homeschooling with SPD, help!

[Seeking Squirrels]

I'm feeling so lost with how to best homeschool my 6yo. She's recently been diagnosed with SPD and they're still not sure about an ASD (she scores high on paper, but in person he's not sure).

 

I was so hopeful that getting started with OT would give me lots of answers and things would start going smoothly. Yes it's been helpful, but I'm so overwhelmed by all the information. I don't feel like I'm applying it all well. I come home from OT and two days later something happens and I'm like "Oh yeah! R said to...." and then I'm scrambling looking for my notes to try to remember what we talked about. I feel like what she needs and what comes naturally to me are completely opposite things and I'm not sure how to make it all work. Most days either we butt heads and struggle and get frustrated, or we don't get much of anything done.

 

I've even been wondering if she would be better off in a b&m school where she can regularly see a professional that knows what they're doing since I apparently don't. :( But then on an spd group online someone asked how many of their kids hated school and every single answer was either yes they hate school and it's a horrible experience, or they homeschool. So I guess homeschool is usually a better option for SPD kids, but something's got to give for us.

 

So if you have an SPD child (seeker), what does your homeschool day look like? Do you have special routines you follow before or between subjects? Any particular curriculums that work really well or are major flops for sensory reasons? Any other tips?

[Rosie_0801]

Have they talked about retained primitive reflexes and how to erode them?

 

I don't know anything about doing academics with such kids. What does she want to do? What sensory stuff does she seek? What would she do with herself if she was a feral unschooler? 

 

 

 

If this is new to you, it will take time to absorb all the info. Don't kick yourself for that. :)

[Seeking Squirrels]

Have they talked about retained primitive reflexes and how to erode them?

 

I don't know anything about doing academics with such kids. What does she want to do? What sensory stuff does she seek? What would she do with herself if she was a feral unschooler? 

 

 

 

If this is new to you, it will take time to absorb all the info. Don't kick yourself for that. :)

 

Not at all, I have no idea what that is.

 

She wants to just play and run around. She seeks anything fast, spinning, jumping... when we try to do school she flops on the ground, rolls up onto her shoulder blades and her feet swing around in the air somewhere behind her head. If she was left completely to her own devices she would play on the trampoline and slide, build with legos, play dolls, do puzzles, ask to play games, and then when bored flop around the floor at my feet. I have doubts that we'd ever get to anything academic if I waited for her to ask. She also asks to watch tv a lot but is generally told no. For needing so much motion she can sit and watch tv for a surprising amount of time if allowed.

 

It's just hard because I've suspected this since before she turned 2 but we waited until almost 6 to start the process for getting a diagnosis and then of course the process takes time. So I'm feeling like we're just now starting to try to deal with this nearing the end of her first grade year. I just wonder where we would be if I had taken her in when she was 2 or 3 instead.

 

[Rosie_0801]

 Not at all, I have no idea what that is. 

 

Google it. Not problems that will be fixed over the weekend, but they make a difference. Seeking fast, spinning and jumping sounds very much like a retained Moro reflex, and if she's got that, she's got all the rest too, almost certainly. You know that "row, row your boat" song where you sit opposite each other, holding hands and pulling backwards and forwards? That will help erode it. 

 

 

 

She wants to just play and run around. She seeks anything fast, spinning, jumping... when we try to do school she flops on the ground, rolls up onto her shoulder blades and her feet swing around in the air somewhere behind her head. If she was left completely to her own devices she would play on the trampoline and slide, build with legos, play dolls, do puzzles, ask to play games, and then when bored flop around the floor at my feet. I have doubts that we'd ever get to anything academic if I waited for her to ask. She also asks to watch tv a lot but is generally told no. For needing so much motion she can sit and watch tv for a surprising amount of time if allowed.

 

You might need to redefine your idea of what academic looks like and play lots of games. You might also need to let her watch more telly, but be very choosy about what she watches. I had a kid who had to learn via tv when she was small too. I say tv, but I mean carefully monitored dvds.

 

 

 

's just hard because I've suspected this since before she turned 2 but we waited until almost 6 to start the process for getting a diagnosis and then of course the process takes time. So I'm feeling like we're just now starting to try to deal with this nearing the end of her first grade year. I just wonder where we would be if I had taken her in when she was 2 or 3 instead.

 

Anything from wonderful things to nothing at all. My kid's early intervention did squat. And that's not because they were stupid either. It's because my kid was operating at maximum potential. Three years below chronological age, but still at maximum. Other people's early intervention experiences were great. You've been parenting her this long. Stuff you do doesn't count less than stuff professionals do. What counts is the stuff that works. 

 

Tell us what you do that works. (About anything, not just academics.)

[Sdel]

She wants to just play and run around. She seeks anything fast, spinning, jumping... when we try to do school she flops on the ground, rolls up onto her shoulder blades and her feet swing around in the air somewhere behind her head. If she was left completely to her own devices she would play on the trampoline and slide, build with legos, play dolls, do puzzles, ask to play games, and then when bored flop around the floor at my feet. I have doubts that we'd ever get to anything academic if I waited for her to ask. She also asks to watch tv a lot but is generally told no. For needing so much motion she can sit and watch tv for a surprising amount of time if allowed.

 

 

No advice, but commiseration. My 7 year old is just like this and I need to sort out an eval for her as well. My local OT was less than helpful.

 

Stefanie

[gingersmom]

It is going to take time to see results from OT (especially starting at an older age). Kudos to you for seeking help.

 

Can you read aloud a book and have your daughter draw pictures illustrating what is going on? Or string beads or something similar while she listens?

 

You can learn a lot of science by doing experiments or hands on projects.

 

I had a handheld device (the name escapes me) that my  son learned his times tables on. He thought it was a game, not school.

 

Lapbooks (Hands of a child has good ones) keep you busy cutting and pasting but learning at the same time.

 

Time4Learning might keep her engaged.

[texasmama]

I have a combined seeker/avoider kid.  He had retained primitive reflexes.  He had early intervention OT (beginning at age 3).  He had ST, PT and OT in some combo during most of the time between the ages of 2-12.  He is 14 now.  There is a curriculum for SPD that the OT used called "Ready Bodies, Learning Minds" that a parent could do at home. 

 

Have you looked into a weighted vest?  Mini trampoline?  Starting the day with jumping jacks or wall push ups?  All of these things can help align the brain and make learning more effective.

 

True confession:  I was very overwhelmed during most of the years when my SPD kid was receiving OT so I did very little work at home.  In addition, he was resistant to any of my in the moment suggestions.

 

Since your child is six, academics do not have to be long, seat-work heavy, or involved.  You can get a balance ball for her to do her seat work on.

 

My SPD kid is the reason I began homeschooling.  He also had anxiety, and private school did not work for him.  He is doing pretty darn well at age 14.

 

It is not "too late" for intervention.  The brain is much more elastic than we think.  Your child is still very young.  The connections can be made, and primitive reflexes eliminated.  My son's retained primitive reflexes were not really eliminated until about age 10-11 in spite of diligent OT work.  What I found is that if he did not receive OT for a few weeks, he started to melt down emotionally.  When he had OT consistently, he remained in a better spot emotionally and was able to learn and function better.

[FairProspects]

School is not going to look anything like what you would normally expect.

 

We start the day with a good 2 mile run/walk everyday (barring illness). We just need to get that sensory input going immediately or forget about any focus. We exercise with friends and often let the boys wrestle or play some tackle football to get that crash/boom sensation.

 

We maintain fidget boxes for school and have crunchy snacks & gum handy (calms & organizes the brain). We used to have a ceiling swing where ds sat for a lot of read alouds & discussions (he is older now). Our typical routine is to do a math problem and then crash on a bean bag. Mini-trampolines are great too and we have a lot of bounce breaks. Quite a bit of school is done on the floor. Hands-on is also a key element of our homeschool.

 

You can do this, but you are going to have adjust the expectations and change things up. You can google but there are lots of homeschool suggestions on the web for sensory kids and bins or calm down or just general activities. :)

[Rosie_0801]

Our chiro helped calm mine down too. I didn't notice the difference until other people pointed it out.

[Seeking Squirrels]

Google it. Not problems that will be fixed over the weekend, but they make a difference. Seeking fast, spinning and jumping sounds very much like a retained Moro reflex, and if she's got that, she's got all the rest too, almost certainly. You know that "row, row your boat" song where you sit opposite each other, holding hands and pulling backwards and forwards? That will help erode it. 

 

You might need to redefine your idea of what academic looks like and play lots of games. You might also need to let her watch more telly, but be very choosy about what she watches. I had a kid who had to learn via tv when she was small too. I say tv, but I mean carefully monitored dvds.

 

Anything from wonderful things to nothing at all. My kid's early intervention did squat. And that's not because they were stupid either. It's because my kid was operating at maximum potential. Three years below chronological age, but still at maximum. Other people's early intervention experiences were great. You've been parenting her this long. Stuff you do doesn't count less than stuff professionals do. What counts is the stuff that works. 

 

Tell us what you do that works. (About anything, not just academics.)

 

I honestly can't think of anything we do that "works", we're really floundering right now all around. I suppose a few of the things her therapist has told us have helped like having her do animal walks to get to the table for dinner and then doing chair push ups before beginning. That gets us a little longer in her chair than before. I've done sort of sensory obstacle courses for LA, like dig in a sensory bin for a letter, crawl through a tube, then write words using the letter, then animal walk back to the bin.

 

 

No advice, but commiseration. My 7 year old is just like this and I need to sort out an eval for her as well. My local OT was less than helpful.

 

Stefanie

 

I'm sorry! We got the run around a lot at first, especially because she didn't have a "teacher" to fill out the other half of the initial assessment paperwork. They didn't want to advance to the next step without that. But finally we met with a behavioral psychologist that got us fast tracked through and her OT has been wonderful.

 

It is going to take time to see results from OT (especially starting at an older age). Kudos to you for seeking help.

 

Can you read aloud a book and have your daughter draw pictures illustrating what is going on? Or string beads or something similar while she listens?

 

You can learn a lot of science by doing experiments or hands on projects.

 

I had a handheld device (the name escapes me) that my  son learned his times tables on. He thought it was a game, not school.

 

Lapbooks (Hands of a child has good ones) keep you busy cutting and pasting but learning at the same time.

 

Time4Learning might keep her engaged.

 

Her fine motor skills are pretty behind, so she can't really draw illustrations. Most of the time when she does "art" stuff she just scribbles. She has recently started drawing stick figures so maybe she would be up for trying it. We do use thinking putty during read alouds and that helps. She loves lapbooks but we haven't done one for a while. I should look into those again, thank you for the idea. I will look into time4learning, too. I've heard of it but was never interested in computer based programs before.

 

I have a combined seeker/avoider kid.  He had retained primitive reflexes.  He had early intervention OT (beginning at age 3).  He had ST, PT and OT in some combo during most of the time between the ages of 2-12.  He is 14 now.  There is a curriculum for SPD that the OT used called "Ready Bodies, Learning Minds" that a parent could do at home. 

 

Have you looked into a weighted vest?  Mini trampoline?  Starting the day with jumping jacks or wall push ups?  All of these things can help align the brain and make learning more effective.

 

True confession:  I was very overwhelmed during most of the years when my SPD kid was receiving OT so I did very little work at home.  In addition, he was resistant to any of my in the moment suggestions.

 

Since your child is six, academics do not have to be long, seat-work heavy, or involved.  You can get a balance ball for her to do her seat work on.

 

My SPD kid is the reason I began homeschooling.  He also had anxiety, and private school did not work for him.  He is doing pretty darn well at age 14.

 

It is not "too late" for intervention.  The brain is much more elastic than we think.  Your child is still very young.  The connections can be made, and primitive reflexes eliminated.  My son's retained primitive reflexes were not really eliminated until about age 10-11 in spite of diligent OT work.  What I found is that if he did not receive OT for a few weeks, he started to melt down emotionally.  When he had OT consistently, he remained in a better spot emotionally and was able to learn and function better.

I've looked a little into weighted vests and her OT gave me a printout on them last week. I am going to try making one. I made her a weighted lap pad last night. We do have a mini trampoline and we use it a lot between math problems. I'm looking into the retained reflexes now, I'd never heard of it before this thread.

 

 

School is not going to look anything like what you would normally expect.

 

We start the day with a good 2 mile run/walk everyday (barring illness). We just need to get that sensory input going immediately or forget about any focus. We exercise with friends and often let the boys wrestle or play some tackle football to get that crash/boom sensation.

 

We maintain fidget boxes for school and have crunchy snacks & gum handy (calms & organizes the brain). We used to have a ceiling swing where ds sat for a lot of read alouds & discussions (he is older now). Our typical routine is to do a math problem and then crash on a bean bag. Mini-trampolines are great too and we have a lot of bounce breaks. Quite a bit of school is done on the floor. Hands-on is also a key element of our homeschool.

 

You can do this, but you are going to have adjust the expectations and change things up. You can google but there are lots of homeschool suggestions on the web for sensory kids and bins or calm down or just general activities. :)

 

We are getting a doorway swing as soon as we get our tax refund as well as some fidgets and other sensory tools. Her OT gave me a handout on different foods and their sensory effect, but it's so hard because she's also recently been diagnosed with childhood IBS and we're supposed to be following a low fodmap diet. I need to look into a bean bag but I don't know if she'll dig the crashing on it or not. She hates when the OT makes her 'crash' on the cloud, but that's from a swing and she'd really rather keep swinging.

 

Adjusting the expectations is definitely hard for me. I'm ADD and do best with a cut and dry "we do x, y, and z and each curriculum tells us exactly what to do" approach. We're also under a charter that we have to report to so I'm nervous about how things will be reported if we aren't doing x, y, z daily.

 

[Brianna]

We have to have a schedule we follow. My SPD dd is 8. I have really seen a huge change in her even from 6 to 8. My dd is also on meds for ADHD which helps some, also following Feingold diet has help too (my 3 year old has SPD too and has helped him ALOT!!)

She knows we do Math, LA, and piano practice before lunch. Once those are done she has time to play.

After lunch I lay down the little ones and we do Sci and history and any other reading we may have. I have modeling clay I bought from the Dollar tree and she usually makes things while we read or she plays with legos, but she really is learning. For us it usually takes 2 weeks to get in a good routine and her to respond positively. After that things go a little smoother :)

She also learned a lot better at that age if there were a lot of pictures. She did well at that age with animal encyclopedias and Usborne books. (I used a lot of Sonlight and FIAR stuff at that time)

One thing I would say is that her being your first you may feel like you need to be doing a lot and pushing more (guilty here). I have found with mine I follow her interest and that has helped out and helped me not be so stressed.

 

[Rosie_0801]

Work on getting probiotics into her, and buy programs with games. I don't know about the rightstart games kit other than there is one, but I do have the al abacus book. Have a look at Ronit Bird's materials too. They should provide you with the games she wants in a way that feels structured to you?

[kbutton]

I think you should concentrate on the fodmap diet for now to see how much it helps. You might add in fish oil--it has more of a cumulative effect vs. helpful in the moment. (So, you might do it faithfully and not see a big result until you forget for a few days and see the difference.) If it doesn't help behavior, buut she still needs it for IBS, getting the diet piece nailed down and in place will give you confidence to keep working, and it will be one thing done and turned into a new routine. I think it's really important to be open-minded with idea and expectations, but you do have to find things that work for your own wiring as well. As for the umbrella school, I don't know the particulars, but I would be up front with them about what is happening and see how flexible they think they can be.

 

I strongly recommend (if you can swing it), taking notes on what you try and how it goes, while trying things somewhat systematically and for several days before switching things up or discarding ideas. I would brainstorm lists and then prioritize, reprioritize, and map out a possible plan of what to work on. If a pattern emerges of "this one thing contributes to several problems," you might want to start with it. You might want to pick a particular need or trigger point for your starting place. I would not do a whole bunch of new stuff at once--it's too hard to know what is working if you do that. It works for some people, but it does not work for me. Dietary stuff is the only exception--some dietary interventions, such as removing things from the diet, are not effective unless you really do remove it ALL at once. So, you might start with the fodmap diet, add probiotics after a few days, add fish oil, etc. Then, on the school front, try for getting tools that work for each subject, or try to find effective ways to arouse attention. Don't worry about it all at once.

 

We didn't do OT until age 10 with my seeker/avoider, and it still helped. In fact, they could try interventions, such as Zones of Regulation, that are a bit too sophisticated for the younger kiddos. My kiddos do not have retained reflexes, but I know people who have had real breakthroughs by tackling those--they are very important to work on if present.

[Seeking Squirrels]

We have to have a schedule we follow. My SPD dd is 8. I have really seen a huge change in her even from 6 to 8. My dd is also on meds for ADHD which helps some, also following Feingold diet has help too (my 3 year old has SPD too and has helped him ALOT!!)

She knows we do Math, LA, and piano practice before lunch. Once those are done she has time to play.

After lunch I lay down the little ones and we do Sci and history and any other reading we may have. I have modeling clay I bought from the Dollar tree and she usually makes things while we read or she plays with legos, but she really is learning. For us it usually takes 2 weeks to get in a good routine and her to respond positively. After that things go a little smoother :)

She also learned a lot better at that age if there were a lot of pictures. She did well at that age with animal encyclopedias and Usborne books. (I used a lot of Sonlight and FIAR stuff at that time)

One thing I would say is that her being your first you may feel like you need to be doing a lot and pushing more (guilty here). I have found with mine I follow her interest and that has helped out and helped me not be so stressed.

I know she would probably do so much better on a good schedule. That's one place I fail. I am horrible at keeping to a schedule. I am going to try again. I know I probably do try to do too much. I'm trying to relax my expectations.

 

 

Work on getting probiotics into her, and buy programs with games. I don't know about the rightstart games kit other than there is one, but I do have the al abacus book. Have a look at Ronit Bird's materials too. They should provide you with the games she wants in a way that feels structured to you?

I've looked at right start a little bit but heard it was teacher intensive so I dismissed it. I will look at it again, though and see if it would be better for her. I've never heard of Ronit Bird but I will look.

 

I think you should concentrate on the fodmap diet for now to see how much it helps. You might add in fish oil--it has more of a cumulative effect vs. helpful in the moment. (So, you might do it faithfully and not see a big result until you forget for a few days and see the difference.) If it doesn't help behavior, buut she still needs it for IBS, getting the diet piece nailed down and in place will give you confidence to keep working, and it will be one thing done and turned into a new routine. I think it's really important to be open-minded with idea and expectations, but you do have to find things that work for your own wiring as well. As for the umbrella school, I don't know the particulars, but I would be up front with them about what is happening and see how flexible they think they can be.

 

I strongly recommend (if you can swing it), taking notes on what you try and how it goes, while trying things somewhat systematically and for several days before switching things up or discarding ideas. I would brainstorm lists and then prioritize, reprioritize, and map out a possible plan of what to work on. If a pattern emerges of "this one thing contributes to several problems," you might want to start with it. You might want to pick a particular need or trigger point for your starting place. I would not do a whole bunch of new stuff at once--it's too hard to know what is working if you do that. It works for some people, but it does not work for me. Dietary stuff is the only exception--some dietary interventions, such as removing things from the diet, are not effective unless you really do remove it ALL at once. So, you might start with the fodmap diet, add probiotics after a few days, add fish oil, etc. Then, on the school front, try for getting tools that work for each subject, or try to find effective ways to arouse attention. Don't worry about it all at once.

 

We didn't do OT until age 10 with my seeker/avoider, and it still helped. In fact, they could try interventions, such as Zones of Regulation, that are a bit too sophisticated for the younger kiddos. My kiddos do not have retained reflexes, but I know people who have had real breakthroughs by tackling those--they are very important to work on if present.

 

The fodmap diet has been so hard for us. She is already so hard to feed. She is mostly seeker but is avoider when it comes to food. So finding things she can AND will eat has been difficult. It is definitely helping, though.

 

The charter wants to see what we've done each week with particulars in math, LA, and science. They want five blocks of time for each every week plus five blocks each for social studies and arts/music/pe though they don't need as detailed of an account. They also want 10 samples per month. I will talk to her ES next time I have a meeting and find out how they would like me to do it. We don't HAVE to stay with them, but my daughter really enjoys the electives day and it gives me a break and a day with just my toddler.

 

[vickjul]

My 6-year-old has been diagnosed with SPD, GAD, and ADHD. She also struggles with motor control, so writing is a chore for her. The strategies that have helped us most are ...

1. starting the day with physical activity
Weather permitting, we start the day outside. If it's too cold to play, I'll encourage her to bounce on a mini trampoline or dance to music. She needs to burn off energy before she sits down to work, though.

2. physical contact/rocking
We do most of her schoolwork together in the recliner. She craves physical contact, and she focuses best when she's in my lap, wrapped in her blanket, and rocking gently. We spend at least an hour each morning reading together, and I use this time for informal teaching. We usually do a Bible story, two or three poems, a picture book, and at least a couple of chapters of a chapter book. We'll take time to find places that we're reading about on a map, identify rhyme schemes in poems, brainstorm a list of adjectives that describe a character in a story, explore illustrations, sequence historical events, summarize what we've read, etc. She absorbs information like a sponge and doesn't equate listening to stories with "schoolwork."

We also do a good portion of her formal work in the rocking chair. I've gradually increased the amount of written work I'm requiring her to do, but we still do more orally than in writing.

3. limiting formal work
Good day or bad day, I cap formal work at no more than two hours (with one and a half being optimal), and I break activities into short "chunks."

Today, for example, we spent 45 minutes on math. The first 5 minutes, she spent completing an addition/subtraction mental math exercise orally. The next 10 minutes, we spent doing money-themed word problems from Challenging Word Problems book. From there, we moved on to our current focus of multiplication for 20 minutes. We watched Schoolhouse Rock video clips for the 3's and 4's fact families and practiced skip counting by 3's and 4's. We then looked at her Primary Mathematics workbook together, and I had her complete the first page of today's exercise orally. Once she was confident she knew the answers, I sent her to the table to complete the exercise in writing. We checked her work together. I marked the numbers she had written backward, had her practice forming 5s and 9s on the Boogie Board, then let her correct her her writing. The final 10 minutes, we spent reading and working through the problems in the next two chapters of Life of Fred Edgewood (her "reward" for getting the rest of her math done). All in all, we reviewed several skills sets and got in some solid practice, but she didn't have time to get bored with any one task, and we stopped while she was still having fun.

For language arts, she spent 15 minutes reading aloud to me (practicing fluency and expression), 10 minutes reviewing capitalization rules and correcting a paragraph with irregular capitalization, and 20 minutes doing a hands-on spelling lesson (forming words with letter cubes, writing them, sorting them by word families, and using them in sentences). Then, formal work was done for the day. There was certainly more learning, but for the rest of the day, I followed her lead.

4. allowing for movement
From bungee cord chairs to hop balls, if it allows for movement, we probably have it. We've practiced spelling words with DD bouncing up and down the hallway, and we've watched science videos with her hanging upside down from the back of the sofa. We've done flash cards on the porch swing, and we've practiced skip counting while I've swung her around in circles on a disc swing. She can take a trampoline break any time she wants to, and she gets banished to the trampoline if she falls out of her chair too many times in rapid succession. She's not a "sit still" kid, and trying to force her to sit makes both of us crazy. (It also hampers her learning. Trying to "be still" requires so much concentration that she mentally blocks out everything else around her.)

5. working at her pace
We're all over the place in terms of curriculum. We're using a kindergarten handwriting text and Kumon preschool cutting/tracing/maze/craft books to help develop her motor skills. We've just started 2nd grade spelling, we're finishing second grade math, and she reads at a middle school level. There is no fitting her in a box or finding a prepackaged curriculum that works well for her. And that's OK. That's why we homeschool. :-)

[Seeking Squirrels]

My 6-year-old has been diagnosed with SPD, GAD, and ADHD. She also struggles with motor control, so writing is a chore for her. The strategies that have helped us most are ...

 

1. starting the day with physical activity

Weather permitting, we start the day outside. If it's too cold to play, I'll encourage her to bounce on a mini trampoline or dance to music. She needs to burn off energy before she sits down to work, though.

 

2. physical contact/rocking

We do most of her schoolwork together in the recliner. She craves physical contact, and she focuses best when she's in my lap, wrapped in her blanket, and rocking gently. We spend at least an hour each morning reading together, and I use this time for informal teaching. We usually do a Bible story, two or three poems, a picture book, and at least a couple of chapters of a chapter book. We'll take time to find places that we're reading about on a map, identify rhyme schemes in poems, brainstorm a list of adjectives that describe a character in a story, explore illustrations, sequence historical events, summarize what we've read, etc. She absorbs information like a sponge and doesn't equate listening to stories with "schoolwork."

 

We also do a good portion of her formal work in the rocking chair. I've gradually increased the amount of written work I'm requiring her to do, but we still do more orally than in writing.

 

3. limiting formal work

Good day or bad day, I cap formal work at no more than two hours (with one and a half being optimal), and I break activities into short "chunks."

 

Today, for example, we spent 45 minutes on math. The first 5 minutes, she spent completing an addition/subtraction mental math exercise orally. The next 10 minutes, we spent doing money-themed word problems from Challenging Word Problems book. From there, we moved on to our current focus of multiplication for 20 minutes. We watched Schoolhouse Rock video clips for the 3's and 4's fact families and practiced skip counting by 3's and 4's. We then looked at her Primary Mathematics workbook together, and I had her complete the first page of today's exercise orally. Once she was confident she knew the answers, I sent her to the table to complete the exercise in writing. We checked her work together. I marked the numbers she had written backward, had her practice forming 5s and 9s on the Boogie Board, then let her correct her her writing. The final 10 minutes, we spent reading and working through the problems in the next two chapters of Life of Fred Edgewood (her "reward" for getting the rest of her math done). All in all, we reviewed several skills sets and got in some solid practice, but she didn't have time to get bored with any one task, and we stopped while she was still having fun.

 

For language arts, she spent 15 minutes reading aloud to me (practicing fluency and expression), 10 minutes reviewing capitalization rules and correcting a paragraph with irregular capitalization, and 20 minutes doing a hands-on spelling lesson (forming words with letter cubes, writing them, sorting them by word families, and using them in sentences). Then, formal work was done for the day. There was certainly more learning, but for the rest of the day, I followed her lead.

 

4. allowing for movement

From bungee cord chairs to hop balls, if it allows for movement, we probably have it. We've practiced spelling words with DD bouncing up and down the hallway, and we've watched science videos with her hanging upside down from the back of the sofa. We've done flash cards on the porch swing, and we've practiced skip counting while I've swung her around in circles on a disc swing. She can take a trampoline break any time she wants to, and she gets banished to the trampoline if she falls out of her chair too many times in rapid succession. She's not a "sit still" kid, and trying to force her to sit makes both of us crazy. (It also hampers her learning. Trying to "be still" requires so much concentration that she mentally blocks out everything else around her.)

 

5. working at her pace

We're all over the place in terms of curriculum. We're using a kindergarten handwriting text and Kumon preschool cutting/tracing/maze/craft books to help develop her motor skills. We've just started 2nd grade spelling, we're finishing second grade math, and she reads at a middle school level. There is no fitting her in a box or finding a prepackaged curriculum that works well for her. And that's OK. That's why we homeschool. :-)

 

Thank you, this is very helpful :)

 

Do you have formal curriculum for science or history that you just use as she asks or it works, or do you wing those through books and other means? DD loves science but it seems by the time we've finished math and LA she doesn't have much left in her to sit through science, too, even with a break. I know we could get a lot in just through reading books together, but she does want to get to her "real" science. Or at least she complains if we skip it for a while, but she doesn't go out of her way to ask for it.

 

It's so hard wanting to get everything in, but not feeling like she can handle that. When I ask her, she says she really likes ALL of our stuff and she doesn't want to stop or switch out any of it. But in practice, she complains every step of the way about nearly everything and struggles through.

 

Is it AAS you use? I keep considering it but didn't want to add another big chunk of time to her sit down work. LA is a big struggle area right now, though, so I'm thinking we need to change things.

[vickjul]

Thank you, this is very helpful :)

 

Do you have formal curriculum for science or history that you just use as she asks or it works, or do you wing those through books and other means? DD loves science but it seems by the time we've finished math and LA she doesn't have much left in her to sit through science, too, even with a break. I know we could get a lot in just through reading books together, but she does want to get to her "real" science. Or at least she complains if we skip it for a while, but she doesn't go out of her way to ask for it.

 

It's so hard wanting to get everything in, but not feeling like she can handle that. When I ask her, she says she really likes ALL of our stuff and she doesn't want to stop or switch out any of it. But in practice, she complains every step of the way about nearly everything and struggles through.

 

Is it AAS you use? I keep considering it but didn't want to add another big chunk of time to her sit down work. LA is a big struggle area right now, though, so I'm thinking we need to change things.

I largely follow DD's interests in science and social studies, although we have a bookcase full of science and social studies (including a variety of textbooks) to help spark interests. We've used an older edition of McGraw Hill Science Grade 2 as a "spine" this year, but we use it primarily for inspiration, and we generally don't use by itself. We also incorporate as many hands-on activities as possible. Right now, we're trying to get a good compost pile going and are sprouting seeds indoors to plant this spring. We also just ordered ladybug larvae. :-) We'll observe their life cycles, then release the mature ladybugs in our garden.

 

As for spelling, I've looked at AAS several times and may move to it next year, but I haven't been willing to commit that much time or money yet. At present, we're alternating between http://www.amazon.com/Making-Words-Lessons-School-Grade/dp/0887246613/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424288123&sr=8-3&keywords=making+words+grade+two and http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Word-Ladders-Reproducible-Vocabulary/dp/0545074762/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424288583&sr=8-1&keywords=daily+word+ladders+grades+1-2 . The combination keeps her engaged, builds her confidence, and meets state requirements without significantly adding to our daily workload.

[2Peanuts]

Hi there,

 

My DS5 is on the spectrum and while he hasn't been diagnosed with SPD, he does have sensory issues as well as active primitive reflexes.

 

I wanted to chime in with a book recommendation: The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz. Many of the exercises in there are either the same or very similar to primitive reflex exercises, so that's good "bang for the buck." She has a few other books, too, like The Out of Sync Child Has Fun. That's a great book with lots of easy-to-implement activities to do with your child at home.

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Out---Sync-Child-Carol-Kranowitz/dp/0399531653/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424983891&sr=8-1&keywords=out+of+sync+child

 

Another great book is Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel. She also gives lots of great, easy to do exercises.

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Raising-Sensory-Smart-Child-SensoryProcessing/dp/0143115340/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424984540&sr=8-1&keywords=raising+sensory+smart+child

 

I also saw you say something about how your OT has your daughter crash into a crash pad from a swing but your daughter would rather just keep swinging & swinging. :) That's my son, too. What I learned from my OT is that vestibular-seeking actions (the sense that makes our kiddos want to swing a lot) need to be balanced with "heavy work" (proprioceptive, or joint compression, heavy pressure input). Think of the crash as the "period" at the end of her swinging "sentence." Without the "period," her sensory system will keep ramping up & up & up. Or at least, that's what happens with my kiddo. (Just wanted to explain why your OT insists on the crash in case you were wondering why your DD can't just keep swinging.)

 

Easy ways to get that rocking sensation at home without a swing --- if you have another adult around & if you're both physically able, wrap your daughter in a big blanket & swing her like she's in a hammock. That's a great "two for one" activity because the swinging motion hits her vestibular system while the blanket "smooshing" her while she swings gives her the proprioceptive input. You can also hold her in a bear hug and rock in a rocking chair. Or if you want an ab workout, hug her and then roll back and forth on the floor. (I need my DH sitting behind me to push me up when I do this cuz my abs can't pull me *and* DS up!)

 

I didn't check to see where you live, but if you are near Virginia, there is a great workshop called Brain Connections (http://www.wellconnectedbrain.com/) that covers all the primitive reflex stuff. It's really good info & best of all, the exercises they teach are all easy to implement. No equipment necessary. The workshop trainer travels around the VA area --- I know she's done workshops in PA, MD, and NC.

 

Good luck with your journey! There's so much to learn & absorb.

 

Carol

 

 

[Plink]

Didn't take time to read the replies, so forgive me if I'm repeating what others have said.  I just wanted to encourage you to embrace your child's version of normal.  

 

I intentionally work to meet my sensory seeker's needs before school starts every day.  A run, long shower, hefting pellets in from the garage, whatever physical exercise we can find to get her system stimulated.  This helps her to feel more comfortable in her skin and allows her brain to be freed up to learn.

 

Then, we allow her to work in quirky positions -Math facts while jumping on the trampoline? Sure!  Silly putty while reading history?  Why not!  Narrations while walking around the block?  Okay!  Upside down day, school under the table, spinning on the tire swing, balance balls; we've done it all during school, and loved every minute.  Your homeschool can be as active as you want it to be.  

 

Don't feel that you need to teach her to sit still.  Eventually they get older and find more socially acceptable ways to meet their needs while accomplishing work, but that doesn't happen overnight.  The younger years are all about meeting her need for input, and giving her a variety of tools.  She will eventually show you which tools work for her, and which ones don't.

[Seeking Squirrels]

Hi there,

 

My DS5 is on the spectrum and while he hasn't been diagnosed with SPD, he does have sensory issues as well as active primitive reflexes.

 

I wanted to chime in with a book recommendation: The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz. Many of the exercises in there are either the same or very similar to primitive reflex exercises, so that's good "bang for the buck." She has a few other books, too, like The Out of Sync Child Has Fun. That's a great book with lots of easy-to-implement activities to do with your child at home.

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Out---Sync-Child-Carol-Kranowitz/dp/0399531653/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424983891&sr=8-1&keywords=out+of+sync+child

 

Another great book is Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel. She also gives lots of great, easy to do exercises.

 

http://smile.amazon.com/Raising-Sensory-Smart-Child-SensoryProcessing/dp/0143115340/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424984540&sr=8-1&keywords=raising+sensory+smart+child

 

I also saw you say something about how your OT has your daughter crash into a crash pad from a swing but your daughter would rather just keep swinging & swinging. :) That's my son, too. What I learned from my OT is that vestibular-seeking actions (the sense that makes our kiddos want to swing a lot) need to be balanced with "heavy work" (proprioceptive, or joint compression, heavy pressure input). Think of the crash as the "period" at the end of her swinging "sentence." Without the "period," her sensory system will keep ramping up & up & up. Or at least, that's what happens with my kiddo. (Just wanted to explain why your OT insists on the crash in case you were wondering why your DD can't just keep swinging.)

 

Easy ways to get that rocking sensation at home without a swing --- if you have another adult around & if you're both physically able, wrap your daughter in a big blanket & swing her like she's in a hammock. That's a great "two for one" activity because the swinging motion hits her vestibular system while the blanket "smooshing" her while she swings gives her the proprioceptive input. You can also hold her in a bear hug and rock in a rocking chair. Or if you want an ab workout, hug her and then roll back and forth on the floor. (I need my DH sitting behind me to push me up when I do this cuz my abs can't pull me *and* DS up!)

 

I didn't check to see where you live, but if you are near Virginia, there is a great workshop called Brain Connections (http://www.wellconnectedbrain.com/) that covers all the primitive reflex stuff. It's really good info & best of all, the exercises they teach are all easy to implement. No equipment necessary. The workshop trainer travels around the VA area --- I know she's done workshops in PA, MD, and NC.

 

Good luck with your journey! There's so much to learn & absorb.

 

Carol

Thank you. Those books have been on my amazon wish list for a long time, I need to finally just get them! I trusted the OT on making her crash, but your description does help. We are hopefully moving very soon and can get a swing set up for her. I'm unfortunately not up to most of the physical ways of helping meet those needs. I've had full shoulder replacement and I don't trust my shoulder yet. We are in Utah, but I i will look for something similar or talk to her OT. We missed two weeks due to a vacation and we are coming back to a new OT as hers was transferred back to the office she normally works from. We did get to meet her once before we left, but I'm still not sure how it will go with DD. She really did well with the first one.

 

Didn't take time to read the replies, so forgive me if I'm repeating what others have said.  I just wanted to encourage you to embrace your child's version of normal.  

 

I intentionally work to meet my sensory seeker's needs before school starts every day.  A run, long shower, hefting pellets in from the garage, whatever physical exercise we can find to get her system stimulated.  This helps her to feel more comfortable in her skin and allows her brain to be freed up to learn.

 

Then, we allow her to work in quirky positions -Math facts while jumping on the trampoline? Sure!  Silly putty while reading history?  Why not!  Narrations while walking around the block?  Okay!  Upside down day, school under the table, spinning on the tire swing, balance balls; we've done it all during school, and loved every minute.  Your homeschool can be as active as you want it to be.  

 

Don't feel that you need to teach her to sit still.  Eventually they get older and find more socially acceptable ways to meet their needs while accomplishing work, but that doesn't happen overnight.  The younger years are all about meeting her need for input, and giving her a variety of tools.  She will eventually show you which tools work for her, and which ones don't.

Thank you for this! I always feel like I need to be teaching her to sit still and to do school "normal". But sometimes (okay, most times) this is so overwhelming that it becomes the entire focus of our school time, instead of the actual education. I need to learn to relax and let her do what she needs. We recently signed up with Time4Learning online because we were just butting heads so badly over school. It's not necessarily what we'll do long term, but we needed it for now.

 

 

 

I know what would really help us the most is ME doing a better job. My life is so disorganized right now and it's not helping. All these things that I know I should be doing, I don't. Not for any reason other than I just don't think of it or don't do it. We don't get active in the morning because *I* don't get moving until it's much too late. We don't do sensory input before school because *I* don't make time for it and wait until we really must start before doing so. I don't think of these things until it's too late. Or by the time I think of them it stresses me out because taking those steps takes time and I've put everything off til I don't feel we have the time to spare. :/ I'm feeling very in over my head lately.

[Plink]

((hugs)) I remember feeling the exact same way.  

 

You aren't behind.  You are a good mom.  I promise.  

 

Start with something simple like plopping her in the tub or shower every morning  - it is sensory input you can give her while still having time to drink your coffee and dress the baby.  Set a timer for 15 minutes, and let her be in charge of shutting it off when she gets out.  6 year olds love being in charge of anything with buttons.  

[Seeking Squirrels]

((hugs)) I remember feeling the exact same way.  

 

You aren't behind.  You are a good mom.  I promise.  

 

Start with something simple like plopping her in the tub or shower every morning  - it is sensory input you can give her while still having time to drink your coffee and dress the baby.  Set a timer for 15 minutes, and let her be in charge of shutting it off when she gets out.  6 year olds love being in charge of anything with buttons.  

 

Thank you for your kind words. I need to remember those things more often. :)

 

I like this idea. And morning seems a good place to start. I am going to start setting an alarm to get myself up earlier, before the girls if I can manage.

[2Peanuts]

I just wanted to chime in and also say that you are doing fine! I think many of us also feel like there's a ton of stuff we should be doing for our kiddos that we just aren't doing. It's hard enough feeling adequate as a parent of a neurotypical kid. Doubly hard for those of us who have special needs kiddos!

 

I wanted to share some approaches that have helped me a lot. First, add only one new thing to your routine. I found that trying to do it all quickly became overwhelming. So I picked the one tactic I felt I could implement easily and focused on that for a few days. When I felt ready to add something new, I did. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a loooooong journey so there's no need to try to do everything right now. There will be time for everything eventually. :)

 

Second help was to connect a new activity with something we already do daily. For example, our OT has asked us to do some simple movement exercises daily. I make these exercises part of DS's morning routine, right between brushing teeth & getting dressed. Of course, this game plan has been totally derailed lately with all the snow days but when it works, it works! Another example is I work on our speech therapy "homework" when reading bedtime stories.

 

Finally, I use the proverbial carrot-on-a-stick. If DS wants to watch another PAW Patrol, he has to first give me some OT exercises. He responds well with the proper motivation.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you some ideas to hopefully make this phase of your life feel less daunting. Good luck sorting thru all the info. I remember it felt like a mountain at first, but I eventually saw the pieces clicking together so I could better understand the hows and whys of all the recommendations. I still need plenty of reminders but I can say that some stuff is becoming second nature. It just takes time...and asking lots of questions! Make your therapists teach you what they do with your DC --- that's another "trick" I use a lot. Easier to talk to them than to read about it in a book. :)

 

Good luck!

Carol

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk