Semantic pragmatic disorder - teaching spellings

As NAS fact sheets will tell you (though I seek proof) people on the autistic spectrum have good memories. Well its a diagnostic distinction from dyspraxia, where memory may be bad, but this distinction is complicated by other conditions. Reality is - people on the spectrum have long memories, and remember too much from the distant past.

Even so, the memory capacity, if it is there, can be an asset.

Work on improving his memory. A tray of objects or a picture with lots of details which he sees for a minute, and then has to write down everything he saw is one way. 

In terms of spelling the more practice he gets at this the better his memory. Rather than trying to work out the spellings from the sounds he will build up a store of remembered words.

Memory seems to be a potential advantage. Help him acquire it and develop it and use it to the full.

It will help through school, though by university memory alone isn't enough.

does your son work better on a computer. Word shark. Primarily for dyslexics is a programme that u can load his spellings in and he can practice them. It's visual. My eldest is dyslexic my youngest is awaiting assessment for AS and he seems to love the interactive way of learning.

just a suggestion. It may not work for all. U can buy it as a USB so he can take it into school

Another life lesson that your son might find useful is that it's sometimes OK to fail

www.lifehack.org/.../6-reasons-its-okay-fail.html

For our children, we were never bothered if they failed at things that didn't matter to us or that they really struggled with. So, when they were in the bottom set for French or R.E. then we simply didn't turn a hair. He needs to know that it's great to be good at something but that nobody can be great, or even good, at every subject. Emphasize his strengths to him rather than his weaknesses.

Has he tried breaking works into their component sylablles and spelling each easy segment in turn?

Testing is OK if it doesn't lead to him thinking that he is failing. If he can compete then that is OK, if he actually can't compete properly then it isn't fair or reasonable.

Being in a mainstream school means that they have to accept that pupils have different abilities and they have to tailor their approach to suit.

I remember failing to reach any standard in gymnastics. I hated it and felt humiltiated. Should they have insisted that I keep practicing somersaults until I could do it? No! I can't somersault and won't somersault no matter how much I practice.

Anyway, back to the original question, you can allow him to practice and you can help and encourage him but please don't let him feel that he is a failure.

It's a good point, but the fact that we have placed my son in main stream school we have to expect that he needs to meet the requirements of the school, however, we and the school fully understand his difficulty.

That being said, it should be expected that my son will be tested the same as all other students.

Does it benefit anyone for him to be tested in something that he finds really really difficult if it is related to a diagnosed condition. Isn't this like seeing how good you are at music if you are deaf?