Math help for HFA, dysgraphic, dyscalculic, and dyslexic student

[coffeefreak]

A friend has asked me to post this for her. She can see your answers and questions, she's just trying to protect her son's anonymity and feelings. TIA! :)

 

 

He is 10 and can not memorize math facts. He can do the same fact family for weeks (and does as that is how Rod and Staff is set up. He is still struggling through R&S 2 unsure emoticon We have been in this book for 2 years) but he still doesnt know that fact family. I can ask him 10 times what 9+5 is and each time I ask its like he has never heard of those words before. He has dyscalcula I just found out so now I know why we have been in R&S 2 for 2 years abd are only 1/2 way through. I am thinking to get the Al Abacus book for the 4 basic operations. I have BJU 2 that I plan on going through when I get the manipulative book for it. After that I am planning on doing Saxon 3 with the deluxe manipulative set. I guess I just need input from other dyscalcula moms. I think he has a working memory deficit too but haven't looked into it yet. He also has HFA, dysgraphia, and dyslexia (all diagnosed).

[prairiewindmomma]

I would suggest Ronit Bird's ebooks to work on remediating the dyscalculia. I think they are effective, efficient, and inexpensive. There are a LOT of dyscalculia threads here on this board; it's been a frequent topic of conversation in the last year as a number of us are working through similar issues.

 

Working with manipulatives, hands on, also helps with doing math despite the other exceptionalities. In our house, ds does the manipulatives work and explains what we are doing and why and then directs me to scribe the notation work for him.

[prairiewindmomma]

If not a lot of progress is made with math facts after RB, I would suggest providing a reference chart and teaching calculator skills if he has the ability to understand deeper math concepts.

[PeterPan]

Yes, Ronit Bird.  Start with the Dots ebook.  It's under $10.  I've used BJU and RightStart with my dd and I can tell you they're NOT what she needs.  Ronit Bird is what she needs.  

 

Also see if her library has this book  Mathematics for Dyslexics: Including Dyscalculia  I just started reading it, and it's very helpful.

 

Btw, when she says "do" the fact family, what does she mean?  I do the lessons in RB, then when we have covered the facts and the numbers mean something to him (number sense, ness, that they actually mean something), then I put it into the Fast Facts Math app and drill them aloud.  Written math drills make no sense for a dysgraphic dc, kwim?  You're using his weakest, most disabled processing and saying oh btw while you're struggling try to learn.  I have my ds read the facts aloud as he does them on the app.  Obviously we had to start with just a few facts and work up and we slowed it down to the longest time per fact (30 seconds).  So when he sees 1+3=? he actually reads aloud and says "One plus three equals" then a long pause while he thinks, because this is rocket science, and if he's lucky gets out "four" before the time is up.  And you start super small like that, just doing a few that you know he really has -ness for and really understands and visualizes because you've done them with RB.  And when those are fluid, add a few more.

 

I've said this in another thread, but the encouragement I'm getting back channel, from someone whose dc has very similar labels, is to do lots of hands-on math.  It gives meaning to the numbers.  So instead of the paper math, do more DOING math.  Objects, counters, activities, measuring, manipulatives, anything where he can handle it and do it.  If he has an obsession, get things for that and do with the math.  Like a bag of lego weapons if he's into weapons or military soldiers that he lines up for battle and the equations are orders from the commander or some kind of figures appropriate to LOtR or whatever he's into, kwim?  DO the math.  

 

The three ebooks (RB Dots, C-Rods, and Multiplication) are roughly equivalent to the first RB book The Dyscalculia Toolkit: Supporting Learning Difficulties in Maths   It's just in general the ebooks are an easier starting point, as they come with videos.  Once you use them, you'll be in the swing of things and find it easier to jump into the printed books.  The follow-up to Toolkit and the ebooks (or the starting point with some older students) is Overcoming Difficulties with Number: Supporting Dyscalculia and Students who Struggle with Maths   This book is more like 5th grade math stuff.  It doesn't sound like he's there.  That's an overgeneralization.  I'm just saying it sounds like he's back at basic number sense, number bonds, etc. and that Dots and C-Rods might be better starting points.  They're inexpensive so if he goes through them quickly you're not disappointed.  Excellent foundation.  RB's third book  The Dyscalculia Resource Book: Games and Puzzles for ages 7 to 14  is more supplemental stuff for when you're doing the other books.  You'll see it referenced later in the C-Rods ebook, where she'll suggest you could play certain games from the Resource book.  

 

Anyways, that's the scoop on the differences so you don't wallow in confusion there.   :)

 

I think the *understanding* of the math, having the number sense, having the words mean something, being able to visualize the quantities and understand how to manipulate them in your mind, is more important than whether he has actually memorized the math facts.  Seriously.  Because with the former he can move forward, and without it he can't.  My dd still is not snappy on her math facts, but they improved around age 12 when we started a spiral program.  Ironically, my ds, who has a math disability diagnosed and reconfirmed, knows his math facts pretty doggone well at this point.  But we've put all our efforts into Ronit Bird stuff and really milking it, then we do the fact drill ALOUD.  I think the aloud is the key.

 

The other thing that's brilliant about RB (and a reason, among others, that RightStart isn't adequate for this) is that RB approaches the same thing so many ways.  See the problem with ASD is you have generalization issues.  So they might get it with one thing and TOTALLY NOT GET IT with the next manipulative or the next situation.  So we want three to mean something in ALL situations.  We need 18 to be 18 as 10 and 8 in ALL situations.  RB gives you that variety or makes it obvious how to carry it over and work on that.  So I might use dots today and plastic bugs tomorrow and skittles the next day and cookies another day.  It's not tied to this one manipulative.  Anything RightStart does, RB will do too but better.  Don't even fret over that.  RightStart makes huge assumptions and leaps.  I had so looked forward to using it with ds, and he just looked at me like I was spewing greek at him.  Russian would have been more effective.  No connect, no clue.  Only RB broke through that.  She breaks the steps down SO small and takes NOTHING of comprehension for granted.  Well I say that, but usually nothing.  She actually snowed him in C-Rods because she started them building a doubles pyramid with teens and didn't actually build up the teens.  But that's just how messy my ds' brain is for math, that 18 meant nothing to him.  He had no picture of it and it might as well have been umbrella dog.  He'd say these crazy things, and it was clear he had no mental picture.  But no matter, after you've taught through Dots, you know HOW to get that connect and build a picture in their mind and make the words mean something, it's just the doing.  So that's why I suggest starting with Dots, even if you're going to go super fast, because it's going to be the easiest way to fill in that foundation.  And I tell you it's deceptively simple, deceptively.  After we worked through Dots, I was able to put almost all the math addition facts into my ds app and drill them.  He now has ALL the math addition facts down just from doing Dots.  Now I did take the intermediate step of connecting the manipulatives to numerical representation.  It's not like I just sprung it on him.  There's no written math in Dots.  I'm just saying I set up the dots situation and then said oh btw here are the numbers with sandpaper letters (but use tiles, index cards cut in half, whatever you want) and what would that look like if we wanted to use written math, and we made that transfer.  

 

So RB Dots got us all our addition facts.  It's really more powerful than you think, if you just slow down and milk it.

 

Keep asking questions.   :)

[Rosie_0801]

Games help absolutely, but if she wants a "proper" maths curriculum, try CSMP. I don't think Ronit Bird's activities would work on my dd if she hadn't already been working through CSMP. But then, the CSMP wouldn't be as effective either without the games. Both! We need both!

[Kanin]

I second everything that has been said about Ronit Bird. My student (10) didn't really get what "five" was until Ronit Bird. He could count, but had no idea about the five-ness of five. Now he can tell me the "numbers inside" of five - four and one, two and three, five and zero. He can see it. It's awesome! As an added bonus, the Ronit Bird materials are gorgeous and so inviting. Kids love the games, too!

 

 

I've also used CSMP and it's really great, and free :) Just google CSMP math and you'll find a ton of lessons and really good worksheets. You could (should!) use manipulatives to build the answers on the CSMP worksheets.

[PeterPan]

Mainer, I'm so glad RB is working out well for him!!!!  I remember your thread, so that's exciting you're getting breakthroughs!!!   :hurray:  :hurray: