I would report the school- IDEA and NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND stipulates Federally that teachers /professionals must be adequately trained to work with children with special needs or the school and even the state can loose funding. Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Audio Processing Disorders testing is mostly done by Speech Pathologists-but as a Special EducationTeacher-I had to take several classes on how to spot and work with students with those issues. Really- I used to believe that Nebraska was not that Special Ed friendly or Homeschool Education Friendly for that matter but after listening to some of you talk --Wow-" I must have it good." Lisa

:iagree: I agree with KatieJo- you really need to see a professional first. Try your doctor or your local school- The schools are obligated through IDEA to test for free and you don't have to enroll your child in school to have them tested but it maybe worth the information you can gain and where I am from the schools even provide services to homeschoolers - which could help you choose the right curriculum. Good Luck. Lisa

I would suggest calling the school- they are trained to spot it and by Federal Law they have to test. I agree he may feel he needs to make a referal and needs to rule out illnesses, eye problems, ect. Good Luck Lisa

Grace and lots of prayer- As the child gets older if you are like me you and your child will meet some wonderful people who will explain for you and parents of other children in those classes who will boost you up and as the group goes along even the other kids will explain. That is what happened in my daughter's dance class- There was a core of 4 girls that started dance with Elizabeth (though she was 4 years older than them) Each year the parents asked to be in my daughters class and since we stayed in the same program by the time my daughter got to the upper classes the owner would have the teachers modify the dances so she could stay with that class. Now the girls compete Nationally- while we have chosen not to even try competive dance for obvious reasons- my daughter goes to the local competitions to cheer her friends on and it is wonderful to see the interaction. I wish I could say all activities my daughter has tried through out the years have worked out like dance- they have not- but dance has given me the grace to let go of the terrible times and the fear I have of my daughter failing or having to explain and the teacher not understanding. Try TOPS programs if your community has them- they pair and adult/ high school student/ or college student with the child with special needs to succeed at sports. In our community, TOPS has a soccer , baseball, swimming, and bowling. programs. Also, the local ARC has programs for all children with disabilities not just children with developmental delays. Good Luck. Lisa:)

I have quite a list from teaching and from what we used for my daughter- Tonka makes some really nice soft trucks- you pull the string and they viberate and move- the bottoms are bumpy so it is soft and silky on top/ and soft and bumpy on bottom. ( my dd would play with them for hours) Sorting large buttons into a container. ( Playskool makes some with lace strings big enough that if put in the mouth the child won't choke) Bumble Ball- this ball viberates and bounces- much like tickle me elmo- Leapster or my first leap pad. First Years (Walmart baby toys) vibrating bugs Exhillartions/ Lakeshore/ Creative Teacher catalogs have a whole sections of toys for special needs children- I would look at them then try to find cheaper versions locally. Magnetic puzzles- These are usually 4/6 peice puzzles that when the child places the peice in correctly it makes the sound of the object- eg sheep says baa See and Says Touch and Feel books from Eyewitness or Discover books Soft books that talk- or the quiet books for church- my dd would flip through the pages and just feel. I don't know if this is what you wanted but these are things I found worked. Good Luck Lisa:)

Thanks for sharing this- I so needed this today. Lisa

Another person asked about curriculum. That is very important. The nice thing about homeschooling is you can adapt what you are teaching to fit your child.. My son with ADHD did a lot of games and projects instead of worksheets... We did applied math instead of worksheets...Real life math is wonderful like Number Power 1 and 2 for basic facts then we built a bird house...Writing a story (IEW) and acting it out... If you need more hands on curriculum try KONOS or shorter assignments for English try Learning Language Arts Through Literature. Homeschooling is frustrating (It is the hardest most important job you will have... Very humbling...but the best time you will have...) Hang in There...My son is now 17 and is holding 2 part time jobs and doing online school work independently.

Hi- I have a teen that was put on various meds over the years- Conerta and Adderal XR time release being the ones that worked the best. At 12/13 he refused to take them anymore meds- he told the doctor he was tired of being a zombie- Because we decided to homeschool him at 11/12- I said lets try it... while he is still very impulsive- we worked with an OT and a counselor and it has gone fairly well. He is now 17 and is sucessfully holding down 2 part time jobs and is still doing his online school...The biggest thing I noticed was he would actually sleep at night not get up at 1-2 and wander or eat once the adderal was out of his system (a side note- there are a lot of generics out there that are cheaper- we found that the generics did not work as well to control the behaviors nor help him focus and we were constantly have to increase his meds at least 1x every 6 months to a year or adding another med to help with the side effects) I know you made reference to stratera yes it is an anti-depresent however it is less harmful on the body's system than adderal over time and both you have to obtain a blood level for... the other thing about the Ridalin based drugs is the sleep deprivation over the long run which gets worse over time... so then your child starts taking sleep meds too...Depakote is usually prescribed and it is an anti-seizure med... For us the loss of weight and lack of growth along with the sleep issues were enough to look at vitamins and a vigerous behavior plan...I know not everyone has the luxary of working with a cooperative school like we had in elementary that had built in social skills classes which were great-but you also have to think of down the road-is this something we want to start and have him take for the rest of his life-will he be able to maintain it as an adult.....will insurance cover it as he gets older or on his own... The more vigerous and structured behavior program you can get them into when they are young the better off you will be when they are teens and young adults... I hope this helps - good luck - I really wish there was an "easy cure" - Lisa:)

My situation is backwards. My older two children have special needs and my youngest is "normal". I have never had to really instruct my oldest on defending his younger siblings because by nature he is a defender. ( He would say something if someone was being picked on whether he knew the person or not) That said both my boys know that they have to be responsible for their sister since she is mentally retarded. As sad as this is to say- both know that if something happened to me they would have to take care of her. Now my youngest - my husband, my parents, and myself have had many discussions on how he needs to stick up for others especially his brother. Recently, this came about when we discussed whether "normal" kids should be forced to go to school with special needs kids from preschool on- and he brought up a good point about me forceing my views on him. He said he doesn't really have a problem always being paired with the kids with behaviors or "odd" (his words) kids and he doesn't think its ok to put them down or shun them if they really don't get it or are trying to be good- but forcing him to defend or befriend someone makes him want to run for the hills- ( Again his words not mine) So I know he struggles with defending his brother with adhd- Now his sister is another story- I have seen him (a Very quiet kid) get in a girls face and tell her point blank that if she is not nice to his sister that he will make her life miserable after the girl bullied his sister. The girl has been nice since- My daughter is a loving creature (a nurse by nature) She even will tell both my boys to be nice when they are teasing each other. So long story short- I firmly believe children should be shown that all individuals need to be treated kindly but it can't be forced or your kids just recent you and the child you wanted them to defend.

Side note: Schools and States have been penalized for not serving individuals with needs in the past. I know of a school in recent years that literally lost over $10,000 in funding for the next year because they did not service a child that qualified. (This may not seem like much- but in today's economy ever bit hurts and helps.) But it takes strong parents that are willing to challenge the schools to get the changes needed. Please be a strong parents not only for your child but also for those other families who aren't strong enough and future families. I am now reaping the benefits of such parents and am eternally grateful to them for their hard work and continued dedication. Remember: There is power in numbers and it just takes 1 to make a change for good. :grouphug: Good Luck!!!! Lisa

It is to my understanding that if you read the 504 FAPE law it says regardless of where the child schools (It was written open ended because many children at that time it was orginally passed were being insitutionalized or stayed home and didn't go to school-). I maybe wrong again-but I would encourage all to look into the laws-IDEA maybe the big one but there are other laws governing special education services-You can get a copy for your state's regulations from the Department of Education in that State. Remember: Regulations do not change unless someone challenges them or lobbys their state representatives define them better - I really encourage anyone who is having trouble to contact the Wrightslaw group they are very nice and want to help. While the HSLD knows homeschool law- this group specializes in all laws pertaining to Special Education. Again- I am very blessed to be in a state that is Special Ed friendly and becoming more Homeschool friendly. Good Luck:) Lisa

Yes- you can reuse them- however some of the links he uses could no longer be around or have moved. :001_smile:

Hi- Chemistry just came out- we got ours last week. It is just like the samples and my boys are already using it. It is nice-to break up the reading schedule with the Lessons. Lisa

Hi- Have you tried Apologia- My ADHD son seemed to do well with it.. It has an mp3 option that reads the text to them- we used that along with the text and full course on cd-rom (basically the text on computer) It does have some interactive clips through out the text. Plus, my son likes to do the hands on stuff-but we did do the virtual dissection instead of the real stuff. I know other's have said it is easy but it moved at his pace which was nice. The older editions have less pictures in them. Good Luck- Lisa

My teenage daughter wants a phone for her birthday coming up- but I don't know if she can handle it. I don't think the minutes would be an issue. I just don't know if she will be able to understand how to use it. She can use a regular phone but she only knows how to dial our number and 911 on a regular phone. She talks to her friends on my cell but I dial for her. She just hits the send button and the end button when she is done. Some of her Dev Delayed friends have phones. She is becoming more independent lately, and wants to go to events with friends with out me. But usually there is an adult with her and the group. Also, if I do get her a phone -what type of phone- Is there a phone that is just a simple phone that can be preprogrammed for her- Thanks Lisa

HI- ALL I am unsure about what is legal in differing states- I am lucky to be in a state that is Special Ed friendly thanks to a strong group of parents in the 70's and 80's- and their families now. But if you have questions call your state Legal Advicacy board- My state says that they have to serve students. I was told it is the way they get funding from the Fed with no child left behind and IDEA. You may want to give your state board of education a call to find out too. NOTE: CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES IDEA is up again this YEAR!!!!! with all of the Ecomony issues- THERE will be cuts made- and one of the first things to go will be services for homeschool students. There is a group called the WRIGHTSLAW Group that are very activeand can it comes to special ediucation and they can also tell you what is legal and what is not. wrightslaw.com Good Luck

While my daughter does not have tics- she is developmentally delayed with seizures- we go to a Pediatric Orthadontist- My Daughter goes twice a year for a check up- and if something needs to be done like x-rays, cavaties, ect- We do out patient surgery- This is about once a year. It is fun trying to get the Insurance company to pay for it. But it is worth it-- She is not tramuamatized and they get everything done at once. It is definetly worth the 2 hour drive we make. Good Luck.

Rant all you want........:iagree: It is very frustrating....The thing is I know my Postmaster and his PMR - both are too honest to do something like that ( he has been there 21 years....she has been there over a year and they have no need to take what I mailed... ) I wonder if it is happening at the Distribution center ... I want to complain but I don't know who or how to do it....I am afraid the Postal Service will just ignore it.... But the Letter thing bugs me the most. Sorry now I am ranting again.... Please Pray for me as I try to deal with this.... I really need a lot of grace so my temper will stay in check.... Thanks Lisa

That sounds yummmy...... Where did you say you got the cook book from.... Lisa

Hi- all- Today, I found out a package I had sent did not make its destination- I am really upset about this because it is the 2nd package since the middle of April that has gone missing. Both packages were addressed right to 2 different people. I have had 3 First Class letters go missing too. I was told by my Postmaster there is nothing he can do because I had no insurance on them. But what makes me most upset is the letters-Thank-the- Lord they were not bills. :confused: Now here is my dilemma- I am starting to finally sell my Homeschool stuff we are no longer using- What should I do- USPS is the cheapest way to go most of the time- Should I just include the cost of insurance into the price and explain why- do I need to explain why I am putting insurance on it- has anyone used other ways to ship.... HELP!!!!

I encourage you to check out Dr. Rosenoff's site http://www.redwagontutorials.com/- He gives a good overview and samples of what he is going to cover. - It may help you determine what overlaps there will be. Good Luck.

Hi- I ordered Chemistry from Red Wagon - site said he would be shipping Chemistry out in July. Again I encourage any who have questions to check out Dr. Rosenoff's site http://www.redwagontutorials.com/ He has a few sample classes and class notes- These are the same as the Apologia DVD's series.

That is too funny!!! Thanks I needed a good laugh. :lol: