Well, that's exactly it!!! I mean, exactly! I've just chalked this up to my inexperience, her stubbornness and her just not being math-oriented. But her little brother is 3 years and 4 months younger (he just turned 5) and is way ahead of her! It is such a sigh of relief that he is understanding math so easily. Working with her can be exhausting, and it just feels good to be around a kid that "gets" it easily. But of course I want to meet her needs and hope that a diagnosis or at least an understanding of her learning style can help us both. I definitely need to move forward with an evaluation. I am so grateful to everyone for their replies. For one, it has helped me see that a diagnosis of a LD is an asset, and not a liability. I hate the notion of labeling her with any kind of LD. But the thought of her having extra time to take the required state standardized tests in a few years, or later on in college -- that is such a relief! I've been dreading the notion of her taking any kind of standardized test! There is no way she would have the stamina for it. And the idea of knowing how she learns best -- from a professional -- is really exciting. It's been hard to admit that I don't always know everything that is best for my kids. I am still interested in the feedback of others, if there are any other potential posters! Thanks again to all!

Thank you so much for all the thoughtful responses. So much to think about. Can anyone succinctly tell me the difference between a neuropsychologist and an educational psychologist? For what it is worth, my DD has had other delays, predominantly with gross skills. In a weird "only her mom would know" kind of way, I believe there is a connection. I'm a little tentative about calling the school district, as I hate to get them involved and on the record with anything. I don't want to be accountable to them. But, I know some homeschooling mothers who have 2e kids (I don't even fully know what 2e means, other than learning disabilities) and I may start with them since they have been down this path. SarahW: my DD hates manipulatives. She feels like I'm trying to trick her to do math, and she doesn't want to deal with counting all the little pieces. It just doesn't compute for her. I'm going to have a bit of push back from my husband for having a psych analysis. He feels like I'm always trying to label her with something. He feels comfortable with just letting her be herself and growing into her skills when she is ready. I totally appreciate that (especially since a lot of husbands would just say to put her in school), but I also feel like it is the lazy way out. Ultimately, I'm responsible for the homeschooling and the mothering, and I really feel like an evaluation will be beneficial. Just one more question... how does one explain to their child that they are having an evaluation? Very curious as to how folks have handled that. Grateful for this forum!

My daughter is 8 years old. She is reading Harry Potter and writing short stories; she is quite verbal and language arts oriented. But she really struggles with math. Last year we abandoned math pretty much altogether, as it was too much of a battle and I needed to back off. This year we are repeating 1st grade math. She is technically in 2nd grade, although in some states she would be considered a young 3rd grader, depending on their school cutoff. We've skipped around through a few different math programs, and have finally settled on Math Mammoth which has actually been a really good fit for her. While I'm already quite aware of her difficulty with math, it is coming even more into light as her 5 year old brother is quickly passing her in math ability (he is obsessed with math and wants to do math all day long!). Things that are SO simple and obvious to him seem to completely escape her. It's making me think that maybe I need to have some kind of professional evaluation. I have to teach her the same concepts over and over. She is definitely making progress, but it is so slow and so far behind her peers. I get frustrated because I think she knows something (like 10 + 2 = 12, and not 20), and when I see that she doesn't I am sure she sees my frustration. I really feel like I need to reframe this for her and for myself. This isn't just her being difficult, or having delayed skills development, but perhaps it is a real learning disability? Any thoughts about what to do next? I have no idea what kind of specialists are out there and what the pros and cons are of working with different types of professionals. Let me add that I am fairly comfortable with her not being a math whiz. I do not believe that all people need to learn the high level of math that is taught through to high school. I feel it comes at the expense of kids doing the things that they really excel at and love. However, she does need to know the basics, and I am committed to her developing a fundamental knowledge of math. I also worry about the eventual game we will have to play of standardized testing, SATs, and math requirements for college (assuming that is her eventual path -- but perhaps it will not be). At this point, I just cannot see it for her. She is really, truly struggling. I would love to hear thoughts from those that have been through this already. I thank you for your time!

Does anyone do Story of the World without the Activity Book? My daughter is in first grade and we started with Volume 1. We started doing the activity book for the first few chapters, and paraphrasing each chapter as it is suggested to do. Meanwhile, my daughter is enrolled in a homeschooler's "school" where she takes history/geography one day a week. They are studying Africa. There is homework for the class, and I am finding that my daughter doesn't have the energy to do BOTH the homework and the SOTW Activities + paraphrasing. I really had my heart set on SOTW, but I don't want to pull her out of the history class which she loves. So I am thinking of just doing the Jim Weiss readings of SOTW, and the occasional activity when she feels like it. Feedback?

My daughter is almost 7 years old and is in first grade. We are using the second book of Horizons K for her first grade math curriculum. I have posted here before, and got reassured that even though it is "K" the Horizon's curriculum is generally accelerated and is more suited for first grade than kindergarten. If I want to do the 80 lessons over the school year, I pretty much need to do two lessons a week. After a few weeks of this school year I am feeling really stressed out about this. My daughter really dislikes math and struggles to finish a whole lesson. It doesn't come easy to her, but if she can focus she can generally do most of the work. I have to reexplain many concepts to her though, and I feel like although she can figure out HOW to do the problems, she really isn't "getting it." I generally love Horizons Math, but I would like to get other people's experience with how their first grader handles the workload. I think I would have more success if she did two half-lessons each week. I know that homeschoolers can work at the pace of the child, but I do fear falling far behind from her peers. Any insights for me from those that have been in my shoes?

If you listen to Jim Weiss reading Story of the World, what do your kids do while listening? Do they sit and listen with no distractions? Do they fiddle with toys or other things? Are they fully engaged in another activity? If you listen in the car, can they remember what they heard well enough to discuss it later on? Very curious to know, as we are about to start and I am wondering how to set up our routine, and... what is practical for an almost 7 year old who is easily distractible! Thanks in advance!

I just moved to NY state, and I am "required" to teach US History for first grade. We really covered a lot of US History in Kindergarten, but of course there is more that we could do. I've been planning to do Story of the World with my daughter, and now I am wondering how I can cover both SOTW (Ancient Civilizations) and US History, without confusing or overloading my daughter. Any thoughts about this? Thanks!

Okay, waiting my 15 seconds between posts. I'll do the very last one somewhere else.

Just. Need. Two. More!!!

Just need 3 more!

Just. Need. Four. More.

Just. Need. Five. More.

Tra la la.

Dum de dum de doo.

OK, I just replied to 10 posts... and this is getting ridiculous! I just want to sell RightStart Math... so I need my 50 posts!!!