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rafiki

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Posts posted by rafiki

  1. As far as the FB stuff, I hope people read over the other threads on the other boards and found their options. There are settings you need to tweak in your FB profile and something called Disconnect that you can download. I think we're going to bounce back and be fine.

     

    The thing with FB is, just when you think you've figured out your settings and they are as private as private can be in the virtual world, they change things. It's annoying to have to frequently sift through and keep up with their forever changing rules and privacy settings.

     

    For those on the regular forums, it may not matter that their face and real life is attached to this board, but for the former SN's board often topics of medical, mental, physical, therapy, testing, and educational issues came up. That is quite personal and sensitive in nature. However, it was the process that most needed to work through with some sort of support group to reach where they are today. Many people on the SN's board have shared things there that they haven't even disclosed to close friends and family. Having a virtual place to lean on and the transparency many showed while taking similar journeys was invaluable. Also keep in mind that many of these issues are genetic in nature and some felt comfortable here because of the perceived privacy. Many here are are introverts and wouldn't have had these same conversations face to face with someone. The WTM has now put faces to this board, literally which creeps some out having their private and virtual lives intertwined. I also can see being allowed to change your board handle once since the forums are now more out there, however with that and the frequency one can change their handle, we no longer know each other at a glance and have that same level of comfort of knowing the backstory of who you are replying to and is responding to you. Much is lost on this board, IMO, and it's sad because many lives and relationships were changed because of the support it previously offered.

  2. Mind if I ask something Susan, Why doesn't the Accelerated Learner Board specify doing classical education, yet the Learning Challenges Board does?

     

    Depending on the needs of the different learner, some are able to tweak a classical education to fit their educational challenges, but others are not. It's no offense against classical education, your products, or you personally. That child simply has different needs. Many of the members on the special needs forum came from other WTM boards and have tried many of your products, use some of them, or use them with other children in their home.

     

    I understand you are providing these forums for free. There is nothing many of us would have liked more than for classical methods to work for our kids. When they don't, we have to face what is. When a parent is frustrated because classical education is not fitting, they feel bad enough about having to change their mindset to new dreams, I don't think it's helpful to specify classical education when you are talking special needs.

  3. “Struggling learner†has many different interpretations. Would your child struggle if in a public school classroom, where the instruction was less individualized and tailored? That is what many consider a struggling learner, those that do not learn best by traditional methods. Some parents naturally know how to adjust the materials and approaches to fit their child, others need more support in doing so. That is why I don’t care for the term struggling learner and see it as just needing a different approach to learning.

     

    There is also a process one goes through as they realize they have a different learner and that it’s okay to be different. First they seek the why - what I suggested as the Educational Challenges board because something seems off that causes people to reach out. Then you go through the reading or evaluation phase, which leads to the interpreting of the what. The time that takes will very with each individual. Eventually one is able to focus on their child’s strengths, accept them for who they are, and work together towards the child’s goals. This is where I suggested the different abilities board.

     

    You have some members who like to give advice and would frequent the educational challenges/newly officially or unofficially diagnosed board and others who are simply past that point and have a different focus, their child’s abilities vs disabilities.

     

    It’s not splitting between education and behavior. It’s finding a category that more closely matches your needs.

     

    If you don’t know where to start, visit the Educational Challenges board.

     

    If you are past all that and focused on their different abilities, go to the different abilities subforum.

     

    If you need medical help, transitional support, help with life skills, etc. go to the special needs subforum.

     

    If you read about all the various labels, so many have symptoms that overlap. I don’t see the need for a delayed board, 2E board, spectrum board, ADHD board, really within each label there is a spectrum. The focus of the different abilities board is embracing how your non traditional learner, their goals, their strengths, and locating resources no matter what or if they have a diagnosis.

  4. I responded on the SN's board to SWB, but am cross posting here.

     

    SWB, There are many different spectrums seen on the special needs board.

     

    1. true special needs - Those with medical issues, who are struggling to learn basic life skills, need transitional support, and may never be able to live independently. I agree that they deserve a board where they do not have to sift through higher functioning talk when they celebrate simple milestones that most take for granted.

     

    2. From there you have people that find the board because their children are struggling one way or another, they have questions about seeking a diagnosis, things they can try with teaching technique, scheduling, nutrition, therapies, and what to do with the evaluation results.

     

    3. After people figure out what is going on, you have twice-exceptional children, who are "bright, but often struggle with basics" - these folks discuss learning styles, teaching strategies, resources, and the "now what" for moving beyond seeing the "dys" labels.

     

    4. Then you have those with developmental delays across the board who simply have "different abilities" - while this is a smaller group, it's still one of which needs support as their needs are quite different. Some may say this goes under true Special Needs, really though, they simply have different abilities.

     

    People come to the Special Needs board because their child is having challenges with learning or they are finding it challenging to teach their child. Seeing more severe SN's scares away those who are 2E. Seeing 2E posts, keeps away those who have true SN's.

     

    Special Needs does need it's own board. I think it should be a subforum, not a main board though because the title alone carries stereotypes for some and they do not consider ADHD, 2E, Spectrum, etc to be Special Needs.

     

    What if the main board was "Educational Challenges" as that is the the main reason people find there way over here, both challenges in teaching and challenges in learning.

     

    So Educational Challenges for the newbies.

    Special Needs for special needs involving medical or lifelong challenges.

    Different Abilities for those whose are past the what is going on stage and are focused on

    meeting the educational needs of their child who learns differently.

  5. Folks,

     

    In the last years, the range of this board has expanded dramatically. It's been suggested to us multiple times that the original title of this board ("special needs") has too narrow a focus. So we've decided to widen out the range of this forum by retitling it "Struggling Learners."

     

    At the same time, I think that parents who are working with students who have severe and diagnosed disabilities do need a forum of their own, so we've created a subforum called Special Needs.

     

    Which forum should you post in? Well...it seems to me that, as a parent, you should pick the board that feels right to you. I think that the community will sort this out in time. And, if not, we'll be happy to step in and clarify.

     

    Suggestions welcome!

     

    SWB

     

     

    SWB, There are many different spectrums seen on the special needs board.

     

    1. true special needs - Those with medical issues, who are struggling to learn basic life skills, need transitional support, and may never be able to live independently. I agree that they deserve a board where they do not have to sift through higher functioning talk when they celebrate simple milestones that most take for granted.

     

    2. From there you have people that find the board because their children are struggling one way or another, they have questions about seeking a diagnosis, things they can try with teaching technique, scheduling, nutrition, therapies, and what to do with the evaluation results.

     

    3. After people figure out what is going on, you have twice-exceptional children, who are "bright, but often struggle with basics" - these folks discuss learning styles, teaching strategies, resources, and the "now what" for moving beyond seeing the "dys" labels.

     

    4. Then you have those with developmental delays across the board who simply have "different abilities" - while this is a smaller group, it's still one of which needs support as their needs are quite different. Some may say this goes under true Special Needs, really though, they simply have different abilities.

     

    People come to the Special Needs board because their child is having challenges with learning or they are finding it challenging to teach their child. Seeing more severe SN's scares away those who are 2E. Seeing 2E posts, keeps away those who have true SN's.

     

    Special Needs does need it's own board. I think it should be a subforum, not a main board though because the title alone carries stereotypes for some and they do not consider ADHD, 2E, Spectrum, etc to be Special Needs.

     

    What if the main board was "Educational Challenges" as that is the the main reason people find there way over here, both challenges in teaching and challenges in learning.

     

    So Educational Challenges for the newbies.

    Special Needs for special needs involving medical or lifelong challenges.

    Different Abilities for those whose are past the what is going on stage and are focused on

    meeting the educational needs of their child who learns differently.

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