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ashamama

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About ashamama

  • Birthday 11/05/1985

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  1. His handwriting is lovely these days in both print and cursive. He is in Classical Conversations so I did get him the Scripts for the Medieval World so that he will have a nicely visual page that will match up with his history sentences to practice his cursive. We aren't currently using a spelling program, but his spelling is pretty good. It's the words that are a little trickier that he can use practice with so we really want to go for rule-based (that and he is super logic and rule bound in her personality.) I have been thinking of starting English from the Roots Up. i showed him the book for Song School Latin and his response was "oh, that would be good for my brother" (who is 2) so I think he thinks it's baby-ish, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't learn from it. I could present it in the way of "I want you to teach this to your brother," that usually goes over well! :) How are the songs? He really wants to know why things are how they are and how they function and what does this mean, so I think getting into the grammar of it will help. So he knows how all the parts relate together. So I am just attempting to put together something that makes sense. But I keep wondering if I should stop trying to put together pieces and just spend the 150 on IEW. I mean if I am spending 20 a book and piecing books together that don't really connect, getting the whole IEW set might just make more sense. I just don't want to get exactly what he is going to use later on.
  2. Hello! This forum was great for finding a math program we love, and now I need some help with Language Arts! Is there a good, enriching program that hits all the various language arts areas or do I need to break it down, spelling, vocab, grammar, etc. I want a vocab program that teaches new words (or at least new uses of words). I keep seeing vocab lists where he knows all the words. We would like a good spelling program that teaches spelling rules not just word memorization. Currently, he reads chapter books (independently) and then either does a book report or answers end of book questions. Some titles from May were from the Indian in the Cupboard, the Lion Witch and the Wardrobe, and Harry Potter. So that is about his reading/comprehension level. He is very concerned with whether words are homophones, homonyms, alliterations, etc. I think he enjoys knowing how words are used. I know in the advanced years of his CC group he will get a chance to do IEW or Lost Tools of Writing. I am wondering: is there something that comes before that? Do I look for a lower elementary language arts program, or do I jump in at a level that is consistent with his reading and comprehension skills? He understands questions that ask about what sets the tone of a chapter and what foreshadows this etc. I'm stuck because on the one hand I feel like I should give him the tools to progress forward and on the other hand I am thinking maybe I shouldn't because of where his age places him (finishing K this year) is years away from considering that sort of intensive thing. But if I don't then I feel like I am not being progressive with his writing skills.
  3. Thanks for all the input. Doctor is on board with meds. We started process which was filling out papers about stimulant practices etc. We are moving forward. I have long suspected that he is ASD. I don't think we will get a Dx until he is a teen, because I can't seem to find the right dr to see ASD with his other things too. They seems to treat ADHD as a simple set of symptoms and the dx is so informal. I don't know what else they would do with a Dx of ASD being that he is already in OT. I have looked into social skills classes, but they were very expensive in my area. I am able to get him through his school work well, though he gets distracted doing it, so I hope it will go a bit smoother. But it is the social relations with peers and adults I hope to really help. He does have a cousin who quirks the same way...they are both so into Nintendo (like mine could give you a biography of the founder and is learning programming and Japanese to get closer to it, so beyond just liking games) and they get on so well! We are lucky that our home school groups are so accepting, he can pass usually among these kids for everything except seat learning and pretend play....structured activity he can pull off. We have the most trouble with sports. With kids who are in school all day. Those are the ones who are least tolerant and call him things like goofy and push him around. Or ask him things in mean ways. The home school kids even if they don't get him, they don't question who he is. I will look for that book. We have tons of books on emotions, manners, behavior, and social interaction though we found less good stuff on the last one. It will be better though if he can meat them in the middle to form bonds though. There is a difference between bonding and being tolerated. ETA: the ADHD dx feels incomplete. I mean they dx these set of symptoms here with the SPD symptoms seperate. When I keep describing it to my mom, she kept asking, "but he's not autistic?" Because we. You add the SPD together with the ADHD there is so much overlap with ASD. I've heard some people say ADHD and ASD are both on the same spectrum, (though I was never sure if they meant both spectrum disorders but maybe different spectrums?) But if they are part of the same thing, I never get what makes him not ASD (perhaps aside from formality of finding the right dr.) But I guess none of that changes the symptoms that are still ADHD symptoms. My husband has ADHD without the SPD. I think he gets the SPD from me, though I had no formal dx, just a prickly childhood. So I suppose it just happens like that.
  4. This is my guy a lot too. I anticipate leaving the house half an hour before necessary because just getting ready is a struggle for him and he gets so distracted from the point of ready-to-go to getting to the front door. Then often has to go back.
  5. Thanks for all the comments! To answer some questions, yes he is Dx'd. In fact he has a few dx. He has SPD, ADHD, CI and is gifted. The poor kid has so much going on. And I can see him struggle with his body not being under control. He has been in OT for 1.5 years to address sensory issues. We had him do therapy for his eyes. And through it all his ADHD behavior is getting worse. Namely because as he gets bigger he thinks he can decide more what to do. But the biggest problem is that he is impulsive to the point of not being safe. I worry about him constantly when we are out. And it has driven a wedge between him and his peers. It nearly broke my heart last week watching him after co-op. The kids were playing and he was hiding under chairs. He is quirky so I figured that was just him. But when I told him we were leaving, he asked me if he could play more. And until then I didn't realize that he thought he was playing. I figured he was just hiding, but he thought that hiding under the chair was somehow part of playing with kids who didn't know he was there. He has trouble with peer games when there are no set rules. So board games he can manage, but pretend games are beyond him. I could see in his face he wanted to be part of the group, but couldn't figure it out. And he has trouble knowing where to pay attention with sports. He got a mild concussion last season in baseball because the ball hit him in the head because he was not focusing on the ball when they said "baseball ready" and "ball on tee." He has a hard time participating effectively in co-op because he is either non-stop talking or touching things he shouldn't. And he falls out of his chair often from the moving. So while I can adapt our routines to still have good days schooling at home, I can't adapt all of his environments for him. Even though he has me for a teacher, he still does need regular coping skills. And you can look at him and just see in his eyes sometimes that he just feels so out of control. And I hate punishing him for behavioral things when he seems unable to control it. (To clarify I do discipline for behavior issues but it is as affective as talking to a wall. I think he needs to be more in control of his body before it really hits home.) I am the only person who knows how to set him up for successful events whether it is a social interaction, or school day, or shopping trip. And even then, his interactions are getting worse not better because his will is stronger, but his self control is not. It would be nice for him to not need to be so dependent on me, and I think he clings so much because of how out of control he feels typically. And diet, exercise, activities and therapies have seemed to only do so much. He has come a long way, but he could go so much further.
  6. Can anyone share their experiences with ADHD medication? We have a Dr appointment on Wednesday and I am working up the nerve to ask about medication. Part of me thinks we homeschool so we can accommodate him, why would he need medication? The other part of me thinks I can no longer handle that he does not know how to simply walk accross the room or sit on a sofa. He is 6 and acts like he is 3. Worse, my 2 year old is picking up these behaviors. And I can't have them both doing it. Developmentally I doubt my younger son has ADHD, he is just at that stage where he wants to do everything his brother does. I can control my older one, one on one,but even seeing his brother is distracting enough to push him into hyper impulsively. I want to ask about medication, but part of me feels like I am failing if I do, and I need to get over that part. Typical consequences don't seem to affect him.
  7. My oldest just turned 6 this week, so I'd love opinions of people with older kids. My mom recently gave me my old set of encyclopedias. They are in wonderful condition, but they may be outdated. The date on them is 1991. I'm trying to decide whether I should keep them or not. They take up so much space that we don't have. I don't recall using them much as a kid though I do remember using them from time to time. I suppose it is good to have a quick reference book set in the house, but if he was really going to do research on a topic, he would need to go to the library anyhow. So if he were going to a library, he could use those encyclopedias. I suppose I can put them away in the closet and see if we feel the need to use them. But I thought I would ask if parents find themselves using the encyclopedia in their homeschooling. Any input is welcome while I decide whether to keep or donate these.
  8. Just looked at this and ordered some to see if he likes it. I think he will like the style and from the assessments online, it seems like they go much more in depth.
  9. Thanks! He is 5. This is our kindergarten year. We were doing the second grade level or 1 of Singapore, but it was too repetative. He loved the mental math book, because he likes tricks and playing with numbers. The word problems are generally too easy for him and the regular math book with all the pictures is way too easy as he is very easily able to grasp math concepts in their abstract forms. I know they are too easy because he keeps doing the problems in Spanish or Japanese just to make them more interesting. I like the idea of back filling. I have been trying to find fun themed things for him to use to practice the skills that he already learned, but we try doing lots of games to solidify too. Or we do math problems verbally. I've introduced him to programming which at his level relies on those older skills too. I feel like the quilt is a good example. Because I do piece from here and there. And I feel bad because I feel like I am going to miss something. Like I will teach him advanced concepts but forget something basic, though it probably won't happen. We've yet to find a new concept that we are lacking basic skills for. So maybe it's more of a fear. I love the ideas of the biographies! I will look into Math Mammoth! ETA: I thought introducing multiplication might keep us on one skill for a while, but he got it and division so quickly. I find myself thinking if he can multiply he can calculate areas, so we move more toward these concepts. And I feel like we move on so quickly, but when I give him a worksheet with old concepts, he laughs and finishes so quickly. So I suppose it is best to move forward and not to let him get bored. Even if it feels like we are moving too fast. I just want to make sure we hit all the concepts for grades and not missing something by moving on.
  10. Is there a good math cirriculum that moves quickly? My boy grasps math so quickly and looks for more difficult work. I'm not sure what grade he is math wise....we started Singapore Math this year, but it seems to spend quite long on a single topic for him. So far this year we've covered adding up to 3 and 4 digit numbers, subtracting up to 2 digit numbers (3 and 4 is our next plan), he can add and subtract negative numbers. We did multiplication tables, multiplying 2 and 3 digit numbers by a single digit number (I showed him multiplying a two digit number by a two digit today but he hasn't practiced it.) He gets fractions and can add and subtract fractions. He can do division and simple long division. We've done graphing skills/point plotting. We've done some pre algebra skills of using letter substituting. for instance in the car one day he asked me for a "really super hard math problem" so I told him if "a + 2 = 4" and "b + 3 = 6" and "a + b = c" what does c equal? and he figured it out very quickly using only his head (no paper or written problem). I started having him roll 20 sided or other funny sided dice and come up with all the equations he can use to add to that number or subtract from that number, multiply to or divide from that number. We worked on fact families. We've made up math games, but we aren't following a cirriculum. I am not sure where to go with him from here. I have a logic book coming in the mail. I've printed out many themed math pages to keep it interesting (like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Minecraft.) We do word problems too. He gets basic time and money skills. My next idea was to have him move on to measuring shapes and learning how to figure areas etc. He did well with our measure the Christmas tree challenge. I plan to have him start IMACS when he is old enough, but for now I would love to find a math program that is enriching, but more fluid than what we have been doing. Is there a math program that moves quickly but perhaps gets challenging at the same time? I'm not sure what "grade level" to even start with. Any ideas?
  11. I wrote a long post last night that the Internet ate. :( I will try to get the basics. Your guy sounds a lot like my 2E boy. He is gifted and ADHD (and SPD with a convergence insufficiency, but I feel like those are less applicable here.) I was told with him to expect him to have the maturity of a child 2/3 his age. So he is almost 6, but along the lines of self control and self regulation more like a 4 year old. It's odd to think that he can do algebra in his head and he has the maturity of a 4 year old, but it really holds up in action. That said, he needs a lot of info quickly. He picks it up quickly and doesn't have the attention to sit there pleasantly when he has already gotten it because his brain moves on. We have had great success with Classical Conversations because it covers a lot of info, but only a short time is spent on every subject. There is a lot of opportunity to memorize as well as practical application of science and art that take up just the right ammount of time for him. Other classes have spent too long on one subject. He used to be just the same with reading. He'd read anything non-fiction (loved biographies) and picture books with lots of text. We were not progressing with chapter books. eventually I realized that the non-fiction books had pictures like his picture books and we've moved on to illustrated chapter books: classic Winnie the Pooh, EB White (Stuart Little was a big hit) Roald Dahl (though they can be scary). My best example is we tried reading the first Harry Potter in August with no luck. In October we bought the illustrated one and we are halfway through it! So that bridge was important. Pages and pages of text just seem overwhelming. Breaking it up with pics makes it easier to deal with. We also figure out how long the chapter is. He is big on needing to "see" progress. We track his school day with a pill box organizer and open one box when a subject is done and we work for a "preferred task." Usually the marble run. I read a study about other countries where they do 45 min instruction followed by 15 min break. I started that a month ago and it really works! His 15 mins of play are more organized and he comes back ready to work. I use the 15 minutes to switch subjects, set up, make lunch. Etc. And we "layer" sometimes. We read Story of the World at lunch and do our art via book reports some days. I try to provide fun "themed" activities. Seasonal stuff right now to work on the passage of time. We recently got him a pet and he has jumped at the chance to be more responsible. It gets easier with age, but it is a job having enough to do for him!
  12. Thanks for the info! There is one right around the corner from me, but he is too young still. :( I might email them incase they open up a study for younger kids at some point.
  13. if you are looking for an immediate negative consequence, you could give him something like a clothspin (or a couple). So if you gave him three say, he has to check in his clothspins in after class. So if he loses one he won't have the clothspins to check in and he doesn't get the whatever it was he wanted. But he has to keep playing the game, the consequence is losing the pin. The teacher would have to know that he might need to lose a clothspins if he didn't participate. That is the only way we can stretch a negative consequence to a later time is if there is a visual reminder. ETA: I agree that you shouldn't have to lose the co-op for everyone because he dislikes one class. There are things we like to do and things we have to do. We have that talk frequently. Often I use the example, "I don't like cooking, so I guess I won't make dinner." "But Mommy, you have to make dinner." "No I don't feel like it, you do it." "I cant do it!" "You cant? Oh, well I guess we don't have to eat it. I'm not that hungry anyway." "But that's not fair, I'm hungry." "Oh, it isn't fair that we all have to miss something just because one person dislikes something? That's right, we are a team and we have to think about all of us." Or we use laundry or cleaning as the example and we make sure he knows that it is just a scenario that there is always dinner and clean clothes because adults know we have to do things even if they aren't our favorite. In the same token. There are tasks that we might not like to do, and we may choose not to do them. I make sure we know which ones those are and he has the freedom to say no to certain things so he doesn't feel like everything is forced.
  14. My boy doesn't respond so well to negative consequences either. He has some issue with time sequence where he loses track when he gets emotionally upset and cannot piece together whether the behavior or the time out came first. At a PE co-op we went in circles for an hour trying to get him to say why he in time out, but he kept going in circles. If he can't remember what he was in time out for, then it wasn't affective. We do lots of redirecting and "talking through " behavior. If he needs to calm down I have him do 5 push ups (for heavy work) come back and try again. Part of what you say reminds me of my boy to a point. He has SPD and ADHD and a convergence insufficiency. He has lots of anxiety too. There was a lot to deal with at once..., the need to wait, the need to follow multi-step instructions, the outside things (wind and grass bug him). Certain games he couldn't see the ball well because of his convergence issues (wanting to see how this has improved with therapy.) His body awareness and motor planning are lacking so sometimes it can be hard to get his body to do just what he wants it to do, and he gets frustrated. That and the ammount of kids shorts his focus. (He plays t-ball great one on one or two on one with my dad as coach, add 2 more kids and suddenly he can't function.) One thing that helped him was having a "buddy." He finds one kid he can "latch on" to to be in the group with. It makes things much easier for him. He learned this strategy at OT and uses it in new classes, sports, and group settings. Perhaps there is a kid there who can be in the group with him? Get the teacher in on it? Also, stemming off the "buddy" idea, my guy responds more to peer-suggestion than adult correction. When he was in gymnastics class if he wandered away, the teacher would ask him to come back and he didn't care. If she gave him a partner and asked the other kid to bring them to whatever spot, he would go gladly. Still today, working with a partner helps him stay focused. And from the days when I was teaching extracurricular stuff, if there was a kid who didn't want to participate or had trouble staying on task, i'd make that kid my "best friend" any time I needed a helper or someone to demonstrate, I used that kid. After a couple weeks, they'd be really excited about class and wanted to participate more. You may want to come up with some non-verbal signals and let the coach know what they are. My guys knows a two finger tap to the shoulder means get on task. It's not spoken so he doesn't have to feel embarrassed in front of other kids that he needed a reminder how to pull back. As for the rewards...perhaps he can earn the reward for everyone? For instance, one of ours recently was if he did a certain thing, we would all get to play a certain game (that he had already picked out usually Sorry or Trouble) Another one was if he wrote well all week, we would do popcorn and a movie night on the weekend. His goal this week was to finish Stuart Little in one week, so we are all going to get ice cream tomorrow. This way everyone gets to enjoy the reward and he feels special for earning our fun thing. we work the benefit into our plan. So our routine is usually to get Frostys after co-op so I can remind him that having a 100% attitude means we get a Frosty (Wendy's is in the next plaza and we got one of those free Frosty jr key chains lol). So he knows the routine is that we do something challenging then something fun right after. Nutrition plays a huge part for us too. We have to supplement with Fish Oil (omega 3/DHA). When we do, he can function much better on these comolicated group tasks.
  15. Is it just articulation he has trouble with? I am reaching far back in my memory, but I have a relative who as a child was a huge mumblr and talked too quickly. I could understand them, but most people couldn't. His speech was cleared up by a public speaking class/group where he learned to plan his speech, move slowly through his words so they could be understood and present them in a manner that is understandable. The same kid who spoke as though his tongue was too big for his mouth, is a great speaker now. My child qualified for speech, but I didn't want to overload him on therapies. The OT was more important for him. We have addressed his speech through phonics and recitation. It is getting better. If he still has issues as he grows, we will look more into public speaking.
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