I've had little punkins go through MRIs and head CTs, and etc., etc. I'd go to CHOP. Tomorrow. YMMV, and I hope it does, but *I* found the MRI machine a little freaky and I have no issues/illusions surrounding all that, unlike most children, you know? :grouphug:

Whatever you do, don't forget Quiet Reading Time. It's still on the schedule and I have one staring down high school. SWB should be able to retire rich for that idea alone. :D

I remember those days. :D Sometimes we did school on the floor. There was a whole year wherein the youngest dd would cry every time any of us sat down at the table without her. :001_huh: If we then included her, it didn't improve. So we sat on the floor for all but handwriting that year. To your question: First, I'd give up thinking of your number three child as a "student", per se, unless that child is already reading or something like that. For that age, it was terrific to have a nice big pre-K "work" book from say, Costco (no kidding), plus some coloring books or pages printed from online (shapes, numbers, letters), crayons or prismacolors and certain favorite books in a basket that belonged to that child. Then, when doing school with the bigs, the little(s) have their very own materials -- at the very least, it buys you some time with a distraction. ;) I've also been known to time certain subjects to coincide with one good PBS show for a preK kiddo, naptimes on some days, snacks for the littles on the floor while the bigs are at the table working... It will be fiiiiiiine. :grouphug:

See below. :) I wanted also to mention that when you look at the brain scans used in the book, you can actually see that an ADD brain will freeze up when asked to concentrate -- as in math, for example -- while still having the ability to hyperfocus on other subjects and have great success in those. This fact alone about knocked me over. My eldest is that kid. So was I. Now that I'm teaching maths to mine, it's less fraught for me and I'm retaining all kinds of stuff. I always thought I was just not a mathy person. We've done the heavy exercise, more Omega-3's, melatonin to help sleep, and I'll continue to use supplements whether or not we end up with a script. But man, I am looking forward to seeing what this kid can do if things are tweaked for him just a little bit. (He learned his times tables while walking up and down the stairs, other memory work while walking in circles -- somehow that motion thing seemed to free up his head a bit. Oh the tactics we employ! :tongue_smilie:)

Okay. I am not a doctor, I do not play one on TV... :D Recalling from my recent reading -- often what's happening is that the brain is really "disregulated." (Duh, right?) So what's needed is a tiny dose of a stimulant -- to wake up the prefrontal cortex -- and a small dose of something else (anticonvulsant? antipsychotic?) which gives other parts of the brain (temporal lobes, anterior cingulate gyrus) permission to slow up and become then a balanced brain. I know nothing about the med that you're describing, but based on his experience it does sound as though his dose is too high. Dr. Amen talks about sometimes giving as little as 5mg of Adderall in concert with a small dose of something else and having very, very little in the way of side effects. :grouphug:

Welcome! I feel a bit like a broken record these days, because I'm recommending this book to sooo many people. Healing ADD by Dr. Daniel Amen has been a phenomenal find for me and my kidlets. I cannot tell you how I wish that I'd come across it as the first ADD book I ever read, starting almost seven years ago. Dr. Amen advocates using whatever works for your child and even goes so far as to recognize vitamin and mineral deficiencies that may be sub-clinical. In the medical community, let alone the psych community, this is so rare as to be nearly shocking (to me, anyway). The *very* best part of the book is the in-depth explanation of different meds, supplements, and alternative therapies. He explains the particular effect of each med, why they may have the opposite effect of that desired, what area of the brain they work on and why, and delineates the same for supplements. My eldest is about to have a formal eval and now that I have this book in my "arsenal" I have no, okay, almost zero, qualms about going in and perhaps coming out with a prescription. And I'm ordering supplements *today* for myself and two friends who've done the diagnostic quiz -- we've all had our own a-ha moments over this. Somehow, none of us feels so "crazy" just knowing that there's an explanation for our distractibility -- that we're not stupid or lost or just not "trying hard enough." Anyway, I'll stop now, lest I sound completely off my rocker, or as if I'm doing PR for the Amen clinic or something. ;) But really (one more thing) -- if *one* person in this thread gets the book and reads it and just thinks "Oh thank God" or something similar... I don't know. It's just been a thorough revelation here. A new way of seeing something combined with solid info makes my knees go weak -- which is what "got" me about TWTM, incidentally. Rambling now. Best of luck, dear. I'd love to know what you decide and how it works. :grouphug:

Erica, get in your car and drive there, walk into the ER, explain what is going on and that your daughter is worsening RAPIDLY. After a few particular situations with my punkins I don't think I can ever live more than a couple of hours away from a children's hospital. Go. They are a great asset and will see her IMMEDIATELY. Take some books, water bottles, DVDs, whatever misc. stuff you might take with you for a day in the park (plus maybe a comfort item for her) and go. :grouphug:

Oh, oh!! (raising hand and waving wildly) May I write a chapter? I'd like to title it "Color coding success in Excel."

After spotting this, I don't think she has TWTM in mind when talking about classical ed losing it's way... http://www.classicalscholar.com/midwest_homeschool_convention_susan_wise_bauer Erm. Or not. http://www.classicalscholar.com/classical-home-education-susan-bauer Ooookay then. ??? http://www.classicalscholar.com/why-the-well-trained-mind-will-cause-you-to-fail http://www.classicalscholar.com/shaky-speculation-the-lost-tools-of-learning#comments So I'll just say what we're all thinking: What? Really?

You know, I've always wanted to self-publish something. I've no idea what it would be, but I continue to think that it's possible to do so and not have the astonishing level of uncorrected errata which seems, if one considers the anecdotal evidence, to be de riguer in the world of self or vanity publishing. I cannot be the only one who wants to shriek when I find myself editing a book instead of reading it. Can I? (This has nothing to do with the book in question, which seems more like one woman's musings on her particular interpretation of classical ed and fascination with the same than a new or expository work. But it may in fact have zero errors.)

Well alrighty then, I guess we can retire. Look what we've achieved! Unless all this is part of a master plan (rubbing hands together in glee)... to take over the world, turning out children/adults who can form coherent arguments, all while wielding only our copies of TWTM and our crock-pots. :D

Prayers for your punkin and for her mama. So sorry -- even if there's nothing unusual going on, testing and appointments are very little fun. :grouphug:

You are both lucky and cursed. And sooo not alone. Thanks for the goofiness and the sanity, carefully cloaked in crock-pot punditry. :D :lol:

In my best Napoleon Dynamite voice: "Lucky!" You know that now you hafta share pics. ;)

I lurve the clearance sales after school starts, but have a horrible time making myself wait! :D I watch ads for deals on bulk pencils, good erasers, prismacolors, and etc. My all-time fave is creative uses for post-its and tabs. I'm a school/office supply junkie.

Sneak greek yogurt and whey (or other) protein powder into pancakes/bread/waffles. :D

Thinking good thoughts, praying too. :grouphug:

How about teaching the kid while he's in motion? I'm thinking about buying a ball for my bouncy kid to sit on while working. In the past, it's worked well to have him walking/jumping rope/hopping on one foot while memorizing. Now he's tall enough that so much activity can be annoying. :D And I second recommendations for Dr. Amen's work -- Making a Good Brain Great, Healing ADD, How to Get Out of Your Own Way... and etc.

I'm so glad you posted this. I've dithered and dithered about this, but after reading some of Dr. Daniel Amen's books and now seeing your post, I think I'm done dithering. At least one person in this house will be evaluated for meds -- I'm calling for an appointment tomorrow. Thanks much. :grouphug:

I wanted to talk about what it was like to have an exchange student from Spain with my family when I was a kid. Or how interesting it's been to see little parts of the "rest of the world" and chat with citizens of other countries about the differences in our cultures. But I'm kinda thrown by the other stuff going on in this thread. :001_huh: I was once in a situation that involved several parking spaces, handicapped and non-handicapped folks and people who were very well coiffed and otherwise nicely maintained having a near stroke over the inappropriate arrangement of a vehicle which stole their space! The NERVE! I mean, there were several more empty spots, immediately on either side, and their party included three ambulatory women and a small shopping bag, while other parties included the elderly, small children mid-meltdown, and enormous amounts of heavy merchandise that needed to be conveniently loaded up. As they drove off huffing to themselves about how rude the rest of the population was, I suddenly thought to myself that I have absolutely no way of knowing what their lives are like. They look well-off, but may in fact be out purchasing materials for a memorial service. Perhaps they've had to go out and replace beloved household items after a robbery. Maybe someone they love has just had a horrific diagnosis. Or perhaps one of their party is in fact having a stroke, which would explain that odd look on her face... ;) Plus, ya know that print communication removes around 90% of the cues we use to deal well with other humans. So. Um... Can we take a breath and move on? :grouphug:

Congratulations, dearie! :grouphug:

Hey! (waving) Lovely to see you and glad to have the update. ::Smooches::

Hugs and prayers for your sweet girl.

I know you said that you'e looking for something that's inclusive and planned already, but... I heart The Story of the World series. It's *fun* and teaches world history minus a Christian-based world view, but certainly not biased against, either. One of our favorite parts is the discussion of the beginnings of Islam. You might want to dip your toe in over the summer with the CDs (maybe while travelling?), then after listening, go look through the Activity Guide and Student Pages to see what looks like fun for both of you. Welcome and have fun! :D

Lots of great stuff upon which to think... I would just add, in regards to any imaginative play, that certain parts of this question seem very much similar (to me) to the question of whether or not to punish a four year old who is clearly lying and has gone to some lengths to confabulate when there is obvious evidence in front of all those conversing on the subject that the child is in fact not telling the truth. I know that there are those who would punish. I'm not one of them. I think perhaps the single most important internal differentiation for parents to clearly grasp is whether or not a child is facing a developmental or moral issue in a particular situation -- be it play acting (whether mimicking positive or negative icons), or lying about the chocolate cake that's all over his face. Making developmental issues into moral ones sets up inevitable failure within that relationship. Mistaking moral issues for developmental ones turns out sociopaths. I do believe that the Bible is occasionally not the last word, or Word. ;) I think that the scope of understanding (hopefully) grows with each successive generation and that there's much to be gained from the (sometimes secular) study of child development. That four year old likely does not have what he/she needs to grasp actual truth from what he/she wants to be true. Punishing a kid for being at a certain developmental stage inhibits (imnsho) his ability to move through it effectively, to a place where he can discuss, embrace, and embody good moral ettiquette, Christian or otherwise. As well, the developmental stage which allows a child to play pretend is a sign of good mental/emotional health. (Somebody cite something here -- it's been too long since I cracked that textbook.) I believe that because of our greater life experience and concerns for the well-being of our children, too often parents overlay otherwise unremarkable childish traits with moral concepts that are innappropriate to that child/scenario. This does not mean that we do not bring them to a place of understanding, but I would not explain to a five year old with a pretend sword that he musn't do that because those kinds of people raped and pillaged and murdered. As far as he's concerned, he's figuring out how good and evil work in the world (though he wouldn't know to say that yet). As part of the unending process of raising them, we would read and discuss later. Ad nauseum, varying the depth of the conversation as is appropriate to their age and development at the time. And they become clear on the whys and wherefores without shame being a part of the process. My children wish to recommend The Dark Frigate (included in Sonlight 7) for pirate literature. :)