Vanessa, Thank you for sharing your story! Sometimes with a SN kid it's sooo easy to feel like you are the only one who has had these experiences. I am grateful (and sometimes feel pressure to be grateful) that he isn't worse off, but at the same time it is so hard being right on the cusp and not knowing what I need to do to push him one direction or let him slide the other. My youngest reminds me tremendously of the situation with my youngest son, he is soooo much like my oldest and I am concerned about his developmental delays. However, having been that route in two different ways with my oldest boys I'm extremely hesitant to pursue anything through the county. It all just means long drives, waiting in offices and not really getting anything useful. /sigh Man, it's tough being a parent!:lol:

Thanks for the detailed responses! After more (and more and more) research I'm shying away from the original plans and think I'm more interested in following something more true to the WTM. Probably SotW 1, MoH 1 and Biblioplan (Ancients). I can start both boys there. I was concerned because I stumbled on SotW last year when I pulled ds#1 out of ps and read about half of it with him, however I also drooled over the lit selections at SL and we read quite a few of those from Core 3 as an American History selection (I thought we had to start at his "age" group). It makes so much more sense to study Ancients to current in a systematic way. So, even though one ds has already read parts of SotW I think we will still use that, just go more in depth. And, I love that MoH and Biblioplan both suggest literature to go with the curricula.

Thanks for the suggestions Debbie! I have really had it with public school, just as I finish my degree in Secondary Education I really understand how undertrained and overwhelmed those teachers are! I truly don't believe the ps can do more for my son than I can with the research and help that I can get. It's just overwhelming trying to get all three boys on the same page! :lol:

Wow thanks ladies! I think I'm starting to understand everything a bit better. I know that this will take some experimentation to find out what works for us and may not really be able to do as much with both boys as I hope. My oldest son is a very good reader and my younger still struggles with reading so there is a wide gap there. Just trying to get as much info as possible before I spend a couple of hundred dollars on something so expensive!:tongue_smilie:

:lurk5:

I would prefer to stick with a four year cycle instead of a 5 year cycle. IMO the ECC would be great for a kindergartener to introduce them to the world, geography and cultures, but I think all of that should be integrated for gr 1-12. The four year cycle works well with our 12 year educational system. :) So I was asking about Creation to the Greeks.

OMG I thought I had lost my mind because I *thought* I had posted this then couldn't find my thread! SO SORRY! :P Aylene

Hey all, I'm totally new to Classical Education, just decided to add my 2nd grader to my homeschool with my special needs 5th grader about a week ago and have been immersed in researching. I happened upon WTM and am totally fascinated and onboard. I would *ideally* like to school them together as much as possible and attracted to the core type programs that can be used with multiple children at one time. At this stage of my research I feel like I'm starting to mix them up with one another and would love some feed back from veterans about: - How the programs are alike/different. - Pros/Cons - How they stack up against each other as far as needing supplements, costs (in general), being "complete". The ones I've looked most closely at are: - Sonlight Core 2 (as being appropriate for both boys, 10 yr old may be a little bored but 7 year old isn't a great reader) - My Father's World (would prefer to skip the first year just due to age of kids) - Mystery of History (Ancients) - Tapestry of Grace, Yr 1 redesigned I'm leaning towards MUS for older son and SM for younger, Apologia Elementary (birds, ocean creature and land animals), Prima Latina, First Language Lessons for both, I'm trying to keep the costs down and make it so that I don't spend hours every week searching through the library for tons of books. Thanks!! Aylene Mom to 3 boys: 10, 7, 3.5

To be honest, I had decided that in the big picture school evaluations weren't going to solve our problem or make his/our life any easier. My middle ds has/had a big IEP and got the "OHI" diagnosis from our ped to enable him to continue to receive services but the truth was that even with OT and ST in school he wasn't getting what he needed. I described ds#1 in detail and mentioned the lack of "diagnosis" because I know that he is kinda a special in-between kid. I always feel guilty or like I'm intruding when I bring up my ds to parents of a child with ASD - not sure that I really fit in. I prefer to avoid being involved with the state paying anything for us because then I have to answer to them and be accountable to them. Meanwhile I am homeschooling my boys and grateful for being able to do that! :D I am hopeful that the social skills group this fall will lead to more information about ds and perhaps a friend for him. He knows that he is "supposed" to have friends but doesn't know how to go about making them. I have always struggled with the same thing so I'm not much help. Thanks for your input and ideas, I know everyone is just trying to help!:grouphug:

When I talked to his fourth grade teacher last fall about an evaluation I was told that the school psychologist was so backed up it would probably be a year before they were able to do any eval. Without an eval showing the issues that I see he wouldn't qualify for an accommodations, etc... I was so overwhelmed at that point with the weekly phone calls that it just became easier to bring him home.

For my older son any suggestions on how to get him qualified with a "special healthcare need"? I tried to get him evaluated again this summer with the original doctor/service but due to funding cuts (no more grants) the cost to me would be $1200. :001_huh: I do have some paper work to get him into a social skills group starting in August and was told the director of the group would observe him and recommend if he should get an eval through them.

Thanks for the references on MUS, looking at the websites I would have liked SM as a kid but these boys aren't me. My second grader has more of a math gift (from his engineer grandfather) so I haven't decided for him, I think Gamma MUS is perfect for the "5th" grader. We can just ignore the age/level thing.

I don't want to hijack your post but I'm not sure how to get back to Misty on this one. Your description of your daughter sounds alot like my 10 y.o. ds who I brought home to school last fall. I'm trying to figure out curriculum's now that will work for him and am curious about what you have found works best for your dd? In particular I need help with math, science, possibly latin? THANKS!!:bigear:

Only on the good days Cassandra lol...I left out the parts about my grandmother (who lived with us at the time) being bedridden for 9 months when my second was a newborn. And now my mom (who still lives with us) going through depression and finally being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Srojen's Disease and osteoarthritis, she has been on disability now for a few years. Her, limited, assistance is what has allowed me to go to school but, trust me, it took a few extra years. :P I stayed home with the baby fulltime for one year then went back to college part time afterwards. Just glad to finally be done - better late than never!

See my intro posted previously: I have decided to hmsc all three boys this year. Oldest is technically 5th grade, middle is 2nd grade and youngest is preK3. I have been researching a variety of different programs. I want to teach the two older boys a 'core' curriculum together and then have them work on their math separately. I would like to combine literature as I can and use RA's that both can respond to with different levels for free reading. Ideally I would like to do Science together as well, with the boys turning in responses/assignments appropriate to thier own level. At this time I have been considering SL, ToG & MFW as the core history, literature, bible curricula. I'm looking at MUS as probably a good fit for both boys, I have no idea on science yet and would like to consider adding a latin primer (the boys both are strong on verbal skills and I think we should capitalize on their strengths) and then possibly add a music component at christmas when we are a bit more settled in. I would appreciate any specific feedback on these... I was trying the placement tests for oldest son from SM and MUS and found that though he understands the general concepts he has still not memorized the multiplication tables and has a great deal of trouble figuring out basic multiplication...it involves him counting on his fingers and he gets lost sometimes and forgets what he was doing... If I talk him through each step of a long division problem he can usually figure out the math but he doesn't know where to start on his own most times and just gets more and more frustrated. I feel that he needs a multiplication program of some kind that will help me figure out how to get him to memorize the basic multiplication facts. I have tried some online games but when he gets frustrated by the math he just gives up. Any thoughts? Currently neither child is in any extracurricular activities, I have tried martial arts for both, gymnastics for both (at younger ages), and Scouts. My oldest son has a terrible time in these kinds of things, the social and physical aspects are all trying for him. On a plus we live in Florida and have a swimming pool, but boys are good swimmers and get good exercise and appropriate sensory input from that. We also borrowed a small indoor trampoline from g-mother a few weeks ago and all three kids are getting alot from that. I have been working on sensory diet for both boys, from brushing to rolling oldest up in a comforter and using gentle pressure on his whole body. These things seem to really help him focus and de-stress. I am both excited and daunted by the task of homeschooling all three boys but I know that they are all smart in their own ways and can be successful. I know that I can teach them better than a paid teacher who isn't personally invested in their success. I am excited that I can offer my children more indepth and quality education than they could get from any public and most private schools. I look forward to hearing any thoughts, feedback, info on curricula or diagnosis - I have been alone with these issues for a long time if you can't tell. LOL Aylene, Mom to 3 SN boys, 10, 7, 3.5

Hey everyone - let me introduce myself and tell you a bit about my kids. I am a 37 yr old mom who just graduated from university with a Bachelors in English Education this past May. Married for over 12 yrs with three sons: 10, 7 & 3.5. The kids have been challenges and this journey has been different from what I expected. I apologize for the "novel" below but haven't had anyone to talk to about my situations and really need some people who have BTDT and can assist me in my preparations. ************************************************** My oldest was a planned homebirth with no complications, until hospitalized at 1 week old with dehydration. Major nursing issues, finally he was able to take a bottle and seemed 'ok'. At 3 I had him evaluated by our local organization for motor and speech delays, everyone who met him would comment what a sweet child he was but that he seemed 'different'. DS#1 is large-boned, clumsy and a fairly laid-back disposition. The evaluators said he was mildly delayed in both but not enough to qualify for any programs. In ps k his teacher told me that he showed many signs and symptoms of autism (not relating well to others, low eye contact, trouble transitioning) and recommended we go to our local agency for an eval. The dr there said his strengths and weaknesses mimiced autism but that he was much higher functioning than children with autism. He noted the low muscle tone, fine and gross motor weakness and attention problems. Finally he dx'd ADHD and suggested Concerta. The daily Concerta did help dh to not meltdown and handle transitions better in ps. His issues moved to the back burner at this time when the middle ds started having more issues. I was unable to get an IEP for ds#1, even with his issues he is highly intelligent and at the lower grades still getting all A's on academics. Without a different diagnosis or more problems in school they wouldn't accommodate him. Middle ds was a planned homebirth but due to complete placenta previa was delivered by c/s at 36 weeks. From the start he was a failure to thrive baby, from 5lbs 13oz at birth to only 9lbs 4oz at four months. At that time with my mothers help I finally got him to start taking formula from a bottle (instead of the nursing and finger feeding) and he started gaining reasonably. Ds#2 never liked to be held and was a fussy child from the start. He has some asthma (a few stays at the hospital for breathing problems) and probably allergies that affected him. We noticed that his language skills seemed to be going forward then drastically backwards at time, from being able to say 'mama' at 10 mos to just wailing and moaning at 18 months. His ped's didn't see any problems except for the speech delay, we tried speech therapy (as much as our insurance would allow) but didn't see much progress. Finally I got an apptmt at the county pediatric eval agency and they diagnosed a hearing impairment due to fluid in the ears (he had never had an ear infection diagnosed up to this age though we visited his ped regularly). Once ds got tubes his speech and language took off. He began the Speech Language program at the ps that fall when he was 3 years old. (This all took place only months after starting ds#1 on Concerta). DS#1 continued to have motor issues and his social skills issues began becoming even more apparent while ds#2 continued catching up on his speech and language but the same fine motor issues and somewhat lesser gross motor issues became apparent. We have had little to no insurance since ds#1's evaluation almost 5 years ago and have been unable to this date to get another evaluation of him. I recently began a handwriting program with an incredible OT who offers the HWT and she immediately affirmed everything I've been seeing in both kids. My oldest has the markers of HFA/Asperger's but a mild variety, it is complicated with SPD (he has always sought deep body pressure, propioceptive input) possible ADD (not ADHD) and, I believe, dyscalcula or some other NVLD. He is very advanced with an incredible vocabulary and high school level decoding/reading skills. He speaks like a "little professor" about the topics of his choice (usually a video game or book he is reading). He doesn't understand figurative/literal language or facial expressions until they are taught explicitly. Third grade was difficult for him, he began to be seriously teased by other children (name calling) and fourth grade just got worse. I was receiving weekly calls and letters home about problems in class, disrespect, not completing work, not being on task, alot of frustration on his part, followed up with 3 hours of homework nightly because he couldn't write quickly (remember the poor fine motor skills and handwriting). After a bad episode that involved him breaking some sticks in PE and spitting at other children I decided to pull him out of ps. I brought him home and we decided on AO SOS because he loves computers and it would allow me to check his work but not supervise entirely while I completed by college degree (the last semester was fulltime unpaid teaching at highschool). My disabled mother lives with us and monitored his progress, kept him company and tried to help him until I got home. He finally completed all five sections of SOS but I felt that program didn't work well for him. He needs more concrete tools, needs to be able to hold and mark a text and needs more one on one teaching. With the hiring freeze on new teachers it's an easy decision to continue homeschooling my oldest. My middle son has been doing ok in ps but I think I've just now realized how little he is getting. Due to his hearing problem he has had no problem getting an IEP and so gets special services at school like OT and ST once a week each, he has been in an inclusion classroom and has an aide who sits with him to complete most of his assignments. His teacher this year convinced me that ds#2 also had attention problems and we started him on a transdermal patch for ritalin...it was reported that he was ontask but I worried about him losing his appetite (he is still thin) and about other side effects. DS#2 was resistant to reading, in addition to ps I have used 100EL to work with him and the BOB books. He has 1st grade decoding skills but doesn't *like* reading. I have been reading classic books aloud to the boys on and off for several years trying to instill a love of books (which dh and I have). After watching ds#2 with our OT/HWT teacher I felt convicted that he wasn't being taught properly at ps, not only are his academic skills behind but he is being trained to be disrespectful and thinks he can talk back to adults in a rude manner. I've never allowed this at home but he did this with the OT...it must be what he is learning at school. His unwillingness to work and a bad attitude aren't something that a second grade teacher at public or private school are going to be able to "fix". DS#3 has a speech delay and at 3.5 is highly resistant to potty training. I've noticed some gross motor problems (can't coordinate well enough to pedal a trike) but is actually a bit better than his older brothers were at this age. I had his hearing checked and other than seasonal allergies and fluid from that he seems to be ok. We just have kids with these delays it appears. #3 is alot like #1 but I would say probably more functional and seems more socially aware, I see mild SPD, speech delay, motor skills, but no autism. Just a very strong will. See my next post with questions about homeschool curricula. :) Aylene, Mom to 3 SN boys, 10, 7, 3.5