Advice on 2nd grade curriculum please!

[SS in MD]

Hello all,

 

My 7 yo will start 2nd grade in the fall, and I need some advice on curricula (grammar, phonics reinforcement, math, spelling) for her. She was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, but recently she was evaluated through our local county school system and they "down graded" her to speech/lang delay. Through teaching her K & 1st, I see she has difficulty in attention/focus, understanding concepts (cognitive ability) and memory. SPL suspects she may have some auditory processing delay. But the auditory processing test cannot be done till she's 8 or 9 (when she's reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level)

 

Math is a hard subject for her we are using MUS Primer. It's going OK. I bought Primer for her in K, but she Lesson 10 started with place value and she just didn't understand it or number sequencing. So, I put Primer away and for the rest of her K year I had her understand numbers 1-100 (verbally and written). So, in 1st we picked Primer back up. The manipulatives help, if she did an addition problem like 5+2 =? and had the blocks she could say 7 (she knew what addition meant) but without the blocks I would say "count on from 5", she just couldn't understand. Then yesterday, I took out her Mathematical Reasoning Book (grade 1) from Critical Thinking Press (she does about 3 pages a week, she like the color and variety. It's a little hard to use it alongside MUS because it follows nat'l standards for 1st grade, and MUS has a different scope and sequence. So, as we get further in the book it may confuse her). The page was on addition using the number line (traditional method). We did a few problems then all of a sudden she understood what "counting on" meant! I think seeing the numbers visually get bigger on the number line helped. So , now I'm wondeirng when she finishes Primer, should she continue with MUS or not, perhaps its too abstract? Any opinions?? On the one hand I feel like maybe she should try MUS Alpha (1 more year) and see how it goes. Yet on the other hand MUS scope and sequence is so different from other programs, if she switches a year later, she'll be doing catch up.

 

While reading has been a relative strength for my dd, phonics is a challenge. We are using MFW 1st grade. I will tell her a phonics rule (like "kn" says "n", "k" is silent) then she'll do her worksheet page, but won't remember the rule, even though we just discussed it the minute before. Every other day I have to review all the rules she has learned so far. I wonder if anyone has any LA & spelling curriculums they've had success with for a child that needs LOTS of reinforcement, review and variety?

 

Thanks so much for reading this post. I would love to hear what has been successful with your dc. I really appreciate ANY insight!!:)

[teamturner]

I have been using just this year All About Spelling with my twin 2nd graders and first grader. I had not done spelling with them until this year. It is a wonderful program that I think has a lot of variety and definantly has a lot of built in review. The student builds words with letter tiles and then writes them on paper (which can be done on different days). You can spend as much time on each lesson as your child needs before moving on to the next one. There are games you can download from the website that reinforce the lessons. I haven't done that yet but I know my kids would love it! They like the flash card reviews a lot as it builds confidence and they are reminded about all they know.

 

Check out the website:

 

http://www.all-about-spelling.com/index.html

 

I hope this helps! Blessings! :)

[SS in MD]

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll check out the website! I haven't heard of that program, so I'm eager to find out more about it.

 

Also, just curious what grammar do you use for 2nd grade? Any sucess with it? - thanks again for your post

[NCW]

FWIW, I found RightStart math much more concrete and with very clear explanations for my dc. You can slow down the program to go at their pace quite easily by playing extra games until they understand a concept.

 

NCW

[Kathy in MD]

Hello all,

 

My 7 yo will start 2nd grade in the fall, and I need some advice on curricula (grammar, phonics reinforcement, math, spelling) for her. She was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, but recently she was evaluated through our local county school system and they "down graded" her to speech/lang delay. Through teaching her K & 1st, I see she has difficulty in attention/focus, understanding concepts (cognitive ability) and memory. SPL suspects she may have some auditory processing delay. But the auditory processing test cannot be done till she's 8 or 9 (when she's reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level)

 

Math is a hard subject for her we are using MUS Primer. It's going OK. I bought Primer for her in K, but she Lesson 10 started with place value and she just didn't understand it or number sequencing. So, I put Primer away and for the rest of her K year I had her understand numbers 1-100 (verbally and written). So, in 1st we picked Primer back up. The manipulatives help, if she did an addition problem like 5+2 =? and had the blocks she could say 7 (she knew what addition meant) but without the blocks I would say "count on from 5", she just couldn't understand. Then yesterday, I took out her Mathematical Reasoning Book (grade 1) from Critical Thinking Press (she does about 3 pages a week, she like the color and variety. It's a little hard to use it alongside MUS because it follows nat'l standards for 1st grade, and MUS has a different scope and sequence. So, as we get further in the book it may confuse her). The page was on addition using the number line (traditional method). We did a few problems then all of a sudden she understood what "counting on" meant! I think seeing the numbers visually get bigger on the number line helped. So , now I'm wondeirng when she finishes Primer, should she continue with MUS or not, perhaps its too abstract? Any opinions?? On the one hand I feel like maybe she should try MUS Alpha (1 more year) and see how it goes. Yet on the other hand MUS scope and sequence is so different from other programs, if she switches a year later, she'll be doing catch up.

 

While reading has been a relative strength for my dd, phonics is a challenge. We are using MFW 1st grade. I will tell her a phonics rule (like "kn" says "n", "k" is silent) then she'll do her worksheet page, but won't remember the rule, even though we just discussed it the minute before. Every other day I have to review all the rules she has learned so far. I wonder if anyone has any LA & spelling curriculums they've had success with for a child that needs LOTS of reinforcement, review and variety?

 

Thanks so much for reading this post. I would love to hear what has been successful with your dc. I really appreciate ANY insight!!:)

 

A program like this will address many of your dd's underlying problems, including memory, attention and the pre-curser to phonics, phonemes (sp). My ds had years of ST, but the manipulation of sounds in the home based version (no longer available) increased his attention and ability to understand.

 

Along the phonics lines, Sound CD is well respected for 1st-3rd grade readers. It's not a stand alone program, though. Claire would have more details. My ds's tutor used ETC for phonics, but this was after Montessori instruction which is done without a formal "textbook". Also Edmark used to have a CD phonics/reading program that was fun that might be useful for reinforcing phonics. Unfortunately our computer wasn't powerful enough at the time to run the sound portion, so my ds didn't get the full benifit. This was years ago, so your computer will undoubtly be powerful enough.

 

For math, I recommend a Montessori-based math program. Look for heavy manipulative use and don't rush or even push through the work. Go back and review frequently. One thing about Montessori math is that place value is taught using color and is used consistantly throughout the entire elementary program. For instance units (ones) are green, whether they are ones, one hundreds, one thousands or one ? . This color stays through addition, subtraction, multiplication, decimals, etc. My memory-struggling ds knows his place values well. :D Shiller and Right Start are the two programs I know that are supposed to be based on Montessori math.

 

For spelling, when your dd is a bit older with a larger vocabulary, I recommend Sequential Spelling. Unfortunately it goes into multi-syllabic words very quickly.

 

For general memory work, I use a variation of Laurie's spelling method. DS is calling, so must go!

[Ottakee]

http://www.soundfoundationsbooks.co.uk/ Check out the Apples and Pears spelling program. The reading stuff is good too but I really like the spelling stuff. Very easy to use and it sticks with them.

[Claire]

I think seeing the numbers visually get bigger on the number line helped.

 

While reading has been a relative strength for my dd, phonics is a challenge. We are using MFW 1st grade. I will tell her a phonics rule (like "kn" says "n", "k" is silent) then she'll do her worksheet page, but won't remember the rule, even though we just discussed it the minute before. Every other day I have to review all the rules she has learned so far.

 

 

For the math, you might want to look at the Lindamood-Bell program On Cloud Nine program. It is offered as a provider-based program, but I think you can buy the manual and materials and do it yourself at home.

 

For reading, I would switch her to ABeCeDarian. There is a support group for this program that I recommend joining for advice and information. Janis is active on that group, and she has a lot of experience tutoring young children like your dd. The advantage of using a sound-to-sight program is that there are no rules to memorize. Having to remember rules adds an extra layer of learning on to reading that is not necessary. Sound-to-sight is a more direct approach and you can still incorporate lots of repetition and move slowly through it. It is just overall simpler to teach and simpler to learn.

 

I would also recommend PACE or LearningRx, as Kathy suggested, but probably not until your dd is around 9 or 10yo. A little maturity really helps in terms of doing sufficient work with that program to get significant results.

[Kathy in MD]

Have you heard anything about that program?

[Claire]

Have you heard anything about that program?

 

That's right. I had forgotten about that. They added it several years after we had finished PACE, so I have never gotten to see it.

[SS in MD]

Thanks so much for your posts. I just recently read about PACE online. I found a local organization that can do it in our area. This is the first time I've heard of PACE. How sucessful is it? My dd just turned 7, so I'm wondering (like Claire mentioned) is she too young to take full advantage of PACE? Also, just wondering is it expensive? (I know that's a relative term!).

 

Sounds like Learning Rx is for younger kids is there a website for it, so I can find out if it's offered in my area?

 

Also, my dd OT therapist want to start "Theraputic Listening". It's a 12 week program with dd listening to CD's for 30 minutes twice a day, daily. Have either of you heard of this program?

 

Have your heard of earobics? Does it have a good sucess rate? I saw it on the SuperDuper website. I was thinking perhaps after completing "Theraputic Listening" dd could try the earboics CD. I noticed the 1st CD is for younger kids 4-7 and a second CD for 7-10 (I think). Do either one of you know if I can start I start my 7yo on the 2nd CD (age wise) or does she have to go thru' the 1st CD then 2nd CD?

 

Thanks so much for helping me with my questions!! Schooling dd is a real struggle for her and ME! Today I was trying to teach her to add "er" or "est" to words for comparision. I told her the rule if the vowel is short you have to double the consonent and then add "er" or "est". She was having trouble remember to add the consonent. The next rule was when the vowel was long (silent "e" at the end of the word) she was adding "er"/"est" when just a "r" or "st" was needed. But, after slowing down and having her repeat what I was saying she understood. I've come to realize most times she doesn't comprehend what I'm saying (goes in one ear out the other).

 

Another example, this week in MUS she is learning tally marks. I taught her using popsicle sticks. But, it's hard for her to switch from counting by 5's then back to ones (like if the number is 17, there would be 3 groups of 5 tally marks and 2 single tally marks). She will count everything by 5's. Even though visually you can distinguish the sets of 5's and single popsicle sticks. She does the same thing when counting by 2's. I have dinosaur counters. I give her some (lets say 15) she groups them by 2's and starts skip counting by 2's (which she does fine), but when she says "14" then she has to add one more (to make 15) she'll count that last dinosaur as 2 and say 16. Even though visually she can see it's just 1 dinosaur. I gently remind her that there are not two dinosaurs but one. But, she constantly does this. It's a real struggle. It makes me second guess that she is really understand concepts...

 

Sorry to ramble! I know this is an uphill battle for her. It doesn't help that her attitude toward school is not good. Probably because it's hard and she says she doesn't want to think about it.... I sometimes am not as patient as I should be either! I worry that as she gets older how will she handle academics as subjects get harder...

 

Once again, thanks so much for listening and responding!

Sangita

 

BTW, Kathy I'm in MD too!

Also, Kathy is there a website where I can find out more about the Sound CD you mentioned for phonics?

[Kathy in MD]

.... This is the first time I've heard of PACE. How sucessful is it? My dd just turned 7, so I'm wondering (like Claire mentioned) is she too young to take full advantage of PACE? Also, just wondering is it expensive? (I know that's a relative term!).

 

I used the home-based version of PACE, Brain Skills, which is no longer available. Brain Skills had about 1/3 of the PACE excercises and my ds still made huge strides. The biggest area he improved in was sound manipulation. His skills went from 5.4 yrs to 15 or 16 years old. More importantly, he started paying attention to and understanding his coach and other people. My ds made lessor, yet still noticible strides, in almost all areas. The weakest area of the program for my ds was the logic and reasoning area, which has relatively few excercises.

 

One thing to remember, the more time you put in on the "homework" assignments, the better the results. This program is hard work but it pays big dividends. To quote my work-adverse ds, "I'm glad I did it, but I don't want to do it again".

 

.... Sounds like Learning Rx is for younger kids is there a website for it, so I can find out if it's offered in my area?

 

Learning Rx franchises have programs for both older and younger children. (PACE is offered by individual providers) The franchises just have far more programs to offer, all designed by the same company. You can check out their offerings at http://learningrx.com

 

....Also, my dd OT therapist want to start "Theraputic Listening". It's a 12 week program with dd listening to CD's for 30 minutes twice a day, daily. Have either of you heard of this program?

 

I've heard of it, but not how good it is. I used a milder, home-based program called The Listening Program after years of speech therapy. It made only minor improvements for my ds. It might have made better improvements had I used it prior to ST or in the early days.

 

....Have your heard of earobics? Does it have a good sucess rate? I saw it on the SuperDuper website. I was thinking perhaps after completing "Theraputic Listening" dd could try the earboics CD. I noticed the 1st CD is for younger kids 4-7 and a second CD for 7-10 (I think). Do either one of you know if I can start I start my 7yo on the 2nd CD (age wise) or does she have to go thru' the 1st CD then 2nd CD?

 

Claire can give you more info on Earobics than I can. My understanding is that it's best for younger children (yours is borderline) because of bordom. You might also look into Fast For Word. That program is very good for some types of auditory problems. It was recommended for my ds, but I was desperate to get to BrainSkills after wasting time with TLP and skipped it.

 

....Thanks so much for helping me with my questions!! Schooling dd is a real struggle for her and ME! Today I was trying to teach her to add "er" or "est" to words for comparision. I told her the rule if the vowel is short you have to double the consonent and then add "er" or "est". She was having trouble remember to add the consonent. The next rule was when the vowel was long (silent "e" at the end of the word) she was adding "er"/"est" when just a "r" or "st" was needed. But, after slowing down and having her repeat what I was saying she understood. I've come to realize most times she doesn't comprehend what I'm saying (goes in one ear out the other).

 

This sounds like your dd's auditory problems are more severe than I originally thought. It might be wise to have her tested by either a speech pathologist or an audiologist specializing in APD. Even if ST is recommended, I'd still use some of the auditory programs we discussed. Which ones would depend a bit on what auditory problems are uncovered in testing.

 

Another thing, often times rules-based spelling doesn't work for students. It's just one more thing to remember. There are other spelling programs that work better for this type of student. However, I wouldn't worry much about spelling at your dd's age.

 

....Sorry to ramble! I know this is an uphill battle for her. It doesn't help that her attitude toward school is not good. Probably because it's hard and she says she doesn't want to think about it.... I sometimes am not as patient as I should be either! I worry that as she gets older how will she handle academics as subjects get harder...

 

It's not unusual that your dd doesn't like school when it's a constant struggle. At this time, focus on therapy and do academic light. My ds was in a Montessori program that allowed him to work at his own pace. You may try to do a similar program. Another thing that helped my ds was a love of history that he developed in the 1st grade. Living in this area, he was immersed in living history rather than books and questions and written work. Even today when math is a struggle and he objects to free reading, he loves to read history.

 

Once again, thanks so much for listening and responding!

Sangita

 

....BTW, Kathy I'm in MD too!

Also, Kathy is there a website where I can find out more about the Sound CD you mentioned for phonics?

 

Here's the link for Sound CD http://http://www.academicadvantage.netfirms.com/soundrea.htm

 

Also, are you north of DC? I might be able to make a few recommendations for providers if you are.

[Claire]

Thanks so much for your posts. I just recently read about PACE online. I found a local organization that can do it in our area. This is the first time I've heard of PACE. How sucessful is it? My dd just turned 7, so I'm wondering (like Claire mentioned) is she too young to take full advantage of PACE? Also, just wondering is it expensive? (I know that's a relative term!).

 

Sounds like Learning Rx is for younger kids is there a website for it, so I can find out if it's offered in my area?

 

Also, my dd OT therapist want to start "Theraputic Listening". It's a 12 week program with dd listening to CD's for 30 minutes twice a day, daily. Have either of you heard of this program?

 

Have your heard of earobics? Does it have a good sucess rate? I saw it on the SuperDuper website. I was thinking perhaps after completing "Theraputic Listening" dd could try the earboics CD. I noticed the 1st CD is for younger kids 4-7 and a second CD for 7-10 (I think). Do either one of you know if I can start I start my 7yo on the 2nd CD (age wise) or does she have to go thru' the 1st CD then 2nd CD?

 

Thanks so much for helping me with my questions!! Schooling dd is a real struggle for her and ME! Today I was trying to teach her to add "er" or "est" to words for comparision. I told her the rule if the vowel is short you have to double the consonent and then add "er" or "est". She was having trouble remember to add the consonent. The next rule was when the vowel was long (silent "e" at the end of the word) she was adding "er"/"est" when just a "r" or "st" was needed. But, after slowing down and having her repeat what I was saying she understood. I've come to realize most times she doesn't comprehend what I'm saying (goes in one ear out the other).

 

Another example, this week in MUS she is learning tally marks. I taught her using popsicle sticks. But, it's hard for her to switch from counting by 5's then back to ones (like if the number is 17, there would be 3 groups of 5 tally marks and 2 single tally marks). She will count everything by 5's. Even though visually you can distinguish the sets of 5's and single popsicle sticks. She does the same thing when counting by 2's. I have dinosaur counters. I give her some (lets say 15) she groups them by 2's and starts skip counting by 2's (which she does fine), but when she says "14" then she has to add one more (to make 15) she'll count that last dinosaur as 2 and say 16. Even though visually she can see it's just 1 dinosaur. I gently remind her that there are not two dinosaurs but one. But, she constantly does this. It's a real struggle. It makes me second guess that she is really understand concepts...

 

Sorry to ramble! I know this is an uphill battle for her. It doesn't help that her attitude toward school is not good. Probably because it's hard and she says she doesn't want to think about it.... I sometimes am not as patient as I should be either! I worry that as she gets older how will she handle academics as subjects get harder...

 

Once again, thanks so much for listening and responding!

Sangita

 

BTW, Kathy I'm in MD too!

Also, Kathy is there a website where I can find out more about the Sound CD you mentioned for phonics?

 

The company that created PACE later developed a franchising option called LearningRx. Since then they have added programs for younger children, but only to the franchises. Providers can still offer PACE, but do not have access to the company's other programs. If you have a LearningRx franchise in your area, I would see about doing one of the younger programs with your dd. The company claims that PACE is suitable for children as young as six, but IMO that would be 6yos who have no problems. I think PACE is best for ages 8 through 12 or so, with 9-10yo being ideal. Younger children don't have the maturity to stick with the exercises long enough, while older children start being less compliant when hormones start kicking in.

 

Earobics is a very foundational auditory program. Younger children usually don't mind it, but older children find it horribly boring. Your dd would not have to complete level 1; she could start with level 2. They are just groups of exercises, with each exercise having a number of levels of difficulty. FastForWord is much more likely to offer significant improvement if the problem is with discrimination of sounds, but it is also much more expensive. (See my other post under neuro-psych report where I talk about FFW.)

 

Has your dd had a complete speech and language eval by a private speech pathologist? If not, I would get that first. Medical insurance should cover it. (If you need tips on getting insurance to cover this eval, post here.) The problems you describe with endings, and also with the dinosaurs, really sounds like an expressive language problem to me.

 

The key to being able to handle academics later, when they get more difficult, is to do the groundwork therapies now -- starting with sensory-level therapies (vesitublar/motor, auditory, visual, speech/language). So much depends on having that strong sensory foundation to build on!

[emonline]

We did "The Listening Program" followed by Fast ForWord Language and Language to Reading for auditory processing issues. We are doing Earobics soon. I understand that if the auditory processing issues are mild, you might be able to skip the Fast ForWord step which is the most expensive step.

 

I had heard good things about Brain Skills and wanted to try with my daughter, but wanted to wait until she was at least 7 years old. By the time I went to look for it again, it was unavailable! There is no Learning RX in our area. I did find one PACE provider, but her schedule was just not workable for us. I assume that the home Brain Skills program is gone for good?

[Claire]

Yes, BrainSkills is gone for good. However, there is another home program from another source that is likely to be excellent. Everyone is hoping it will become available sometime this year. Beta version was tested last year, and it will be called Cognitive Calisthenics.

[SS in MD]

Firstly, Kathy we live in Frederick County. Do you know of any providers?

 

Yes, my 7yo does see a speech & OT therapist regularly (for the last 4 years). OT therapist said dd can transition out of OT next month!! :-)since she has met her fine motor goals and gross motor have really improved. Dd still need to increase the strenght of her core upper body muscles. OT will give us exercises to do at home.

 

Last month Speech therapist did a full speech and Language Evaluation using the following -

-Godlman-Fristoe Test of Articululation 2 (GFTA-2) (dd was within average range)

- Test of Auditory Processing Skills - 3rd Edition (TAPS). There were many subtests (too many to list here). But overall dd revealed difficulty with Phonological, Memory, and Chohesion domains of auditory/language processing. Her overall score was 81 (10th percentile rank), placing her overall auditory processing abilities in the below average range. (SLP noted dd needed high use of visuals to increase her overall processing weakness)

- Listening comprehension scale of the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS) was used to measure dds functional receptive language skills. Her overall score was 44, and age equivalency of 5 yrs 8 months. The score indicated dd is understanding language in the below avg range.

- Oral expression scale also subtest of OWLS. Measured her verbal responses to questions requiring comprehension of vocab, grammar, and higher lang. skills. Again below avg abilites with an age equivalency of 3yrs and 8 months.

- Written expression scale also another subtest of OWLS. Measured dds writing skills (from sentence completion, sentence formulation, sentence combining etc). Dd had various errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation.

 

Speech therapists thinks dd has "receptive & expressive language processing learning disorder secondary to PDD-NOS"

 

Speech therapist recommeded full hearing test along with Auditory Processing testing. But, when I called the Family Hearing Center (part of the Treatment and Learning Center) they told me my dd was too young. I need to wait till she is 8 or 9 (reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level).

 

So, for now all I can do is the hearing test. Then I wanted to try "Theraputic Listening" that OT recommended. She thinks it will help dd is tactile defensiveness and some with attention/focus. It's a 12 wk program, with dd listening to music twice a day for 30 mins each. We'll see how that goes...

 

I also feel after reading PACE website, this looks EXTREMELY promising. But, I agree with what Claire said, I think dd should be 8-10 to get the full benefit of the program.

 

I checked the LearningRx website. The closest francise is over an hour away. So, honestly, it's not feesible for us as a family.

 

You're right, dd has a hard time remembering spelling rules and phonics rules. I looked at the ABeCeDarian website. It looks very promising. I

saw that it had 3 levels. I think I would start dd on level B (1st grade thru' 2nd). Then onto level 3 (3rd/4th). Level 3 sound like more of a spelling program then reading program, but I might be wrong. Also, in using Level 3, should I also start a grammar curriculum? (I know I don't need to worry about that yet, but just wanted to know)

 

Claire, thanks for telling me about On Cloud Nine Math. I went to the website, but didn't find samples. I managed to get to Gander Publishing to see the cost. Unfortunately, it's $300! Which is prohibitively expensive for us. (I didn't know what grades the program covered either) Any other math suggestions? I looked at RightStart (I used that for a brief time with my older dd), but I honestly don't think there is enough practice problems. I know re-enforcement is thru' the games, but I think her writing things down helps her visualize what she's doing... But, I'll still research and ponder it more. Any other math suggestions?? (I appreciate your previous suggestions!)

 

So, I guess the point of this long post is- Can I get both your opinions on what therapies I should try while I'm waiting for the Auditory Processing Test? (I just can't think of waiting 2 years for this test!) Should I try Earobics or Fast For Ward anything else???

 

Thanks for reading this extremely LONG post. I am really appreciative of your responses.

 

God Bless,

Sangita

[Kathy in MD]

everything. Unfortuantely I can't redo it now. I'll try to get back within the day. :mad:

[emonline]

I just wanted to note: You can buy the On Cloud Nine book separately for much less (around $50?). It is easier having all the materials right there, but many are things you can buy separately on the website, can pick up at a teacher's store (or even a Dollar Store), or make yourself.

 

I haven't tried the program yet, but did get the book, and I think I am going to try it. I used the LiPS program from them to teach my child to read. She has a lot of articulation issues, and so I was quite concerned that she wouldn't be able to read well. But the LiPS program helped with articulation, and she is now a great reader! So, I would, in general, highly recommend the Lindamood Bell programs. (If your daughter is in second grade, however, she is probably already reading, though.)

[Mom0012]

I am just wrapping up second grade with a child who has expressive-receptive language disorder. With him, I used Spell to Write and Read, Rod & Staff Math, and SRA's Language for Writing. We are pretty much done with Rod and Staff Math for the year, so I am going through level B of Rightstart Math to help him get a firmer idea of some of the concepts. I use Sonlight for history, bible and read-alouds.

 

I would highly, highly recommend either Language for Learning, Language for Thinking or Language for Writing, depending on where your child is with their language skills. These are intervention programs that are fully scripted. They are expensive program, but very worth it in my opinion. I so wish I had started my son in SRA's language programs when he was in K. It would have been incredibly helpful to him.

 

I have also done a lot of therapies with this child in addition to the curriculum I have listed above.

 

 

Lisa

[Claire]

Are there any other options for evaluation of auditory processing disorders? The cut-off for making a definitive diagnosis is 7yo (not 8-9yo) and reading is not required for the evaluation. 7yo is when the auditory system is physically mature. Here is a website that lists audiologists who specialize in APD evaluations. It's okay to drive a fair distance for a good evaluation to get an accurate diagnosis of subtypes of APD and degree of severity. However, this type of eval usually not covered by medical insurance. Costs vary, but I would expect to pay a couple of thousand dollars for this type of eval.

 

It does sound as if your dd has fairly severe APD. Severe APD can interfere with vestibular development (which OT addresses), vision (also addressed by OT at this level of disruption), and language development. Anything you can do to reduce the auditory processing deficit, assuming one exists, is likely to help in a wide range of areas. For this type of remediation, you are looking at primarily sound therapies and bodywork therapies. I would definitely do the Therapeutic Listening now.

 

I would also add in Earobics, which works on very fundamental auditory processing skills as they relate to reading. There is a parent on the dyslexiasupport2 list (Linda) whose audiologist recommended a patterned way of doing Earobics to optimize benefit. I recommend joining that list and asking there. You can try a search on Earobics there, but I'm not sure it will come up with the patterning information.

 

NeuroNet is a really *excellent* therapy that addresses many needs of children with complicated APD problems, but it can be difficult to find a provider. It is possible to do this therapy long-distance with monthly clinic trips, but again you are looking at investing $$$ because this would likely not be covered by medical insurance.

 

PACE providers do not have access to the company's newer programs developed for younger children. Those programs are available only from LearningRx franchises. (PACE providers are limited to PACE and MTC.)

 

Get the ISBN of the On Cloud Nine manual and ask your library if they will purchase it for you. Also, check on the forums at LDonline to see if someone there has used the manual to provide the program to their child at home. I know some parents have done the Visualizing & Verbalizing program and the LiPS program that way. On Cloud Nine is *not* a math curriculum. It is a visualization therapy that helps children learn to grasp math concepts. (I haven't done it myself, so don't know a lot about it, but this is what I have gathered about it over the years.)

 

For APD, I would definitely be considering other sound therapies. The Listening Program (TLP) is a gentle auditory conditioning therapy that you can do at home (would be a follow-up to Therapeutic Listening). There are places online to purchase this program for about $325. After TLP, the sound program most likely to help would be FastForWord. FFW trains the brain to process the sounds of speech with more accuracy and speech. However, this program costs in the neighborhood of $1,500 to $3,000 to do.

 

Your dd is 7yo. If you think of development as a pyramid made out of bricks, the foundational layer is sensory development -- motor, vision, hearing, language. The next layer is cognitive skills acquisition (which programs such as PACE work on). The very small peak of the pyramid is academic learning. When all the foundation and mid-level bricks are in place, academic learning is easy. When foundational bricks are missing here and there, cognitive skills don't develop uniformly, and academic learning becomes much more iffy. Whenever possible, it's best to remediate with a bottom-up strategy focusing on those sensory levels first. When sensory-level deficits have been reduced as much as possible, cognitive skills training is in order. Academics are actually the last layer of remediation to tackle. Unfortunately, schools and many parents focus almost exclusively on that academic layer and miss opportunities to remediate the underlying problems.

[Mom0012]

I just completed the basic Neuronet program long-distance with my son. Our provider was Nancy Rowe, the developer of the program. I live in Virginia and we traveled to Florida for an initial evaluation and to learn the first level of the program. Mostly, I just wanted to let you know that we did not have to travel to Florida monthly. We met with Nancy every 3 - 4 weeks by webcam and then communicated by e-mail and telephone as well. We did just travel down to FL again for another visit with Nancy, so that we could prepare for the next level of the program.

 

My son does not have auditory processing disorder, but he does have auditory processing weaknesses. Neuronet has really helped him. If you are interested in more information about Neuronet, please let me know.

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[SS in MD]

Kathy in MD, sorry you lost all your post. Hope you have time to re-type it. I value your ideas!

 

Where can I purchase the SRA Language, SRA Writing etc. ?

Is the On Cloud Nine book a supplement to my current math program? Sorry I thought it was stand alone. Claire, is the teacher guide the one you said I could purchase seperately? (I saw it on the gander publishing website). For what grades can I use On Cloud Nine (1st - 3rd?)?

 

Thanks again!

[Claire]

You can call Gander Publishing about the On Cloud Nine book. It would be the manual for OCN that you would want. OCN is a therapy, so you could either use it in place of math for awhile, or use it as a supplement to a math curriculum. Again, ask Gander about suitability for different grade levels, but I think it is useful for all elementary grade levels.

 

Here is the website for SRA. You may need to call them to order materials and they may require you to furnish proof of homeschooling.

[Rod Everson]

Hello all,

 

My 7 yo will start 2nd grade in the fall, and I need some advice on curricula (grammar, phonics reinforcement, math, spelling) for her. She was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, but recently she was evaluated through our local county school system and they "down graded" her to speech/lang delay. Through teaching her K & 1st, I see she has difficulty in attention/focus, understanding concepts (cognitive ability) and memory. SPL suspects she may have some auditory processing delay.

 

Hi,

 

PDD-NOS is the acronym for Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. Over time I'm sure the medical community will carve out more subsets of PDD and hang names on them, as they have with autism, Asperger's and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, etc., but in the end I think we'll find that one or two specific causes lie behind all PDD's, plus the obvious genetic component.

 

Some people think it's vaccines; my candidates are lack of Omega-3's in the modern diet and lack of "normal" exercise in early childhood due to the proliferation of screens (tv, computer, nintendo, game boy, etc.) Heck, maybe we'll even find the screens themselves have a direct impact. All we seem to know is that the incidence of these developmental "disorders" has been growing. The one common thread, besides the genetic component, seems to be an underdeveloped cerebellum.

 

That said, the one area that the medical community, the speech/language specialists and the phonics-first advocates are most likely to overlook in all of this is the impact on these kids of poorly developed visual systems. If you have a child with any sort of PDD all the way up through dyslexia to a modest reading complaint, you should schedule at least one evaluation with a developmental optometrist to see if an obvious vision problem has been overlooked by your regular family eye-care practitioners.

 

You're fortunate to be seeking advice on a site (here) where a lot of posters (besides me) have had experience with vision therapy. My advice is that the older your daughter gets, the closer you move vision therapy to the top of your list as a potential intervention, but first you need to schedule the initial exam to see if vision is even an issue.

 

Earlier on in your daughter's life, a lot of other developmental issues might take precedence over vision skills development but, as you said, her condition has been "downgraded." The vision skills are often to last to fall into place, and sometimes they never do without intervention. Take care of that area and a lot of the other issues, especially the learning issues, might resolve as well. (I don't want to overstate the case here--vision therapy isn't going to cure autism, for instance.)

 

Rod Everson

OnTrack Reading-My Take on Dyslexia