I forgot to answer your question about being diagnosed. My son saw a neurologist who diagnosed him with motor tics. However she asked him whether he could stop making noises. He said yes, so she decided that he didn't have vocal tics. I don't know why she asked that question. The tics are embarrassing and he doesn't like to admit to having them. It is more socially acceptable to tell others that you just like making noises. So we know he has vocal tics but he isn't diagnosed with them.

My ds age 9 has had vocal tics for at least the past 2 years - throat clearing, coughing, gulping, nonsense noises, and odd phrases. When he can't disguise the sounds, he tries to normalize the vocalizations by sporadically interjecting comments such as "that's a fun sound. Listen, isn't this a fun sound? Can you make this sound?". Or he locks himself in the bathroom to make sounds privately. The nonsense sounds and phrases usually occur with a great increase in motor tics too (neck stretches and facial grimaces). When the tics are waning, he usually has more discreet throat clearing and gulping sounds along with unobtrusive nose twitching and excessive eye blinking. These more discreet tics are hardly noticed by others. We try to not bring attention to his tics. We also try to slow down and eliminate stressors when the tics increase. My son also tics more when he is excited like at xmas, birthday parties, waiting on line for amusement park rides, etc. I've done some online research and discovered articles indicating that tics are worse during adolescence and decrease after puberty. Hang in there and hopefully the future will be easier for both of our kids.

I hate when educators discourage early learning. Especially since I have one advanced and one delayed child. Reading is so vital. Early reading is the best gift you can give your kid to ensure academic success. Academic failure harms self esteem. Books designed for beginning readers are uninteresting for their intended kindergarten audience. However they are perfect for very advanced early readers. My daughter began reading as a toddler. I love that she can read books that match her interests. Also it has opened up many unexpected learning opportunities, because reading allows her to learn independently. On the other hand my son is frustrated because he can't read books that match his interests without help. Schools should be academically enriching for all. I know they aren't. It is sad that some think we should deprive our children of enriched learning environment in order to prepare them for an academically dull kindergarten.

My son loves to draw, so we just recently started exploring different mediums - watercolor pencils, ink, watercolors, and gouache. We haven't found the bet fit yet. He is craving more vibrancy and texture. So next we are going to try acrylics. Once we find the right medium, then I might enroll him in art lessons. I wonder if I could afford private art lessons to address his particular interests and skills. It would be great to have an artist mentor him. What he lacks in skill he makes up for with enthusiasm. It would make him so happy to develop his skill so that he was recognized as being artistic.

My son has vocal and motor tics. I don't like to think of it as Tourette's, because of the stereotypical association with uncontrollable cursing. I know that only small portion of kids with Tourette's have such inappropriate vocalizations. But I worry that if I call it Tourette's that I'll jinx him and he'll get those stereotypical symptoms. My son isn't on any medication. Fortunately my son's tics are usually unnoticeble. Around others, he limits himself to throat clearing and gulping. Sometimes people notice facial grimaces if they have some intimate knowledge of tics. Then they are sympthetic. The good news is that symptoms generally lessen after age 12. This is great because previously it was believed that symptoms increase during puberty. I can see that a coughing tic may alarm others. I think my son has done that too. It is hard to tell because he has asthma. You could just tell strangers that it is an allergic cough. I think you should tell the doctor about all of your concerns. Doctors seem overbooked, overwhelmed, and distracted. If you don't get your concerns right out in the open it won't get adequate attention. Tourette's is a common childhood disorder. If it isn't causing your son distress he probably doesn't need medication. Hang in there because it will probably get better. At least that is what I tell myself. Lori

My son has tics too. Once his tics increased to at least 100 times per minute. As result the school nurse had him captive in her office and insisted he would only be released if I brought him to the ER. I had to call our pediatrician to intervene. At the time, we had just moved and my son was obviously feeling stressed. Lately his tics are usually unnoticeable. As another poster mentioned tics can just wax and wane at times. I hope they subside soon. I will keep you both in my thoughts. please keep us updated. Lori

Yikes, sorry you are so overwhelmed. I've been there. Our son woke up one morning with full blown Tourette's Syndrome. At times it seemed that he had 100 tics per hour. It lasted for a few weeks then subsided dramatically. Now he rarely tics. Maybe there is some stress causing his problems. in our case, it was due to moving into a new home. Maybe the play is too stressful for him. Or as another poster suggested, it could be the glasses and vision therapy. I would try to elimate as much stress as possible. It can't be enjoyable for him to feel so out of control. Good Luck, Lori

My DS9 has dyslexia too. I don't like the shorthand idea. They already have trouble decoding isolated symbols (ie letters), so why add more symbols (shorthand). I wonder whether speech to text software would be helpful for her. She could get her thoughts down independently then could focus on editing. My son is just starting to write sentences with a lot of support so I haven't brainstormed writing fluency issues yet. At school my son has a smart keyboard that uses predictive text software. However it wasn't helpful so he doesn't use it anymore. You should be very proud of her reading level and comprehension. Great job!

I'm in this club too. DS9 has dyslexia and ADD inattentive type. His working memory and processing speed are very low. He has been about 2 yrs behind in math and reading, and further behind in writing. He also has gross motor and fine motor issues. However he did make great strides this year. He is having some private testing done at the end of May. I'm eager to get unbiased evaluation of his skills. It would be great if he is finally closing the gap a bit rather than falling even further behind his peers. I'm very proud of his efforts, empathy for others, and overall behavior. But I worry about his future and self esteem.

I've wanted to see both too - the Finland phenomenon amd 2 Million Minutes. Once a nearby town library had a viewing, but I didn't discover the announcement until afterwards. I've also wanted to see Race To Nowhere just to get a well balanced view. I've wondered if my local library would host a viewing but I never approached anyone with the suggestion. Lori

I wish I had delayed kindergarten. I tried but the school refused. He was already in the district's disabilities preschool so they just promoted him despite my concerns. Then later I had to get an advocate to get him retained in second grade. The school now agrees that retention was helpful. I wish I had gone straight to a lawyer before kindergarten. I have a lawyer now advocating for him. Also my son has a private Wilson reading tutor. It is expensive but I wish I had found her when he was in first grade. I don't read phonetically. It was difficult to teach him to read. I'm glad I finally decided to get professional help beyond the school. Also as Shellers mentioned, I wish I had learned earlier not to trust the child study team. My son is still young so I don't have much else figured out. Thank God for this site. I've learned so much by just lurking.

I read a lot. Sometimes I even ignore my kids just to finish a good book. I love books that take me away to different countries and cultures. I watch a lot of documentaries on tv too. Also I discovered that my SN kid loves fascinating facts from science and social studies. So I randomly share tidbits without worrying whether he really gets it. He is always interested. We talk about the remarkable division of labor in ant and bee colonies, Koko the Gorilla communicating in ASL, blackholes, alternate universes, etc. He gets all of the facts mixed up but he's learning that the real world is incredible and more interesting than any cartoon. Actually it is easier to share most remarkable facts with my SN kid than adults. With most adults I get the feeling that I'm supposed to be too old to be in complete awe of the universe. However I only afterschool. If I was homeschooling I would have less time for my own intellectual pursuits or thoughts.

Let's check out my sig

my ds(9) has the same problems. He has dyslexia and ADD inattentive type too. He isn't old enough to put away his dishes yet. He is clumsy and would drop them. I try to have routines to keep him on track. I always put his clothes out for him during the week at the foot of his bed. This way he knows that he has completed the dressing task if all of pieces are used. On the weekend I let him choose his clothing himself but he has difficulty remembering if he has changed his socks and underwear. I put toothpaste on his brush in the morning and night then it is easier for him to remember if he has already brushed his teeth by looking for the toothpaste. I stand outside the shower and give him verbal prompts to wash his hair, rinse his hair, and wash his body. I cut up his food for him and reposition his tableware throughout the meal otherwise everything drifts toward the edge and falls off off the table. I guess you could try taking the cap off of the deodorant and tell him that he is to put the cap back on after using it. My son wants to please us but Is too disorganized to remember stuff without visual clues. I think these problems are probably from a combo of poor motor coordination and executive functioning issues. I've been thinking of getting that executive functioning workbook that others mention. I just wish there was a way to lay my hands on it first to see if it is worth buying. I wish I had more advice but I am also not sure how to get my son more independent. Lori

Wow. My limit is about 15 books at a time because the book bag starts getting too heavy. Also it feels like more than enough work keeping track of that amount of books. I've dreamed of having a bookcase shelf just for library books. Usually we stack them on the floor near the fireplace. However sometimes my kids use them as building blocks and ramps. Then I get angry and put them back in the book bag. However out of sight my kids forget about them and read less. I wish I was more organized. How does everyone carry out so many books? Laundry baskets? Carts? Lori

Crimson Wife has a good point it really isn't a reliably objective test since it relies on the clinician's interpretation of observed and expected behaviors. Lori

That does not sound oppositional to me. How can she venture an opinion without scoring the test? Did she tell you the score? Was it borderline? Perhaps she didn't administer it correctly. Lori

Thank you so much. My dyslexic son even watched a bit of it. He loved watching the teachers struggle. It gave me the opportunity commend and recognize my son's extraordinary efforts. I like to remember that "adversity builds character." Lori

DS 9 - Dyslexia, ADD in attentive type, dysgraphia, fine and gross motor issues, and tic disorder, and enrolled in ps. I'm afterschooling using a mix of ideas - some touch math. DS also sees a private tutor for Wilson Reading Program 2x per week. I lurk here a lot for inspiration. I also have a DD 4, not in school yet, but is advanced (reading since age 2). It complicates everything. It would be easier on my DS if DD wasn't so good at reading and math. Lori

I want to see them too. I also want to see . Lori

Ridiculous. Are they planning to pay you? Teacher aids do get paid. Lori

My DS9 had ADD and dyslexia. He wants to be an engineer or a microbiologist. However he has trouble memorizing everything (low working memory). He is working on subtraction. I held him back so he would have more time to master basic reading and math. He is dong much better with Touch Math. He can add quickly by visualizing the touchpoints. He still hasn't memorized his math facts. Glad to see we aren't alone. I never thought of just letting him progress with the math concepts without mastering the basics. I'm still hoping for a break through but eventually I may need to move onward. It is comforting that calculators are used in higher mathematics. Lori

Thanks everyone. I just ordered a wooden set. I can't wait for them to arrive. I'm just starting number bonds with my youngest and it is overwhelming. I think the c rods will make it much easier. Lori

Thanks Kitten18. Your review is exactly what I needed. I was hoping that someone who had used both types of rods would advise me. I will take your advice and purchase the larger wooden ones. Lori

There are plastic "connecting cuisinaire rods" that are etched in 1 cm increments. I like the incremental marks on one side because it might make it easier for my dc understand the quantity. However they have connecting ends like Legos, so there is a protrusion on the end distorting the length a bit. Then there are the "smooth cuisinaire rods" without any incremental markings. They don't connect. Their ends are flat so the lengths are precise (no confusing protrusion at the end). I would love it if the smooth ones had some incremental markings. Which ones would you buy? We are buying them to help with Singapore Math 1a. We just started the program and after just one week stumbled unprepared into number bonds. I'm planning to take a break and just play games to solidify overall number/quantity sense. I think these rods could be very helpful.