Thank you! :D

I worked in a daycare right after my son was born. I was in the early 2's class. I was specifically told that I was not to say that the kids were bad to either the child or the parent. Ever since then, it's almost like the word "bad" is a four letter word to me when it comes to getting on to a child. I've never told any of my children that they are "bad". I've always said, "Don't be ugly." Then at a daycare my twins attended a few years ago I was volunteering in their room. Honestly, there were some really "bad" kids in there. However I said, "Don't be ugly to your friends." The teacher told me that the daycare directors didn't like that and that they had been told not to say that. I asked why the directors felt like that and she said that they thought it made the child feel physically ugly. I thought it was ridiculous, but then again someone probably thought it was ridiculous that we shouldn't say the word "bad". I still say it to my kids though. They know the difference. Plus I tell my girls all the time that they are: 1. Smart 2. A nice person 3. Pretty, attractive, and the like I don't want my girls growing up thinking that they are just pretty and can get by with that. Pretty isn't forever. But I digress. My husband is from Virginia and he HATES it when I say, "Do you want me to make you a palette?" (pronounced pal-let) I'm not sure how to spell it. He says, "You're going to put the kids on a wooden framed structure to sleep? Isn't that for transporting groceries?"

Who is the author of this book? I'm interested in reading it. Thanks. :001_smile:

Laurie4b and HeidiD, Thank you both so much!! And thank you all who have suggested that I try to incorporate some of her interests into her schoolwork. I just talked with her about what we've been discussing here. She said that she doesn't have an "obession" per say, however, as mentioned before she does love animals. She's given me a list of animals she'd like to learn more about that I can incorporate into reading/literature and science. I did tell her that she will have to learn her "core" subjects, but I will try to incorporate her interests whenever I can. Thank you so much for encouraging me to make this change. I guess I felt like I had to teach in a box. Meaning, pick a type of method and work it around the child. I just want her to be well rounded. HeidiD, I'm adding the suggestion to my curriculum look-up list. :D

KarenAnne, I've just looked at the Spelling Power website. Did you purchase any of the spelling magnets, phonics kit, etc.? I read some reviews on homeschoolreviews.com and it seemed like a lot of the parents were confused as to how to teach it. Something about the book being hard to understand? Either way, I will get it since you've given it a great review. I just wanted your opinion on the matter. I'm also adding the Jeffery Freed book to my wishlist. TY

I'm so glad you asked! It makes more sense to me when you say it. My husband (her step-father) is dyslexic and it was the only way I could verbalize it. I have a worksheet that she did the other day. I didn't help her on it except to check it and discuss her mistakes. dilema (dilemma) calander (calendar) critisice (criticize) arithmatic (arithmetic) collage (college - the hint was "after high school") nesecetiys (necessity) laughter - spelled correctly diffrent (different) anonnoums (anonymous) vegtables (vegetables) Agust (August) cafateria (cafeteria) extra - spelled correctly recagnosie (recognize) through - spelled correctly Ok, so what do you think about her answers? I'm confused at this point. I see your point in phonetic spelling, but I also see your point in missing or switching sounds within words. Thank you for your earlier response. :D

Hello! Thank you so much for posting that wonderful information. Your suggestions are invaluable to me. I'm so in love with the Classical method of teaching, but I've been wondering if she's able to "get" it. KWIM? I think I'm going to rethink her education at home. I completely agree with you. You really went out of your way to talk to me about your real life situation and I greatly appreciate it. Do you still incorporate all of the major areas of education? I don't care what kind of job she wants when she's an adult. I just want her to be able to achieve it if she wants to. Right now, she wants to be a vet. There's so much science, vocab, spelling, math, and other aspects that she will be required to do. I'm loving the idea of creating a method of learning that she will be attracted to, but I want to make sure that she can continue to a higher level of learning if that's what she decides. She's been on the vet kick for awhile now, but I know how I was as a teen. Things change and I don't want her to feel plugged into a hole like she's going to disappoint me if she doesn't want to be a vet later on down the road. But then again, I want to support her decision to be a vet. (something I didn't have. why be a nurse when you can be a doctor, but you can't be a doctor because you aren't smart enough) *sigh* (literally) What is your opinion on the matter? Again, thank you so much. It means more than you know.

Hello all! I'm a mother to four great kids (15, 13, and 6 year old twins) and I will be homeschooling them beginning this fall (except my 15 year old). I'm excited and scared, but I see that so many people are thriving and their kids are doing so well. That gives me hope and confidence. My oldest daughter who is 13 has recently been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. From the beginning I knew she was very different from my son, but kids aren't the same so I just took it at face value. Then I had my twins (fraternal) and I saw some similarities between one of them and my oldest daughter. I looked into sensory disorders, non-verbal learning disorder, and Asperger Syndrome about a year ago, but I felt like I was "trying" to find something wrong with her instead of just accepting who she was. I tried to talk to her about seeing a specialist, and getting some medication for depression. She was sleeping all the time, hiding food, having rage outbursts, constantly defiant, and obsessivly lying. She finally agreed to go to a psychiatrist about 3 months ago. She put her on Prozac. It was then that the doctor mentioned AS. I felt verified and relieved. I mean, no one wants their children to struggle in life, but at least I wasn't going to rack my brain trying to figure out how to "speak her language". With my other three children, I learned how to deal with their quirks. I knew what to do when they were frustrated, sad, mad, or just feeling blah. That's what I mean when I say "speak their language". There was always a wall between myself and my oldest daughter. The Prozac helped with the depression so that we could start working on her issues with AS. And for the first time in 13 years I'm learning her "language". I've been researching different types of ways to homeschool. I'm really clicking with the Classical method. I'm starting with a clean slate when it comes to my twins. They just finished Kindergarten in PS. However, my oldest just finished 7th grade. She's really behind and I don't know where to start. In my attempt to understand AS, I've been reading that spelling is easier, but my daughter is horrible at it. It's like instead of being visually dyslexic she's mentally dyslexic. She doesn't see letters backwards, but she switches letters in words. For example, she'll spell calendar, calander (switching the e and the a). It's like that with a lot of words, and she doesn't know the meaning of a lot of words that should be on her level by now. I agree with the Classical method emphasizing the spelling, grammar, writing, and reading. These subjects and math are very difficult for her. I was looking into Easy Grammar and Daily Grams for her. I think I should start her below her level. Maybe at the 5th or 6th grade. I don't know what spelling program to use or what level to start her at. I feel comfortable looking for reading and writing curriculum. We are going to use Saxon for math. Does anyone have any suggestions for the Grammar and Spelling portions? Did anyone make it this far in this incredibly long post? I appreciate all who did, and any suggestions that are provided. Thanks!