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Lots of boys

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  1. Thanks everyone. I think the whole process has me thinking in circles. I wouldn't be surprised by any outcome at this point because I think I have thought about most possibilities at one point or another. Prior to the eval I thought NLD was a possibility but I think he did really well on the math section so maybe not? We took him primarily because he is so bright, articulate etc. but really struggles with some aspects of school work that I just wouldn't have expected. I wonder if he is dealing with a LD of some sort but just am not sure. In addition, he has some other quirky issues we just wanted an opinion to see if he would benefit from any intervention in these areas. Overall I feel like the evaluation was really thorough (although I guess I will wait for the results to say for sure) and my ds cooperated really well/tried really hard, so whatever results the NP comes up with should be fairly accurate I am hoping. In fact, my son was highly motivated to do well on this assessment (way more motivated than when he works with me) and viewed it as a challenge of sorts. I was surprised by the length of the process but I think his non-stop talking led to some tests taking longer than anticipated :) The ADOS was the only one that really stood out to me as a struggle for him. He seemed to do well with the story retelling, the puzzle, etc. but all of the questions about feelings, friends, marriage were a struggle for him. He is such a talker that I don't think I have ever seen him at a loss for words. Anyway, thanks for your feedback. I am really anxious for the results.
  2. Hi, my oldest ds is 9 and has just finished a lengthy NP eval. Over the course of 4 sessions they did the wisc, Woodcock Johnson and the ADOS. It is the ADOS that surprised me the most. He has always been very quirky and I always thought that he had many spectrumy traits (rigid, lots of sensory issues, etc.) but always felt he was soooo social that autism was never really a fit for him. Well, I got to watch the ados ( from another room) and was shocked by his answers to all the questions about friendships, marriage etc. he really struggled to answer them at all. It was really surprising to me. How can a kid that loves being around other kids so much, struggle to understand why? Does anyone have any experience with the ADOS ? What kind of answers are they expecting from kids on these types of questions? We won't get the results for two weeks and the waiting is really hard. Thanks.
  3. This post made me chuckle. Last week at my ds NP appointment (third of four, last one is tomorrow) they were administering the math reasoning section of the test. When they were done, the NP came out and told me that he did remarkable on that section. She said it in passing at the time while she was getting him a drink but it surprised me because he struggles SO much at home with math. I asked her about this at the end of the session once my son had gone out into the hallway and she said that on the math reasoning section, when she was able to read the questions out loud to him, he scored above a grade 7 level ( he is in gr. 4). She said he never once wrote anything down but just figured out the answer in his head each time. She thinks he struggles much more in the mechanical aspects of math ( writing things down, lining things up correctly, etc.). I was shocked to hear this given his struggles with math at home. I know he really struggles with some things and am anxious to hear what her report says overall, but I was so thrilled to hear he also did really well in one of the areas. So it is true, these assessments can really help you understand strengths as well as weaknesses.
  4. Hi, I feel the same way as you do. I am worried sick about what the evaluation will bring and have researched myself silly about the possibilities. When we first had our initial intake session with the NP she did say that the way I am describing my sons strengths and weaknesses leaves her to believe there may be a non-verbal learning weakness. She went on to say that she will do a comprehensive eval and look at all possibilities. When I first contacted her I believed my son may be struggling with dysgraphia, dyslexia, and possibly ADHD. I have never thought is was something more pervasive like NLD or Aspergers but I am preparing myself that it might be. So far my son has been there for 3 sessions all 1.5 hours and he will finish with a 2 hour session this week. So her testing in total will be almost 7 hours. She has done the WISC 4 (I. Q), the Woodcock Johnson (not sure if it is the cog or achievement) and I think will be doing the ADOS this week ( I think this is related to testing for Autism). The NP has also had me complete three different questionnaires (BASC, SRS, and another one related to ADHD I think). So to answer your question, I think it is hard to prepare yourself but I found reading the book, The Mislabeled Child, helped me realize that there are many possibilities based on his strengths and weaknesses and I am somewhat prepared to hear the results after reading about them all. Let us know how you make out.
  5. Hi, I have been following this thread for a while and just wanted to wish you good luck with the process. My oldest ds is going through testing right now with his last appointment this week. We should get the results (verbally) the following week if all goes well. They will send us a written report a few weeks after that. I completely understand how nervous, sad, anxious you are. All the best.
  6. He is spelling individual letters backwards, not whole words. His reading is o.k. He probably reads at grade level but we actually have to get him large print books or he says they are too hard, even though the words aren't really too hard for him, it is just the layout of the page that bothers him (not enough white space I think). He is working his way through the Percy Jackson series now but we have had to order them all in large print from our library so it can take a while to get them. I will say his auditory memory and comprehension far outweighs his visual. In WwE 3, I still read the passages to him and he will remember all details. If he reads it to himself he struggles sometimes. Anyway, I am seeking an eval for him for this and other reasons, but I am just looking for any advice to make the writing process easier for him in the meantime. He seems to have to really think about how to form each letter and it is exhausting for him. I thought cursive may help but it hasn't really helped at all.
  7. He is spelling individual letters backwards, not whole words. His reading is o.k. He probably reads at grade level but we actually have to get him large print books or he says they are too hard, even though the words aren't really too hard for him, it is just the layout of the page that bothers him (not enough white space I think). He is working his way through the Percy Jackson series now but we have had to order them all in large print from our library so it can take a while to get them. I will say his auditory memory and comprehension far outweighs his visual. In WwE 3, I still read the passages to him and he will remember all details. If he reads it to himself he struggles sometimes. Anyway, I am seeking an eval for him for this and other reasons, but I am just looking for any advice to make the writing process easier for him in the meantime. He seems to have to really think about how to form each letter and it is exhausting for him. I thought cursive may help but it hasn't really helped at all.
  8. Hi, my son still struggles with reversing letters ( he is 9, gr. 4). I started him on cursive last year hoping it would help but he still struggles (spelled bird today - dirb). Sometimes once he looks at the word he can recognize it looks off but most times he seems to have no idea. Any suggestions for how I can help him with this?
  9. Math mammoth! Evan Moor daily science ( love this) First Languange Lessons Winning with Writing, or WWE Evan Moor daily Geography These are some of my favourite open and go things.
  10. I just wanted to chime in to give you some encouragement. My ds 9 needs a lot of handholding with math. He is just starting gr. 4 with Math Mammoth. What has worked for us to keep his level of frustration down is to a) only do math for 30 min or less. b) do a lesson and most of the questions with him on a giant white board so he is standing, moving etc. c) when we are done the white board work, I give him a few short questions on paper and watch him as he does them so I can assist if he starts to melt down ( hopefully) prior. This has helped a lot. Giving my son a sheet of math and walking away is always recipe for tears here.
  11. I have found this thread so interesting and helpful. We on a writing list right now to have my ds9 go through a neuropsych eval. I have always though he would get a label of dysgraphia and possibly dyslexia but feel he doesn't fit these perfectly so maybe other things are going on too. I did some more reading on NVLD and it was been eye opening. I still don't know what is going on exactly with my son but I do know many of the things you mention are things he struggles with. My son has always struggled with writing and all fine motor skills. He still can't tie his shoes and struggles with lots of other fine motor activities. His writing is really a struggle. He can't keep his letters on the line, still reverses many letters and spaces things oddly. He struggles with reading but not really with single words it is more the cluttered page that hampers his progress. I recently started requesting Large print books (intended for folks with visual disabilities) for him to read which has helped a lot. He often forgets the direction to add or subtract in columns and can't keep track of multi step questions. All of this makes me wonder about dyslexia and dysgraphia but where I feel he doesn't fit is. Is memory. He has a fantastic memory for anything you tell him or anything he hears. He can remember history facts we listened to on audio from years ago. He Loves audio books and excels at all things verbal. He was an early talker and talks non- stop to everyone! Anyway, I am not sure whet the eval will say about my son but you have opened my eyes to NVLD ? thanks
  12. My oldest des is 9 and a very reluctant writer. We are currently pursuing testing for dysgraphia and dyslexia. I am planning for our September start up and will have three to juggle (k, 2, 4). Lady year we ended the year still trying to work through bits of WWE2 but he reà lly struggled with the dictation, and we worked through WWW 2 as well. For September I have the next level of WWE (3), and the next level of WWW (3) plus I have SWI A as well. My plan was to work through the narrations in WWE and do the writing in WWW and maybe leave IEW until 5th. But now I am wondering if he would enjoy IEW and maybe I should try that this year. Thoughts?
  13. My ds9 has the same problem with white space. We use MM and love the program but don't like the crowded pages - they overwhelm him quickly. What has worked for us is that I do the teaching (basically just copy the MM teaching from the page) on a GIANT white board with him and do 2-5 practice questions on the white board with him as well. One question at a time in very big writing. Then, I hand him one MM sheet with the questions I want him to complete from that lesson. I circle the ones he needs to do and try to keep the paper work minimal. He still finds it hard but does much better with this method. MM is the only program that has worked for us and we tried TT and Singapore before settling on MM. This would also allow you to be more involved.
  14. My son is turning 5 next month and has come a long way with his speech but seems to have hit a plateau now which is frustrating for him. He was diagnosed with Apraxia at 2.5 and Hypotonia around the same time. We did genetic testing (nothing significant was discovered), MRI, etc. all inconclusive. I wanted to comment on the ASD dismissal. My son had no words at 2 and very few at three and he was seen by a neurologist who assured us he did not think he was on the spectrum. As my son got older, some behaviours stood out more or seemed more atypical for his age (he still had tantrums, he still had poor language comprehension, he had poor fine and gross motor skills, toileting issues, etc.). We finally took him for a neuropsych eval and it was the best thing we could have done. She (the Psychologist ) spent almost 8 hours with him over many days and we got so much more information about him that we ever have before. He was diagnosed as being on the spectrum which was hard but now we know how to help him so much better. ASD can look so different form one child to the next and so can Apraxia. I wish you the best of luck - I know this journey is a hard one.
  15. We use our library for the most part, but have also bought some from bookdepository, and used librivox for some. My boys LOVE audio books!. My son is listening to The Mighty Miss Malone right now and really enjoying it. Others we have enjoyed are: -The Bridge to Teribitha -Mr. Poppers Penguins -The Oz series -Robin Hood -Three Muskateers -Anything by Jim Weiss -The Cronicle of Narnia series -Harry Potter Series -Waterhorse I could go on and on - but these are our recent hits.
  16. Hi, I just wanted to chime in and say that my ds almost 5 has had mega tantrums since birth. It is seriously just his make-up. We just have to put him in his room and have him wait it out until he calms down. Once he is calm, we discuss it and help him with strategies for next time. I just wanted to reiterate what others have mentioned: when he is in the middle of a tantrum - nothing we say matters. He can't hear us, can't comprehend what we are saying etc. We just try to keep him safe until it is over. He truly loses control during this time. I really appreciate hearing others responses.
  17. We have used MM and Miquon all through K (just Miquon) to the end of third so far. I love both programs and the c-rods. I prefer MM over SM (tried both) but I think both are great programs with Miquon.
  18. my ds (9) just finished up 3rd as well and he is a VERY slow worker. We just started our summer break. I am trying to review math all summer but am only doing about 10 minutes a day just to keep it fresh in his mind (he really struggles with math). I don't really have any advice other than to maybe drop the history and science. I don't worry as much about those subjects with my kids. We plug away at them during the year but we just pick up where we left off the following year - we rarely think about htem over the summer break. For instance, we started SOTW two years ago and are on week 14 of SOTW2 - meh!, it doesn't bother me. History and Science are fun for my kids and I am not rushing them. I also give more incentives during the summer for math review. I put questions up on a white board for them each morning and they get points for completing them anytime before bedtime that day. So it leaves it nice and flexible for them which they love (and are often motivated to finish them early in the day just because they aren't being forced to). Once they get a certain amount of points we take them out for ice-cream treats (it works out to every other week or so).
  19. Thanks everyone. I really appreciate all the advice. I will call or email the COVD Dr. and see that they say. to the last poster - I am a little concerned it might be dyslexia and /or dysgraphia too so I am going to go ahead with the eval for that as well. You ladies are a wealth of info. Thanks!
  20. I will give them a call and see what the eye Dr. says over the phone. Any suggestions as to what I am asking for? Developmental eye exam? :) This is all very new to me. He has had a regular eye exam and his vision is fine according to a local clinic. The drive to the one on the COVD list is 2 hrs plus away. I checked out their website and there is not mention of them having some sort of specialty in with children?
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