blondeviolin
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Posts posted by blondeviolin
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Getting Started With Latin is always my first beginning Latin choice.
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Call it exposure. And introduce them to Horrible Histories. Done. 😂
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I wouldn't worry too much. You can try some things for them to fiddle with while they listen, but I've found SOTW 1 to be engaging enough and have short enough sections that it's not a problem. My current kindy kid probably has a touch of CAPD and he gets it just fine.
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DD and I just came home from watching it. Spectacular! I loved it. The costuming was eye-popping! The "be Our Guest" song was magical. Emma Watson as Belle is perfect.
DD and I were wondering if Emma Watson did/does sing her portions. We don't know if she actually has that singing voice or if the singing is by someone else. Anyone know?
This I know! She took voice lessons for the movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I have a couple of conductor friends who are pretty bothered since they still felt it was amateur-ish and should have been voiced over.
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Go on a walk. Clean the house.
Could you take them to the mall, buy a cheap snack and window shop/people watch? Make up a scavenger hunt and see who can complete it?
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I have a thin packable down coat that I wear out for errands. My big coat only goes on if I'm going to be outside longer than ten minutes or so.
BUT, I also wear base layers regularly in the winter and if I've got the top on, I toss a tee on top of that and a hoodie on top of that and I'm good.
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We have an Asus chrome book. It works for nearly everything I need. Blackboard for WTMA classes work fine.
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Blondeviolin, I would see the developmental ped like you said and go from there. If he/ she is a person you trust, and obviously you do if you are taking your 3 yr old there, start from there.
I also agree with Maize that you should look at anxiety and auditory/ sensory processing issues. I never realized how much my 13 yr old's anxiety was affecting his behavior until first our GP and then the ped pointed it out. It was when I started looking at mindful parenting resources and CBT that I started reaching him more.
I'm not against meds. I know that sometimes they may be necessary, and I respect every parent's right to make that decision for his/her own child. The meds alone, though, are not going to teach him the strategies that he needs. He needs strategies that work for him.
This child hasn't really ever exhibited behavior that looks like anxiety. I know that's not going to rule things out, but his personality is too happy-go-lucky, I'm-awesome, everyone-should-think-I'm-the-best to seem too anxious iykwim.
I will call and have a referral made.
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Uh, not to point out the obvious, but if a psych who works successfully with hundreds of kids the rest of the year is having trouble engaging your kid, that tells you something. It's not them.
Does the report say they had trouble with non-compliance or you assumed?
Well, that my be my fault. I told him it would be a bunch of puzzles and activities because that's what I remember from my IQ testing. Some he was a bit put off because it was all work. And his tester required him to be quiet while did things.
He was compliant. He just complained of it being boring and I'm assuming he did not put in his fullest effort.
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Well in our area neuropsychs bill at $250+ an hour, regular psychs or psychs doing counseling (even phd) at $100-180, and behaviorists at $60-100. So when I say behaviorist, I'm saying it because it's the cheapest way, at least where I live, to get real behavioral intervention.
Yes, an OT can get training in Social Thinking materials, ALERT, Zones, blah blah. You can too for that matter. Going once a week to ANY of these people won't be enough. You have to be in the loop enough that you're carrying it over at home. If he were in school, they would do an IEP and have goals. They might have him do check-in's several times a day where he marks his Zone and does appropriate choices. Since he's not in school, you're stuck making stuff happen.
We found an OT who is really, really good with ALERT and self-regulation stuff. She has a lot of tricks! Still, the behaviorist is better help overall, because that's what the behaviorist does, their gig. But I like them both, yes. They're complementary. The behaviorist is going to look at ALL the antecedents and social thinking, the big picture, and the OT is going to look at what his body was doing. Different perspectives on the same event.
Yes, they can hyperfocus and engage and pass attention tests. I will say though, you're saying it's not attention. Like you're saying it's not an attention issue and your data (the amount of work he's completing in a short time, etc.) is saying it's not an attention issue. I would have described my ds as impulsive, but actually the data doesn't support it. He's 76th percentile on impulsivity on an objective test (the Quotient). That's not clinical and something you medicate for, kwim? That's how our ped concluded that my ds' non-compliance and aggressive behaviors were due to the autism, social thinking issues, and sensory integration. My ds can focus for an hour, then he just needs to MOVE. If he decides not to be there, he won't be there. If he decides to be there, he's all the way there.
Whatever, rabbit trail. It's hard stuff. Concerta to Ritalin. Same med, just extended to 3-4 hour. Or he went with an extended Ritalin. I don't know, I'm just asking where the data is. Our ped, similar scenario, wouldn't even give out the meds. Flat refused. And I really think it's cautionary.
I wouldn't put a kid on amphetamines without data. I'm sorry. I just, well I'm not a doc. I just don't see a lot of data going on here, and not every doctor would handle it that way. Your neuropsych may have gotten it very wrong. Did she do a GARS? Did she run the Social Language Development Test or anything for Pragmatics? Did she run anything for behaviors? Because frankly, with the amount of oppositional behaviors you have, the rigidity, the unexplained reading problems, the wildly varying psych results, the social thinking deficits, etc., you're talking NVLD or something else.
Our first neuropsych totally missed it. You should have seen our ped. He had the file in front of him with the letter from the ped and he sat there crossreferencing it with his Quotient data and what I was saying about what was happening. He just kept saying "But what you're describing is autism" and I'm like yeah, that's why we were diagnosed with autism later. But the first psych report, the one he had, said ADHD-inattentive, SO laughable. Even $$$ neuropsychs can get it wrong, very wrong. And to put a kid on serious stimulant medications, especially those amphetamines, without a 2nd opinion from a psych, without in-home behavioral observation by a behaviorist, that's just really scary. Maybe you need meds! I'm not anti-meds! But I would get a 2nd opinion from someone who will spend enough time in your home and gather enough data that you can be sure of the best path.
And maybe the others saying they had to crank it up will be the right answer for your kid. There are just multiple explanations, and getting a 2nd opinion, getting in-home observation, getting someone to SPEND TIME WITH HIM so outside eyes are seeing what you're seeing, till the honeymoon is over and the non-compliance and the behaviors start, that could really help fine-tune your approach here. And frankly, per the data, that behavioral work FIRST will yield better results. There doesn't have to be a rush to meds. You could do the behavioral work first, then decide as a team, based on data.
I feel like I need a degree in neuropsych myself to really work with all of this. I got a report from the evaluation but it's not very helpful and I feel like it's laced with her leanings rather than actual data, if that makes sense. And I'm really, REALLY disappointed they couldn't engage him be more kid-friendly so he would have put some effort into this. I'm highly considering taking him to the developmental pediatrician my 3yo sees.
The tests the neuropsych (or had her person do since she didn't spend much time with him) are:
WISC-V
NEPSY
CLVT-C
CFT
Woodcock-Johnson IV
Beery VMI
D-KEFS
CPT-II (They did this one twice)
TOWRE
Incomplete Sentence Blanks
SRS-II
BASC-II
ABAS-III
And while I feel like he has a good pediatrician, he's also still a military pediatrician who is looking to check the boxes... Continuity of care isn't there nor would I even dream of embarrassing my son by getting down to all of his nitty gritty issues with him in the room.
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Thanks for chiming in! What did you adore about FLL3 and FLL4?
I feel like 3 and 4 are the point your kid is chanting and memorizing all of that stuff from 1 and 2. 1 and 2 are SO REPETITIVE. In all honesty, most of my kids don't need that much repetition, but we do all of it because it's what's "easy" and "fun" while they work on other things. They remember all of the definitions and lists but have absolutely no real clue what they're saying. What first grader really understands state of being? 3 and 4 is where all of that comes together.
With regards to some saying it's completely Mom-driven, I feel like it mostly is, yes. BUT! I have no problem looking at the exercise, figuring out the main point of it, and then giving the kid the assignment as a whole rather than broken-down bits. Again, my kids don't need all of the repetition, so with a few bits of practice, they have no problem if I say, "Okay, diagram that whole set while I go do XYZ."
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The whole reason we started with the meds was not because of focus/attention. He's always been pretty decent with focusing, except when something preferred is also an option. If he's talking with me and the TV is on, he will cover that side of the face to prevent being distracted by the TV. If we're doing something that is not "fun" he creates problems trying to make it fun. I am constantly reminding him that "X is not the time for that." He basically hates to be bored with a fiery passion. He'd rather get in trouble than be bored.
So we started meds because I had anticipated that a lot of this was stemming from impulsiveness. He knows what is right, but he can't make himself not do something else, if that makes sense. Like, if he's already dreamed up the idea then it's a good 85% chance it's going to happen. It's dumb stuff too: cutting his bedspread, writing his name on his bed frame, sneaking snacks, hitting someone because they teased him, etc. I have other kids that I talk to just as much, but the big glaring problem is that he makes a mountain out of a molehill. He wails, he whines, or more frequently he gets stubborn. And I feel like "kids do well if they can" so something else was off. And we started meds to maybe see if we could curb the impulses so then I didn't have to remind him about things and then he gets angry because he has to do something that he wasn't planning on doing. He was starting to feel like he was the only one in trouble, which isn't true. In fact, he's not even the one I correct the most. He's just the one that makes a huge deal out of it all and fighting against everything/everyone. I was hoping the medication would help in this arena so we could stop having to tiptoe around him and he could feel a bit more in control of himself so he didn't have to control everyone else.
Unfortunately, the Concerta doesn't seem to do ANYTHING for this part. We do have a referral in for a therapist. I THINK his PCM mentioned a behavioral therapist, but at this point, even a psychologist/psychiatrist who can talk to us and him more regularly and help us get to the bottom of what's really going on would be helpful. I talked with his pediatrician this morning. We have a script for ritalin as well. He told us to have him take 10mg and see if there is any difference. If not, he's more than willing to prescribe adderall, which I guess is a different stimulant...
We use a non-stimulant medication for some family members, caffeine for another. For both, a change occurs within 30 minutes. There is a noticeable difference in irritability and focus.
The one that I keep reading about that I really want to try is Intuniv. It's supposed to help with emotional regulation?
DS was given a TOVA both on and off medication to determine whether it had any effect.
Objective data would be good. Asking what he feels or how I perceive things is really difficult...
My son has very little sense of whether his meds are working or not. But we can tell. Your son may be self-aware enough to evaluate how the meds make him feel (consider whether he is self-aware in other ways), but some kids are not. So I'd be wary of making that the deciding factor.
With that said, we tried four or five different meds before finding what works for DS, so there may be room for improved effects if you try something else.
When he first started taking the meds, it was a good day. BUT! He's had plenty--PLENTY--of good days without medication in the past. So how am I to know that this wasn't one of those? Or that it wasn't a psychosomatic response?
Are you making data here? Because, to me, asking a 9 yo whether his meds are working is like asking the ocean how much water is in it. ;)
With my ds, the behaviorist has us track percentages on compliance and attention. So we have a row with the percents (10, 20, 30, ...) and another row with % attention (10,20, 30,...) and we just circle. We do that for 3-4 hour shifts, so morning shift, afternoon shift, evening shift.That's some pretty good social thinking if he's trying to fudge and give you the answer you want, kwim? Has he had an OT eval for sensory and retained reflexes? If he has sensory issues, you may to use additional strategies to help his body stay in a good place where he's ready to work. Have you thought of getting a behaviorist to help with the non-compliance and self-regulation? Studies show that people who do behavioral therapy *before* meds are more satisfied with the results. They could do Zones of Regulation with him.SaveSave
Attention has never been a problem for him really. He focuses and gets schoolwork done faster than my other kids. He's carrying a pretty full load and completing it in just about two hours. This is why we went with the neuropsych because I wasn't sure if he was doing things out of boredom (case of the gifted kid gone bored) or if he just couldn't stop the impulse.
Interestingly, the neurpsych (who is well-respected in the area) did not find him gifted even though he had previously tested as so with another, shorter evaluation. She did find issues with attention and he was rather negative with all of the testing; apparently he found it REALLY boring. He scored in the gifted range for several subsets, but not as a whole. She flagged him for a few things based on her perception, but some of them really don't fit. For example, at the intake appointment, I mentioned maybe dyslexia as well. He took three whole phonics programs to get to the point of fluent reading. It was way more than I had anticipated knowing how his verbal language skills were. And way more than I had ever had to teach any kid I've since taught to read. His spelling skills were markedly low. But she said he couldn't be dyslexic because he was reading at grade level and could decode some nonsense words. She did, however, flag him for dysgraphia because he couldn't draw a picture properly or something even though he's NEVER had a problem holding a pencil, regulating letter size, using the proper letter formation, etc. Stuff like this makes the whole neuropsych testing suspect, you know?
He did a short round with an OT. She worked a bit with the How Does Your Engine Run? program and gave him the language to understand and express things. He also did Interactive Metronome and ILS, both of which he detested. I'm not sure if she tested for retained reflexes.
And WRT to marking percents, I am marking it and not showing much improvement. He's not having GREAT days like he has in times past, but he's not at the bottom of the well either.
That is tough.
Unless the dose he is on is still very low for this med I would be inclined to switch meds, it seems to me that you have given this one a fair chance.He's on 27 mg. It could possibly be raised a bit, but I just haven't noticed a whole lot of great to want to have him continue to take it.
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UPDATE:
So we kept with the Concerta. I'm noticing he get annoyed/angry easier. Still the same differences from 18mg to 27mg. We've been really diligent with his sleep as well. On Monday we timed his 100 free and it was within his time standard so I think we're doing okay there.
BUT! I keep asking him what he's feeling and he tells me more focused. When I ask him when it wears off, he gives me wildly varying times. It makes me skeptical. And we're still having impulsive issues. SO, tonight we were talking about a poor choice he made and he told me he did it because what we were doing (reading scriptures) isn't fun and we never have fun here (hogwash). His problems really all stem from the fact that he knows what he should be doing but he can't not do whatever he shouldn't.
Anyway, all of that to say that he broke down and told me he doesn't notice a change with the Concerta AT ALL and he only reason he told me he did was because he wants to make me happy. This checks out because every time he would answer questions about when it kicks in or wears off he would be completely off from the last time.
So now the question is if the dose of Concerta is too little or if we need to switch meds completely...
It would have been so much easier if he would have told me from the beginning. 🤔
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My son comes back so happy after swim. If he could swim an hour before school, things would be so much better.
He's never really had focus issues but the strict structure we run so I can fit everyone in a decent time helps. I also dangle a carrot for their break so he will work towards that.
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Love my Stir Crazy. :001_wub:
I don't love air poppers. You still have to add some sort of fat so that your salt will stick to the popped kernels; might as well just use a little oil to cook with in the first place. :-)
This is what we have. It has lasted six or seven years of heavy use with our large family. (It's popped almost 40lbs of popcorn. 😲)
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Domino's has pizza for BOGO if you order online so that's what we're having. Nobody else likes pie except one kid and myself so I'm not making a fruit pie for that...
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I guess it will just be flash cards and chants. She does really well if I can make it silly or different so we'll work on it.
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We chant using the CD once a week and my kids use Quizlet every day to review them while saying them aloud. The Quizlet cards we use also have audio files so they can check their pronunciation.
Latin Prep CD or for a different program?
She's really loving LP so I don't want to move her from it I just want to have all of that stuff really stick in her head.
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We're making flash cards for my daughter's Latin vocabulary. She can remember the base of the words, but has a harder time remembering all of the principal parts. The book says it's important to memorize these as well. What's the best way? Just add them to the front of the flash card and drill English to Latin and Latin to English while requiring principal parts?
FWIW, she has no problem really translating the small passages to or from Latin. She does groan about it, but not knowing all of the principal parts doesn't seem to hinder her...yet. (She's working slowly through LP1.)
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my kids take the longest with math (45 minutes) and Latin (45 minutes). Maybe she needs to be at a bit of a deeper level? My kids do history together but the expectation is much more for my older two.
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It's not as big of a jump as you think. I like FLL 1 and 2 but ADORE 3 and 4.
There's Rod and Staff or Voyages in English.
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We gave my in-laws a digital frame for Christmas. It's nice and quick and the pictures are big.
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Three miles of cross country skiing today! It was my first time too. And not at all anything like walking, which is what my husband told me. :001_huh:
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I have a Charge HR 2. It's pretty motivating. In particular, a few weeks back I participated in a challenge where everyone was getting like 25,000 steps a day. I wanted to win so I was up walking all of the time. Another lady wanted the win too so she gave me a run for my money, down to walking in circles at ten to midnight trying to beat her. (She won by 600 steps.)
I had a Fitbit Zip and that was just as useful. I do like that the Charge tracks my walks with just a few button clicks.
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Best smart watch?
in The Chat Board
Posted
I have a Charge 2. It does the exercise obviously, bug I don't get calendar notifications. The only notifications it sends are calls and texts.