydrocephalus have co-ordination and perception problems because they are not as
active as other children and their balance is not good. They may need help
to learn how to use different eye movements such as skimming and scanning.
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They may need practise in learning to
direct their eyes left, right, up, down, and from a wide focus to a narrow
focus.
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Estimation games are good to develop
pupils' self-judgement. This can be done in P.E. when pupils have to throw
a ball in the area and catch it; they have to estimate how quickly it will come
down again.
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To help with auditory perception
encourage pupils to whisper instructions after you, then ask them to explain it.
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Children with spina bifida will benefit
from a systematic approach to some learning. They should be taught
methodically to look for patterns, similarities and differences, e.g. in
spelling or later in comparing the treatment of themes in novels and plays.
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Try to present the same information in
different ways and where possible use concrete materials which the pupils can
touch. This helps them relate words to objects.
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For homework give pupils tasks which
are practically based where possible.
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Try to train pupils to organise
themselves by writing checklists and procedures for doing things.
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Use task lists which are broken down
into steps.
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Pupils with spina bifida often find it
hard to judge their own performance; make it explicit what the criteria is and
what you want them to do.