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Oak Knoll Mom

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Posts posted by Oak Knoll Mom

    I need a fun book

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    The Help, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, Anne of Green Gables :)

    The Thirteenth Tale (just a good mystery)

    Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

    Freakonomics

    Ender's Game (not really light but a page turner)

     

    That's all that comes to mind right now.

     

    I've read quite a few of these (I actually just finished P & P & Zombies) and I have several others on hold through the library.

    I need a fun book

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    It seems like lately I've either been reading books on homeschooling, learning disabilities, or sad novels. My family has been gone since Wednesday and won't be back until late tomorrow. I need a fun and/or funny book to cheer me up. I have a Nook, so if I get some good suggestions soon, I can even start reading tonight!

    Where do I start?

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    I would start by assuming that he is gifted (it sounds like you are already doing this). My son is highly gifted and also has APD, dyslexia, and ADHD. He struggled mightily with reading and still struggles with spelling and writing as well as with language issues that are hard to pinpoint.

     

    Some things that worked for my son at that age:

     

    Except during reading instruction, I read *everything* aloud. When the material was more difficult or if it was dense (as in a math word problem), I would slow my speech way down. I repeated as necessary. I was a full time scribe for two years, and then part time for several more.

     

    This is one of those things that I'm going to have to come to grips with. It exhausts me to even think about having to do this on top of trying to keep up with my other two. Add housework, cooking, etc on top of all that and I start to panic. (My other two need me just as much as this one does, but for opposite reasons.)

     

    Approaching things this way, my son was able to advance quickly in math. He was one grade ahead of level by the end of 2nd grade, two grades ahead by the end of 3rd, and three grades ahead at the end of 4th (he has since cashed in on that time and is no longer so far ahead). The reason I mention this is that I decided at the beginning of 2nd grade that he needed to be "good" at something academic and at that time math was the only possibility. So even though reading was really, really hard, he knew he was good at math and that helped tremendously.

     

    I used to think he was math bright, but I'm not seeing that as much anymore. What he does excel in is art. The child draws things and creates things that amaze some professional artists I know. I've been trying to get him to take art classes, but he's very resistant to it because in his words, "I don't want someone telling me what to draw. I have my own things in my head that I need to draw."

     

    Oh, he also excels in emotional intelligence. He can read a person and what they are feeling like I've never seen in a child. He is a mile deep. He thinks deep thoughts.

     

    Unfortunately in our society intelligence is measured in math and language.

    My son eventually learned how to read and is now doing extremely well. He still reads slowly, but his comprehension is excellent.

     

    That's wonderful and encouraging!

    Have you looked into dyslexia? I was convinced that APD was my son's only problem for quite some time, but it was in fact only one of them. The book Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz is great. You don't mention specifically what is going on, but I do know that APD, vision issues, sensory processing problems, and attention problems tend to go with dyslexia.

     

    We also had success with a program called Audiblox.

     

    I'll check into that.

     

     

    It might take more than one try to get a reasonable diagnosis. My suggestion is to keep reading and trying new things.

     

    I hear your pain. I went through the same thing when my son was 8.

     

     

    Thanks. It's good to know that there are others out there who have blazed the trail already.

    Where do I start?

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    :grouphug:

     

    You wrote you think it might be APD. Since you mentioned reading too, have you considered it might be (or also be) dyslexia? Some children with dyslexia are really very bright. The discrepancy between inteligence and reading ability is sometimes of the things they look for in diagnosing dyslexia. Dyslexia often pairs up with other problems, like audiotory processing problems too. If you search old thread here, there are numerous discussions about dyslexia. Here's a couple links on dyslexia that might interest you. http://www.dys-add.com/testing.html and http://www.dys-add.com/symptoms.html

     

    I have no doubt that there is dyslexia involved. I just think APD is at the root of the issue with him. It's almost like English is his second language. (It's not...English is the only language he's exposed to.) He will frequently use a word that is almost right. For example, he told me he saw a tribe of deer in the backyard. Tribe/herd...similar, but not the same. He does this *all the time*.

     

    Actually, my degree is in Special Education. The problem is that I taught high school. By the students got to me they had been in the system for years, so I know very little about evaluation and therapy. My students reached me already defeated and I want to stop that process with my son.

     

    Thank you for the links. I haven't seen that site before!

    Where do I start?

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    APD is an interesting disability. Have you read, "When the Brain Can't Hear," by Terri Bellis? If not, that would be the first thing I would recommend while you are waiting for testing. It is packed full of helpful information, spelled out so that you can grasp what you are dealing with. In addition, it covers possible treatments and accommodations. These are things you will want to know about in advance of testing.

     

    Secondly, I would go into the testing situation in a position of strength. Know what they are testing for and why. Be familiar with the tests and how they are scored. You are your child's primary educator and advocate. Be as educated as you can about APD before you begin testing. That said, testing in and of itself, is an eduation. It's easy to become overwhelmed, and this is why I'm recommending the Bellis book prior to testing.

     

    We followed this sequence:

     

    1. A hearing test with an audiologist at the local hospital - to rule out hearing loss. The test at the pediatrician's office is absolutely useless for this purpose.

     

    2. A Central Auditory Processing Test with the audiologist at the local hospital. This will give you an initial diagnosis. APD is an umbrella diagnosis and actually contains many subskills. If one component is out of whack, it all goes awry. That said, most APD kids have more than one component issue. (My son has two...and it's very common to have two or more APD issues.) This was a test given in a sound booth by a licensed speech and hearing pathologist/audiologist.

     

    3. A referral to a APD specialist (speech/hearing pathologist) who will test your child further. CELF, TAPS and preferably more...based on the CAPD test above. Many APD kids test within "normal scaled range," but that doesn't mean they don't have APD. Our specialist tested both receptive and expressive language skills (hearing, writing, speaking, grammar/mechanics, comprehension) and will ask you to fill out a questionaire as the child's primary educator. This testing took two days...two hours a day. From this composite of information a complete diagnosis was made and treatment recommendations were given.

     

    Of all these tests only the first one was covered by insurance. Everything else was out of pocket...including treatment.

     

    Thanks for all this great info. I haven't read that book...I think I'll go get it soon! I've been doing a lot of researching to try and find out what services are available here locally and found out that an acquaintance of mine works at one of the largest speech/language therapy clinics in the area. Hopefully I can get some helpful guidance from her.

    Where do I start?

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    I'm sitting here with a heavy heart. I have an amazing, beautiful eight year old boy that is so smart, and so deep, yet needs so much help.

     

    We've struggled for years with reading and language skills (I wouldn't be surprised if it's APD). As he gets older he is becoming angrier and more resistant to our homeschooling efforts. He feels stupid. He tries so hard, fails, then won't try again for a long time. Pair this with being sandwiched between two a highly gifted brothers, and you have a little boy who, I fear, will give up all together if I don't get him some kind of help soon.

     

    The service coordinator for our public school's speech therapy department is going to test him before the summer is over, but I'm pretty sure he won't qualify for services. I've heard from several people that your child can have severe language issues, but he won't qualify for services if they aren't coupled with speech issues.

     

    He has a well-child visit scheduled with our FP doctor in about three weeks. I plan to ask him about some of the issues I'm seeing.

     

    Other than that, is there any thing else I can be doing? Feel free to ask any questions. I'm too upset at the moment to think straight. I know I probably haven't given enough information here for my post to make a lot of sense.

     

    We have the resources to commit to getting him whatever therapy he may need.

    The importance of clear writing

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Last week we received a letter announcing that our dentist is leaving the group he's been with for the past five years. This was the opening sentence of that letter:

    It is with great emotion that we announce that Dr. **** **** has made plans to leave **** **** at the end of July for personal reasons and to pursue other interests.

     

    My only question: what emotion? Sadness? Glee? Horror? Elation? Sorrow? Confusion?

    :D

     

    I can't believe no one in the office caught that. I've talked to a couple of other moms and they also picked up on the vague wording right away.

    WWYD? How can I find peace about this?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    That's crazy! There are transplanted NE'ers all over the south. In our circle of friends I can count FOUR families from *New Jersey* and they are all well-loved. (And they have other friends here from NJ and NY)

     

    There's a lot more to life in the south than thinking/talking about the Civil War! LOL!

     

    I've lived in the south much of my life and I would have to say that this is a stereotype that should be laid to rest. There may be some who have this view but I've not met them personally. To say "with my children hearing it ALL THE TIME" is very dramatic. I doubt I've had one civil war conversation or heard a civil war reference in the south during the normal course of a day, ever.

     

    What they said. We're nice, we don't bite. :D

     

    Would you move to NC? There are pockets of places you might not be as welcome as others. For instance, Raleigh/Durham would be fine, but some of the more isolated areas in the far west might not be so accomodating. Heck, my husband was never accepted at his old job *in the next county over* because he wasn't from there.

    After literally hundreds of dollars wasted

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I finally found an acne treatment that works for dd12. Apple cider vinegar :001_huh: Seriously a friend told me about it and I though :001_rolleyes: But I told her I would try it and I did. Her acne was GONE within a day. 1 day. I tried EVERY.TREATMENT.OUT THERE. Every last thing you can think of including changing shampoo 7x (because it was mostly around her hairline even though she showers daily). So I hope this can save somebody else alot of money!

     

    That's great! My husband tries to get me to drink a shot of that to help my allergies, but I won't do it since it tastes disgusting. :D Glad she found a good use for it!

    If you are a church goer, your opinion would be appreciated

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    While I'm being all defensive ... :)

     

    I bet if a member of one of those churches were asked why they don't have children in the main services, she wouldn't say "because we want to tell them over and over they're not welcome in here." I would imagine they have what might seem quite reasonable explanations for the practice.

     

    Oh sure, they do have their reasons. My DH's best friend used to be on staff there (or either a very involved volunteer--it's been several years and I can't quite remember:001_smile:) and we've had several discussions/debates about the Scripturalness of denying "underage" believers admittance into corporate worship.

     

    I think they are being short-sighted in not allowing the whole body of Christ to worship together. (My Reformed roots are showing.)

     

    (I don't want to continue to hijack this thread. Maybe someone can start a spin off. Not me, though--I'm going to the pool!)

    If you are a church goer, your opinion would be appreciated

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    So they would actually kick you out if you said that your child was staying with you? or would it just be 'frowned on'?

     

    I wonder what do they do when a family has a child with special needs who can't go off to the children's program on his/her own?

     

     

    They don't kick you out--they just don't let you in. Two different families that I'm friends with visited that church and wanted to take their kids in and were stopped by ushers and told, "The children's programs are this way." At least one of those families told them they were visiting and they and their daughter preferred that she stay with them. After much discussion with the usher, they turned around and left and found a different church. (I don't know what the other family did. She just mentioned the situation in passing.)

     

    ETA: This was several years ago. I guess they could have changed their policy by now.

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