Deleted for privacy

[Legomom]

Deleted for privacy. On the wrong track 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Legomom
Not applicable

[Pen]

I don't know. If you are concerned, an evaluation could be helpful perhaps.

 

Saxon is very slow and tedious, IMO.  Did you try doing a lesson yourself and comparing how long it takes you (presumably where it is not new material) to see by way of comparison to him?

 

My ds has dysgraphia and what you are describing does not sound similar--though someone could have a different form of dysgraphia..  My son, for example, was very good at art: since art was not language based it was not same issue. Ditto for numerals by and large.

 

Maybe your ds has some problem with fine motor coordination?  Or?

 

I also think that the emphasis on speed over quality in our society may be wrong-headed.  

 

And many homeschoolers may be slower than b&m-ers b/c they've not had to do timed exercises so much.

 

But also "just bang something out" is itself a learned skill with regard to composition.  And itself takes practice.

[Pen]

adding: and the main issues for your ds may be perfectionism and anxiety rather than an underlying LD--though there may be an underlying LD.

[Heathermomster]

Your son sounds like he has compromised processing speed and a motor issue.

 

A full np evaluation would help especially if he wants to dual enroll. CCs don't accommodate with extra time or notetakers without appropriate testing.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Heathermomster

[PeterPan]

Once you get the psych eval, you'll know how much low processing speed, ADHD, etc. are affecting him and whether there are SLDs. He sounds very bright, so I would continue to let him make his choices on math, so long as he's doing well and enjoying it. Some people are slow. Meds can help (if there's ADHD), but it can also just be reality. Doesn't mean he's in the wrong course or placement. The meds can also lower anxiety, ironically enough.

 

I would *not* let him make significant choices on college, etc. till he has evals. That's another reason to get evals and some career testing done sooner, rather than later. He might do well in a business major, for instance. He seems like someone who is good at plowing through hard, complex things and sticking with it. The psych will find those strengths and give you some recommendations.

 

Being "lazy" is a typical thing they'll say of ADHD kids, and it's really the ADHD. You definitely want to get some evals so you can move past the incorrect terms and figure out what's going on. 

 

Fwiw, he might not even get an SLD label. He might, sure, but there is a breadth there of symptomatology where people struggle (because of the ADHD, etc.) but don't push over to an SLD label. My dd is like that. What you're describing IS my dd. Go read my old posts. Google "drops of blood ohelizabeth site:welltrainedmind.com" hehe. She couldn't even type on QWERTY. I finally moved her over to an alternate keyboard layout (Dvorak) and she was able to learn. So her handwriting would have been better if she had a CHICKEN by the legs AND she couldn't type. That was a bad time! But it got better. We did metronome work, got her over to Dvorak so she was functional, etc. But nope, they wouldn't give her an SLD writing label. And I would have disputed it till I watched my ds. The difference between them is for one it's hard and for the other it's impossible. But they're both having issues, but there was a degree difference.

 

So yeah, get the evals, see where things fall, make a plan with the info. If you take the time with picking the psych and find somebody you like talking to, somebody who seems to want to slow down, answer your questions, do some career counseling, etc., it will be a good experience.

[Paige]

My DS probably has dysgraphia. His handwriting is terrible and he was referred to OT at 5, but we didn't follow through because of other things going on.

 

He's always been excellent in math but Algebra was especially rough because the writing involved and the organization involved were challenging. I think it could very well account for your DS's issues. If you have time, I would spend a few weeks by his side forcing the issue of proper form. Make him write the problems neatly, line things up, and show his work according to standard notation if he's prone to cutting corners. It will make a big difference.

 

My DS resisted fiercely but we persevered and now his main problems are with misreading his own handwriting ( mistaking 4s for 9s, etc). Once he got in the habit of showing his work the expected, traditional way, things went more smoothly, but with dysgraphia issues that can be a hard task to learn.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Paige

[Arcadia]

My DS12 who had writing stamina issues used SM then AoPS for math. For SM he only wrote the answers and scant working. For AoPS, he typed in LaTex for his online homework and wrote full workings for about half the questions for the book work. He has nice legible writing though and no convergence issues (which DS11 has) so it was only the volume of writing that he couldn't cope with.

 

My DS11 is slower at tasks for multiple reasons, one of which was convergence isssues and another was being reluctant to write things down causing his slow processing speed to seem even slower.

 

The community college disability office would want evaluations for accommodations so I would really get the ball rolling on investigating what evaluations are available at low/no cost to you.

 

 And many homeschoolers may be slower than b&m-ers b/c they've not had to do timed exercises so much.

 

But also "just bang something out" is itself a learned skill with regard to composition.  And itself takes practice.

  

adding: and the main issues for your ds may be perfectionism and anxiety rather than an underlying LD--though there may be an underlying LD.

I agree. My perfectionist DS12 probably doesn't have anxiety but the perfectionism and lack of timed exercises made churning essays on the fly hard initially. Now he is better at aiming for almost perfect for some work and just getting it done for others so that he can have enough downtime for himself.

[Legomom]

Deleted for privacy. 

On 8/14/2017 at 12:32 PM, Pen said:

I

On 8/14/2017 at 1:27 PM, OhElizabeth said:

On 8/14/2017 at 1:42 PM, Paige said:

Edited April 13, 2020 by Legomom

[Heathermomster]

My DS uses a basic Echo Smartpen in class.  We were just re-listening to a lecture on the computer and reviewing his notes.  Some people draw mind maps instead of taking notes.  If he can get a copy of someone's notes or get a copy of the notes ahead of time so that he can simply listen, that is probably best.

[Paige]

Responding here within multiple quotes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited to correct my typos!

The small mistakes sound normal and it's normal for kids to not see them until they are pointed out. Consistency with making him check his work and time to mature and practice will likely be all he needs if that's the primary issue. You could have him do two extra problems for every problem he misses from not checking his work, for example. Or you could just make him redo every incorrect problem and give him a reward for not missing any. Maybe he gets 1.00 if he gets everything right and for every missed problem you keep .10 of it. What works for motivation will depend on his personality.