Am looking for any suggestions on career exploration books and websites. Would like to do a co-op class at the 7th-8th grade level. Any suggestions? I'd like to focus on interest inventories, talking about interests and aptitudes, and then career clusters.

I'm interested in teaching a nature-centered science class for our co-op, for 3rd-4th graders. Was thinking of several smaller unit studies tied together. Investigating animal tracks, dissecting owl pellets, that sort of thing. Is there a curriculum out there that I could use to do this, rather than starting from scratch? I've heard of the backyard detective books, wondering if something like those might work? Any thoughts/suggestions would be much welcomed!

I'm considering doing a co-op class for middle schoolers, on study skills. I'm looking for suggestions from others who have done a class like this before, or who have taken a class that has been particularly helpful. My son actually took a study skills class last year, but I think we're of the mindset that it may take more than one round for the skills to actually "root." :)

Anna's Mom, Thank you for sharing, and especially for the reassurance and links to some resources! It was a particularly hard day, and I wrote after yet another case of wiping the plate with her fingers. I'm concerned about even a small thing like this as it is something else that might set her apart from other kids. But we also have other food things like not being able to stop, grabbing, etc. There's what I mentioned in the original post, but also some other things like what you mentioned about the meltdowns. She is also on a team sport, and the coach is seeing some of the behaviors. We have long suspected ADHD and/or sensory issues. We started with an OT, and she had therapy which helped somewhat, we have tried to incorporate some of this with her. We also discussed with her pediatrician--before I pulled her to homeschool we had all of the teachers complete inventories for ADHD and all were in agreement in seeing issues except the art instructor. So pediatrician marked it as a concern, but not necessarily an ADHD issue. I actually got an earful about how this is often overdiagnosed. That was not our intent at all, but you know, sometimes it might be the case! And all we wanted was some helpful suggestions/therapy. (During the initial visit with the ped I actually let her be herself, and she was jumping off the exam table and climbing on my back and interrupting multiple times in a shout. This went on for an hour and 20 minutes, as I wanted him to see it, and he commented about how some kids just need to be kids. Oh my! From what I understand , it's the intensity and duration. We did get forms to send to teachers, as I mentioned, but nothing came of this.) We do think it would be helpful to get a neuropsych appointment (even that pediatrician said so). But a full eval is kind of off the table for now, however, because we just did one for another child (not same behaviors at all, more cognitive and giftedness) this summer, out of pocket. We have to recover a bit from that. Also, she has a vision impairment which I'm not sure if it would affect their ability to test her. I'm going to look at some of the resources you suggested. And I think you may have something about the focusing on the positive -- it does seem better if we can do this -- the trouble is it's not always easy when the behaviors come so quickly. I'm working on it. Do you know of any way to stop (or slow down) some of the behaviors like kicking/thumping on the floor for stimulation? Thank you and would welcome any other comments/suggestions!

We have a wonderful 8 year old DD. She is bright -- but always loud, often hyperactive, doesn't like to wait. I've often thought there may be ADHD but she does focus well (when she does, for the time she does). But after focusing a short time, she frequently will become wild. And then if she's had a lot of sensory input she tends to get wild the next day or two too. We try to provide as much activity as possible (although we do of course have to stay in and do work sometimes!). What I"m wondering is, how much impulsivity is in the normal range at this age? And how long should my patience last? She still has trouble not putting hands in food, scraping up food with her hands on plate even though we stress utensils (except for finger food). And the verbal impulsivity! When she's calm she's a joy and everyone tells me how funny she is and no holds barred humor. But when she's cross, look out! Names fly, extreme talk back. Doesn't really want to do chores or school unless it's directly correlated to something that matters to her (a reward,payment for extra work, or missing out on something she wants like a treat or an outing). Any suggestions? Want to make sure I'm steering the right course here. :)

Heathermomster, Thank you for the link! You said you were told to ignore processing and wm...what is wm? Our son is also 2e and accommodations are what was stressed. However, we do already homeschool and it basically said mom can continue to make accommodations as needed but to followup in a few years, as he is applying to college. But...I've focused on accommodations, and I don't think I necessarily have all the answers. Teaching to self-organize, that's hard! I've put many things in place, but it is still not self directed. Any suggestions?

Well, we just had feedback on our own DS' testing. There is a huge discrepancy between IQ and processing (very low). At the feedback the neuropsych said meds would help ADHD inattentive (the focus) but not the processing speed; the processing was just the way his mind worked. He didn't actually recommend meds, said it was entirely a personal choice. We don't have any behavioral issues, etc., just the loss of focus and executive function skills. Whether processing speed could improve was not actually mentioned in our final written report, which we just received. However, yesterday the optometrist that addresses visual processing issues seemed surprised by the neuropsych saying processing wouldn't be addressed by meds. So this is very confusing to me. Oh Elizabeth, we'd also be very interested in the link to the free Interactive Metronome. Or other resources. No therapy was recommended in our report.

Okay, if someone can throw out some ideas, we could start a discussion of pros and cons. This is actually what I'm trying to learn about for my friend.

No suggestions? Bumping.

No suggestions? Bumping.

A friend of mine just started homeschooling her 5th grade daughter. She's looking for online lessons. Her daughter prefers doing work online rather than paper and pencil worksheets. Something that will have her answer questions and fill in blanks, etc., and then let her know how she is doing. She likes Khan Academy -- but she's looking for more like that in different subject areas, particularly reading. Also -- she's going away for a short period and plans to have her daughter work online for short periods while she's away. Any suggestions?

Okay, we had our meeting/feedback yesterday. But the neuropsych did not even mention until I brought up at very end receiving call. The file was discussed at a group meeting, and apparently the subject came up. So someone may have contacted for this reason. But apparently it may not be a need in our case, and would not address the concerns we have. Our child is already taking music and art classes too. I did see a flyer in the waiting area and there are group classes starting -- but almost all for younger age groups. But...I'm wondering...if this kind of thing is helpful, what about stressing art and music more at home. Does anyone do this and is this helpful?

We are scheduled today to get results, and I'd like to make the best use of time. My husband had a business trip and we were unable to schedule (it would have been months). So, I"m on my own... What kind of questions are most helpful to make sure answered? This will be followed by a write-up of all results. But this is kind of my chance to ask questions about the testing, etc. Our concerns basically are about processing speed and executive function, possibly ADHD inattentive. And if we have a question about how a diagnosis is made, can I ask them for specific clinical observations? I know we'll go over test results, but the observatin part is so...fuzzy. Is there anything you didn't ask at a feedback session that would have been helpful? This is a large neurology organization, not sure if they are available for follow-up questions or emails after the fact.

We actually have a feedback session today to go over neuropsych and cognitive testing results. But received a phone message tonight from someone with the organization who is talking about scheduling creative arts therapy. What a case of cart before the horse! It would be nice to have them call afterwards, not before. But, in the meantime, does anyone have experience with creative arts therapy? Why? I do know briefly about it and was googling last night. But is it effective, and does it do anything for processing speed or executive function? We are expecting to discuss these but this is a new one.

We actually have a feedback session today to go over neuropsych and cognitive testing results. But received a phone message tonight from someone with the organization who is talking about scheduling creative arts therapy. What a case of cart before the horse! It would be nice to have them call afterwards, not before. But, in the meantime, does anyone have experience with creative arts therapy? Why? I do know briefly about it and was googling last night. But is it effective, and does it do anything for processing speed or executive function? We are expecting to discuss these but this is a new one.

I feel better that this may be a possibility. From my reading, I thought that perhaps this might not be an option for inattentive ADHD (or for processing/exec). I've heard that it does not always respond as well as other types of ADHD to medication. I am honestly not against it at this point, as we've been trying to many other options during the past few years. And it really is getting to be a breaking point. In order to think ahead for our appointment, did either or both of you deal with the inattentive? Or with processing issues? And is there anything I should know/read/look into before our appointment, in order to ask better questions during it?

Help. We have a bright kid, who has previously tested into gifted pull-out program in school. He may have inattentive ADHD, or possibly processing speed or executive function issues. But he needs time, considerably more time, to complete his work. Like sometimes 2-3 or even 4X. He just moves slow, even on non school tasks. I already help with organization, and cut back on number of problems assigned. But what now? We've reached a point where this may not be enough. I truly hit a flipping point this morning, it's very hard to also put so much of my own time in and it's stressful to constantly keep trying to be on schedule. Do we change curricula? Do we try to redesign specifically to fit his needs? We are way behind where we should be. We have completed full neuro testing and currently waiting for feedback appt next month. But what if the main recommendation is extended time, how do I talk about it not being enough? How do you know when an academic load is reasonable? We are only in middle school now, and I am truly worried about moving ahead.

I could really use some help/thoughts. We have a bright son who does need extra time. He is very bright, but some tasks just take a long time. Math, writing. We are in the process of looking into why and getting evaluations. However, we have allowed extra time to compensate. The difficulty is that as he is in middle school, this is becoming more of an issue. Things are dragging a long time and it puts everything behind. How do you know when too long is too long? I do cut back on some extra work. But if I cut back more, then he may not get the challenge he needs. But if we allow as much time as needed -- and I do prompt to keep on task -- it pushes everything behind. He is responsible and works hard. It just takes a v-e-r-y- long time on some tasks. Any suggestions, any, would be helpful.

We actually already have diagnosis, although from pediatrician just based on observations. What we really want now is to find ways to help. Changing school environment was enough at first, and I thought I could help with organization and planning skills. But we're seeing more of a need as he gets older and my efforts aren't making enough of a change. I am so hoping this will make a difference, and at least we will get recommendations for more time on college testing that may make a difference. And more of an idea how his mind works. We are half-way through the eval process now, and I am just hoping that this eval will be worth the effort. I am getting cynical, too, through the process so far. We were charged several hundred dollars in addition to the feedback cost (so far) as we went over 40 minutes (in addition to the actual testing and fees for their reading the tests, of course), to thoroughly understand that there are no issues yet. Despite the fact that there are, somewhere. Yikes.

Thanks! :) So it's possible to still have ADHD and not show inattentiveness on the computerized test? Then how would they possibly know? And is EF and processing always a part of ADHD do you think?

Interesting, I will look into the Sklar. It looks like time management and how to use planners? We do use prioritized to-do lists but it is still hard -- I will find DS skipping lines occasionally or doing out of order. And this is just using a system, not trying to plan. It is like when there are details, it is just too much for him. (Same even in telling events, it is hard to get in any order.) Really, we have worked YEARS on just a system of putting work to do in one pile (now a cubby) and done work in another pile. This one thing really helps but is still a work in progress. This is why we are wondering more about if ADHD-I is standing in way of our trying to teach him to use systems. And also -- he is a really bright/gifted kid. So how do we get the EF going? Any suggestions?

We started with a neurologist consult, the Quotient was testing through him. Then we are proceeding with full neuropsych testing. We are self-pay in full, although we can submit and if covered our insurance may refund a small percentage back to us. But the costs are very high. And I'm concerned that a lot of the testing may not be covered if it is considered educational/learning issues rather than attention. Am not familiar with BRIEF or EF but they sound similar to Vanderbilt eval we had a few years back. We definitely see ADHD-I and slow processing issues. Am very concerned as Quotient testing (which sounds similar to TOVA) came back as no attention issues except for mild auditory delay. So am wondering how it could not or if processing and EF can actually be standalone diagnoses. At any rate when I came home from feedback I was wondering how to weigh this against parent and teacher observations. We need to wait a month to complete neuropsych testing and get that eval. Any other thoughts?

Is there anyone who has experience with executive function and/or processing speed diagnoses. Are these always a part of ADHD or can they be separate? Especially inattentive ADHD. Also, what kinds of interventions have you used and found most helpful? This is for a teenager.

Has anyone else used Quotient testing for their child? Was it helpful? It is a computerized test which supposedly tracks responses and attention. This sounds good. However, when I read about it many insurance companies don't cover as it is still considered experimental and there is some controversy over its use.

We've been without a landline for maybe 5 years. We renovated completely our house, and never even got wires into the house. Problem is kids are older, and without a cell phone I can't/won't leave them in house alone. Also, even with me home -- what if in an emergency they had to call for help and couldn't find my phone? So, we need either a cell phone for older child (which is an issue b/c he can lose things) or, a landline. DH says he's going to do something to use a computer for calling, but it hasn't happened. So I'm not happy with the situation. By the way, loved the "where's my cell phone" web site recommendation above. That's happened to me! But I just tried it for kicks and got this message: There was a problem with sending the call: There was a problem with your call request: An internal server error occured. - Unhandled Internal Server Exception Nothing's ever easy, is it?