Intellectual Disability

[mammawalker]

Looking for help with teaching one of my children who has an intellectual disability. His IQ is 49, he has PDD, epilepsy, ADHD, sensory issues and his ability to retain is very low. He is however very verbal.  He is working at a preschool/preK level and is 11yo.

 

 

[mommymonster]

Hi Mommawalker, 

 

Welcome! Are you currently homeschooling your son? Are there methods that your son seems to do better with? What are your goals for your son at this point? What are his interests? My sons love Legos, so we use Legos quite a bit for math and science.  :001_smile:

 

Sorry for all the questions, but it will help folks to have better ideas and suggestions.

[mammawalker]

I have been homeschooling him from the beginning, this year I opted for dual enrollment at the middle school so he goes there 2 days a week ( they are working on learning community signs), he does his therapies one and a half days a week also.

 

No methods have worked thus far. He may fixate on a topic ie:cowboys, then we read about it and for weeks he will ask the same questions over and over about the subject.

 

My goals are for him to learn the alphabet, numbers and to teach him to write. He has no interest in playing.

 

Long time lurker!! Thanks for the welcome.

[Guest]

.

[mammawalker]

Thank you, you have given me much food for thought. I need to research ABA. I do agree with diet. I have done the GF, CF diet with him and also the Feingold diet. I plan on starting back in another month or so, the combination of both worked well for him. Every ittle bit helps.

[Guest]

.

[Ottakee]

For reading, the program that worked here was I See Sam www.iseesam.com or www.3rsplus.com  It starts out with just a few sounds and 3 words and builds from there.  Worked with my 2 that have IQ in the similar range.  At the 2nd website you can look at case studies and see Ottakee for one......that is me

[samba]

I would second I See Sam books.  My son (just turned 13 with Down syndrome) used these with great success along with basic phonogram cards.  I've made them by hand and bought them from All About Spelling.  We worked for a long time on just letter sounds, not even worrying about the alphabet, til he could see the phonogram and make the sound.

 

 We used Zaner-Bloser for handwriting because it was the easiest for us to modify.  I broke down the instructions for each letter into the easiest model for him to follow (ie. "a" became "ball with a short stick." "g" became "ball with a hook.").  Many people have found success with Handwriting Without Tears.  I bought it, son was confused by all the different stroke prompts for the letters, and we moved on.

 

Math has been the hardest.  We are using Math-U-See now but I was on the verge of starting Semple Math with him because I was seeing no progress for the longest time.  It is a very alternative approach to math that may be appropriate in your situation.

 

I have no idea what my son's IQ is.  I am sharing what has worked with us after struggling for many years and trying everything under the sun.

[Guest]

.

[mammawalker]

Thanks for the suggestions. His therapists use HWOT, so I use it too to remain consistent. His small motor skills are limited so he doesn't use the computer and can't write yet. I have tried starfall and it didn't work for him. Tablets work best, he can still for about 3 minutes, then needs about an half hour break. If he seizes, he sleeps for about an hour, then we must repeat whatever we worked on previously.

 

The reading sites look interesting. Are they teaching whole language reading? Do they work for children who don't recognize the alphabet? Or do they help with that too?

 

 

[Guest]

.

[chiguirre]

Geezle has a similar profile to your son except for the epilepsy. We used the Rod and Staff preschool program, Learning Language Arts Through Literature Blue and the Pathway readers to learn to read. I'd try Ottakee's stuff first, but if that's too much R&S preschool might work for you. They're very inexpensive, so it's worth a try. It took a long, long time, but Geezle can read now. He doesn't like it, but he can use google and read signs everywhere.

 

For math, we've used a lot of stuff and settled on Semple and MUS. When he's stuck in one, we switch to the other. It's been a very long road, although recently Geezle actually got his math facts to 20 down cold. Unfortunately, he's done it twice before and then lost them completely but I'm hoping this time they stick.

 

Good luck and welcome to posting!

[Guest]

.

[Ottakee]

 

 

The reading sites look interesting. Are they teaching whole language reading? Do they work for children who don't recognize the alphabet? Or do they help with that too?

 

NO, the I see Sam books are very phonetic.  They just teach it in a very different order and with a different method.  Most programs have the kids learn all consonant sounds and the short vowel a and then make all the short a words, then each short e and make all of those words, etc.  The I see Sam program teaches.......I (as in the word I), s,m, ee (the 2 e together that say the long sound----as it is so common) and the short a.  They then blend those into the the words I see and Sam.  The first 2 books are only those 3 words.  THen they add another sound and blend into another 1-2 words and move VERY slowly from there.

 

The weird thing about this program, and I would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own dd with lower IQ and seizures, is that the first 2-3 books are the HARDEST to teach.  If you can work through those (and honestly it took us WEEKS to learn the word I even though she knew it as the letter I) it gets easier and easier even though the difficulty ramps up.

 

They keep p, q, b and d far apart in instruction and provide lots of practice with each new word/sound.  The pictures also really help tell the story but the child can NOT read the pictures to figure out the words.

 

You can find the first 2 sets free in PDF format to print out if you want to try a few.  It took us about 2 years to get through the first set or 2 but now my daughter with lower IQ (once tested at 38 and once at 53) is reading at a solid 3rd/4th grade level which is fully functional for most things.

[Heathermomster]

Welcome to the boards!

[mammawalker]

Glad you are getting more replies. I took a look at several of my resources but did not find anything useful for what you are looking for. My resources focus on approaches rather than curricula. I then choose curricula based on what I feel will work for my boys. For reading, phonics have worked for us so I lack experience in anything that is not phonics based. Hope something from others' suggestions works for you and your boy.

 

I am not sure what your situation is, but thinking a specific plan with your son's profile in mind by a professional may be the best way to go, if that is an option.

 

We do have a great team we work with, the problem is nothing tried has worked so far. So I thought I would try something different in hopes that I could find something that might work better. Lately, I have been feeling like the have given up hope on him progressing.

[Guest]

.

[Guest]

.

[Guest]

.

[cherylswope]

I have been homeschooling him from the beginning,

 

My goals are for him to learn the alphabet, numbers and to teach him to write. He has no interest in playing.

 

 

Looking for help with teaching one of my children who has an intellectual disability. His IQ is 49, he has PDD, epilepsy, ADHD, sensory issues and his ability to retain is very low. He is however very verbal.  He is working at a preschool/preK level and is 11yo.

 

Dear mammawalker,

 

I do not post often, but your subject heading caught my eye, and your dedication encouraged me.

 

 

Does your son accept books written for younger children? If he does, you might appreciate this book list. Compiled for another project, the selected read-alouds and other books introduce alphabet, number, and writing skills at your son's current level of performance.

 

You mentioned difficulties with retention, so such books might help with review, even as you teach from any of the formal, structured approaches available for special-needs students.

 

However, given his age, if he would reject the books based on their appearance or content, feel free to be very selective, find alternative forms of the books, or ignore this list altogether! :)

 

 

Numbers Colors Shapes, ISBN 9780312510817 Macmillan

Flaptastic Shapes, ISBN 9780756652265 Penguin

ABC Amazing Alphabet Book, Dr. Seuss, ISBN 9780679882817 Random House

Cars and Trucks From A to Z, Richard Scarry, ISBN 9780679806639 Random House

My First Counting Book, Lilian Moore, ISBN 9780307020673 Random House

1 Is One, Tasha Tudor, ISBN 9780689717437 Simon & Schuster

Ten Little Rubber Ducks, Eric Carle, ISBN 9780060740757 Harper Collins

My First ABC Book, ISBN 9780789499004 Penguin

Alphabet Coloring Book

Alphabet Flashcards

Numbers Coloring Book

ABC Bible Verse Book, Deedra Scherm, ISBN 9781934789049 STL

Animal Alphabet Coloring Book, ISBN 9780865450424 Spizzirri Press

 

 

 

If you are interested, I have more lists, such as read-alouds to help teach colors, days of the week, and months of the year, but all are comparable in appearance so far.

 

 

Keep trying! As a young man who is highly verbal, your son possesses language skills which will help. If you can teach him to read at even a lower level, you will open a whole new world for him!

 

Cheryl

 

Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child

[Guest]

.

 

[LostSurprise]

My son has some of those attributes (IQ=60, severe epilepsy, sensory and developmental issues). 

 

ABA is a good starting point, even if someone does not have a child on the spectrum. It was recommended to me by my parent-to-parent mentor. 

 

In my experience if you take this to a doctor they will concentrate on stabilizing he seizures. Too many seizures will create an atmosphere where retention is impossible. BTDT. Are his seizures stable? 

 

My son is 9 and at a 1st grade level. It's only in the last year that I've seen a significant increase in reading ability and retention. After 4 years. And when I say significant increase, I mean a normal 1-3 month increase in skill level and retention of a few words he just couldn't retain before. He's still at the 1st grade level, just 1.3 vs. 1.1. We've used a lot of things in the past. Right now I would say what works best is less schooling but a little every day (take a day off for appts or vacation but work Saturdays, Sundays, summers, Christmas vacation, etc.). Lots of repetition. Lots of me reading to him. Often in books we will pick a word, something his level, and it is his job to read that word when we come to it. With your son's level it might be better to make your own phonics notebook (work on a consonant or vowel each day...coming up with your own examples and finding pictures online to illustrate the letters sound) and your own stories together. If he can use a cheap digital camera he could take photos and (if you have a printer) print out pictures to glue on the pages of your day's simple story. Keep the stories simple. One Noun. One verb. Keep it to a list of 10 very short, simple words and you can mix and match them every week. Silly can be good (unless your child has trouble with silly). Make them into 10 flash cards and do them every day at a scheduled time (before meals, after brushing your teeth). Stop after those 10 and do something else. It's not as important that he get those cards right as it is that he is exposed to them often. If he's stuck just sound it out with him and move on. No biggie. 

 

If he 's not very verbal it may be harder. You may have to encourage recognition more than reading. Mounting words on objects or places in the house and having frequent word searches can be fun. 

 

Another possibility, especially with limited small motor coordination is downloading sight reading or early reading apps to your tablet. Reading Eggs is one my son uses. Basically the player is searching for eggs with an early sight word on it. Only a small finger slashing movement is needed. Points are taken off for choosing the other silly things (pigs, frying pans). After choosing so many correct eggs they are asked to choose the letters for the word from large squares with the letter on them.

 

An earlier reading app would be Endless Reader by Originator. It's a bit like early level Starfall, so if you son has problems with the audio aspect he may not like this. It displays the alphabet and each letter has a word associated with it. You chose a word. It's said clearly and then the letters fall to different parts of the screen leaving the outline in the middle. You have to match the letter with its outline in the word. While you hold your finger on the letter it says its name (in a silly way actually...many kids like that but some may not). You drag the letter to near the outline and it will go into its space. When all the letters are matched with their outlines there's a cheer and the word is said again. You can go further to match whole words into a sentence but my son usually prefers the letter one. It's easier and the silly monster letter voices cheer him up. There are also animations to explain what each word is by cute little monsters/creatures. The great thing about this game is that it reinforces letter sounds and the matching isn't too hard. 

 

I'm sure there are other, probably better, games. These were free and my husband picks them up on a whim. These were the best 2 so far. 

 

For math, I find 1-1 object-oriented math works best for us. We use cuisenaire rods (Education Unboxed has some great preschool/early school videos for math play), abacus, and those squares that snap together. We used Math Mammoth 1 for the last few years. If he has trouble writing, write it for him. Working with clay is also good for building finger strength and accuracy.

 

These are just what work for us though. I hope some little thing is helpful to you. You're not alone. A lot of us are trying things out and tossing out the things that don't work. 

[MomOfABunch]

Check out www.theautismhelper.com. She has a TON of resources for her students. I've gotten several things from her Tpt store and I LOVE them!