I've never seen this site before (Teach All Kids)....do you use it? Is it a good investment to join and have access to all their materials? Can you tell me anything about it? Thanks!

That's a good question! I'm NOT sure! I think that's what keeps me up at night!!! It is painful to see someone struggle so much with something, to the point that they hate it and don't even want to try anymore....the funny thing is that to him, it's not a problem if he can't read and write at a comfortable level....he doesn't seem to care....and trying to reach inside him to find out why is nearly impossible...trying to find out much of anything beyond what his latest "interest" is can be an exercise in futility....he just thinks so very differently than I do! I don't know about his IQ...I think they may have tested that back in the early days, but not since...the only reason that I am questioning whether we should try something like Barton is because I'm just scared...scared that if I keep on trying one thing after another and it doesn't get any better than what IS his future???? When you said what you said about independent living and skills for his future, it hit me like a ton of bricks...I mean, I KNOW that, but to see it in black and white is startling....and sobering! I seem to be hung up on the school thing for him right now, but always, in the back of my mind, is the realization that even the basic living skills may not ever come easy for him.....I just want to see him be as successful as he can be in his life, not set any limitations on what that may be, but yet be prepared for whatever does end up happening!!! Btw, what kinds of things do you use/do with your son? Do you have set subjects, ect., or let him go with his passions? I'd be interested to hear more....

He did pass the screening test for Barton's, so if we decide to go that way, he is ready....I'm not at all opposed to Barton's if that's what he needs....it's just KNOWING if that's what he needs....I found a Barton tutor/tester a couple hours from here and I'm waiting to talk to her to see about having him tested....I think I will also call and talk directly to Susan Barton....I feel so up against the wall....I have waited, patiently working on his reading, hoping that it was just more of the same developmental delays he's always had in every other area....when he turned 13 and it STILL wasn't coming together, that's when the panic began to set in!!! Thanks for your encouragement!!!

I will try that with the Websters....I haven't watched your video yet where you show how to use it....I should probably do that!! I have the Rewards Intermediate and that was actually what I was going to get going on after we finished up with your lessons.....it seems like it has gotten good reviews and results from the people here who have used it....when I talked to Susan Barton the other day, she said that she didn't like that program at all....that it required too much guessing....you know how you feel when an "expert" says something.....it made me question whether it was something we should use...but I've read here again and again how Rewards has helped!!! It's all so confusing!!! There is so much out there and so many programs....I'd go through them all if I thought they'd work.... My "problem", I guess, is in knowing if there is REALLY something WRONG with him, or if he is just developing later in the written language area the way he did in his oral language as a little boy.....I mean, he didn't TALK until he was nearly five!!! Every developmental milestone has been very far behind the "norm"....and I don't mind that....I've always let him develop in his "own" way and in his own time....but I just want to make sure that there isn't something else going on.....our insurance is horrible!!!! I took him to an Autism Center and they paid for all of the testing, but wouldn't pay for any of the therapy.....it was going to be several thousand $ a month, so that wasn't an option.... I struggle with taking him to the school to get him tested....just fears of having them in our business, I guess....25 years of homeschooling is bound to make you want to keep the school out!!!!! There is a gal here who is a Barton tutor and does the testing for dyslexia....I could start there....that would give me a good idea of what I'm dealing with.... I'm not opposed to doing Barton, but I've heard so many times that if they're already reading it would just be too much and too slow....he IS making progress from your lessons and his work in Webster's....albeit slowly, but stilll.... That makes sense, how you talk them through the pronunciation on the longer words....I'll try adding that in as well....we'll start today with the added sentences in Webster's, talking through the bigger words, and I'll get the Rewards out and look that over as well.... Thanks for talking this through with me!!! I've tried to get my husband to understand how serious this is, but because of our son's many struggles, he doesn't worry about it as much as I do....he just adds it into the other challenges, which, I suppose, is also an reasonable response...I'm the one who feels the weight with the education...you know how that goes!!!

Yes, we have done your syllable division exercises.....we are on lesson 14 of your phonics lessons, and he is doing pretty good with them....he has been able to sound out the nonsense words with almost no problems....he is also learning from the AAS work we have been doing, and seems to understand the rules we have been going over....he understands the syllable types we have studied so far in AAS (four so far) and can divide the words into syllables and then sound them out on the board....it's getting it to transfer to the page that isn't following..... He learned all of the syllabry in about three days, and we have worked through all the words in Table 4 and have started Table 5.....with some coaching, he has been able to sound them out..... I did three reading tests last week to see what they said, and the results were as follows: on the Wide Range Reading Test he missed two words on the 4.3 line and three on the 5.0 line....we didn't go any further than that.... On the NRRF test he tested as independent (Phonics Knowledge) in Group A, B, C, D, E and H....He tested instructional on Groups F and H. On the Informal Grade Level Assessment, he tested Independent only on Group 1....Groups 2 and 3 were instructional, but that was because of added/dropped prepositions.....Group 4 was as far as we went, and it was Frustration level.... Lastly, I did the MWIA and here's the summary: Level I: Holistic WPM - 125 Phonetic WPM - 65 for a difference of 50 Holistic Errors 2 Phonetic Errors - 8 for a difference of 6 Ratio of Phonetic Errors/Holistic Errors - 8/2 for 4 Phonic Efficiency - 88% % of slow down - 40% (If I figured this correctly) Level II Hol WPM - 58 Phon WPM - 45 difference of 13 Slow down of 23% Hol Errors 14 Phon Errors 25 difference of 11 phon efficiency 92% He read Vote I Article at 103 WPM with 10 errors, again, mostly adding/dropping prepositions...... So, my dilemma is knowing if what I'm using/doing/working on is sufficient for the challenges he has.....how do you KNOW if this is going to work, or if you need the BIG guns, like Barton???? We can continue on down this road, doing these things, and then adding others, but at 13 I'm so afraid that if he really needs a program like Barton, that if I don't get started soon he is going to be in high school before we even finish that!!! I just don't know if all these pieces can do the job.....and part of me is worried that Barton is so basic at the beginning that he will hate going over so many things he already knows....on the other hand, maybe there's something in there that he really NEEDS!!!! Yikes..... I called and made an appointment for the vision screening, so I will see what they have to say.....I will also try some of the divided syllable books and see what happens with those..... Thanks!

I really need help!!! It's crazy, because I've been homeschooling since 1986 and graduated three pretty near "normal" learners with no problem...it's my 13 year old son that has me stumped!!! He was diagnosed with HFA at 3 1/2 and did three years of developmental preschool....since then we have stumbled around, trying to find materials that would work for him.....I am thinking that I need to reevaluate the things we are doing, throw out what isn't working, and find some new ideas/materials that will help me to get through to him.....he's struggling with so many things, that it is all just a big, jumbled mess..... Here's what we're doing now...... Reading: Elizabeth's lessons, her game, some work in Webster's Spelling: AAS Level 2 (about half way through) Math: MUS Gamma (3 lessons left) Writing/Language: Just copywork and dictation through AAS Handwriting: Finishing up Penny Gardner's Basic Italic for review and copywork Science: hit and miss....not much History: A basic spine with some added library books on topics of interest And other than that, just some interest added activities: trying to add in some documentaries, DVD's, audio books, ect. We spend so much time on basic skills that there isn't much time for anything else..... I haven't had him tested, but did the reading tests on Don Potter's website....he can get up to about third grade level, but then he gets lost on the multi-syllable words from there on out....when he comes to them, he completely guesses, even though we are working out the sounding them out, syllable by syllable, but it's very hard for him..... I went to see Susan Barton speak yesterday....she gave her 3 1/2 hours presentation about dyslexia, and according to her list of symptoms, he has nearly all of them.....he just learned how to tie his shoes last month and that was only because they don't make velcro shoes in his size anymore and it was either that, or go barefoot!!!! He still can't tell time on a clock....he knows his phonics sounds, and has been making some progress with AAS and the other things I'm doing, but as Susan said yesterday, parents usually get to a place of panic....that's where I am!!!! I just don't know what to do??? There is a gal about an hour and a half from here who does dyslexia testing....should I have him tested and know for sure??? Or, should I assume he has it, as Susan said that nothing else mimics this and if they are not reading and writing with a fair amount of ease by the end of third grade, he IS dyslexic and go from there???? And do I just continue on with what I'm doing, or should I bite the bullet and just start him in Barton's? I feel like time is running out....plus, he just feels so bad about where he's at.....his confidence is shot, and he hates anything to do with school.....he drags his feet and just hates it.....he complies, but just barely.....on top of all of this, he is 13 and an adolescent boy with all that goes with that.....AND, trying to just get basic life skill functions down is proving very difficult....he still has to be coerced into the shower and to even brush his teeth....if I let him, all he wants to do is sit at the computer and watch Survivor (one of his "things" of intense interest)....he doesn't want to even try anymore.... In math, we are just finishing up MUS Gamma, but he really isn't "getting" some of it.....he can add just fine, subtraction is pretty good other than a few problems with borrowing....sometimes he gets them all right, sometimes he misses them.....he knows his multiplication facts except for the 7s, 8s and 9s and on a page of 10 multiplication problems with 3 or 4 digits, he will get 2 - 3 wrong......I had thought of going with Right Start Math, with the games and a different approach, and I just talked with June Cotter a few minutes ago and she suggested that I take him through the transition lessons and go right into Level E. I'm open to other ideas as well.... I don't even know what to really ask, but I know I just need to figure out what in the world is the best game plan for my son....how to get his basic skills up to level, how to make him love to learn, how to help him function in his life at a higher capacity.....I believe he is dyslexic, dysgraphic (can't read his writing very well, can't stay on the line, all letters are the same size and none of them go above the line or below it...they all look the same size, his spacing is terrible, ect., and has trouble with the math.....add to that the challenges of his autism, and my daughter and two small grandchildren living with us in a small apartment and I'm ready to drive off a bridge!!!! Seriously, I'm nearing meltdown myself!!! How do I know if he needs the Barton, or if it would be overkill? If he really needs it, I need to get started NOW.....I feel like if I keep giving all these other things time, and then they end up not working, then it is just going to prolong the problem....what if I finish all these things and we're still back at square one???? Do I sound desparate??? I truly am!!! What would you do with a kid like this??? Any and all ideas/advice/encouragement are extremely welcome and appreciated!!! Thanks so much!!! Karla :-)

Wow!! That's the first time I've EVER heard of a grown-up still sleeping with his blanket!!!! That's encouraging to hear that my son isn't the ONLY one in the world that may end up taking his on his honeymoon, and possibly on through life!!! Sometimes I get worried about it, but there are so many other issues to deal with that this one doesn't get top priority....I just keep hoping he'll outgrow it on his own, someday, on his own timetable, without being forced into....the thumb as well.....I'm 50 and I STILL bite my fingernails and cuticles.....I've never been able to stop in my whole life!!!! It's interesting to read that these are sensory issues....I guess I've got them too, and they passed down to him!!!

How funny.....we just went through the thumb-sucking/braces ordeal and I had hoped it would help, but, alas.....it hasn't!!! My ds just turned 13 and his thumb is attached to his mouth quite a bit during the day and instinctively at night when he's sleeping....he began orthodontic treatment with an extender placed across the top of his mouth and we had hoped it would help him to stop, but he just continues on....the orthodontist gave him the pep talk about stopping....how he was a young man now and it was time to put childish things behind.....that the thumb sucking was actually making his teeth/bite issues worse.....and he gave him some tips for quitting.....none of it worked....ds does NOT want to quit....he gets so upset and freaked out, retreating behind a wall if we even suggest it or talk to him about it..... He also still has his blanket from his baby days....we are only NOW able to leave the house without it.....I've tried everything I can think about to get him to give it up, but, again, he totally goes into melt-down mode whenever we bring it up.....it is tattered, in pieces, full of holes....basically shredded.....I have to handwash it because I don't think it would survive the washer and it gets filthy.....one time we flew to Orlando for a Disney vacation and he was helping get his nieces and nephews unloaded from the plane. He set it down on the seat and forgot it....we got all the way to the baggage claim and he realized it was gone....total meltdown....finally, after begging someone to go look for it, a woman was kind enough to go the 10 minute walk back to the plane and found it....while we were waiting to see if it was recovered, he literally laid down on the floor in the middle of the airport, crying and rolling around on the floor, hysterical and unconsolable....I was on the phone with my husband, in tears myself, trying to figure out what to do!!!! It was awful!!!! We've gone round and round on this.....have no clue what to do....his dad talks to him frequently about stopping with both, but it upsets him so much that we don't push it.....at least the thumb and blanket don't go out the door with us.....he is around groups at church and co-op, and it's never been an issue....it's just here at home, or when we go to a hotel, or to grandma's....if there's other kids around he won't do it.... I wish I had an answer....I wish I knew what to do....He has HFA, is extremely developmentally delayed, and while I'd love to see this issue fade away, I just don't have it in my heart to just make the blanket "disappear", or to be on him constantly all day long to get his thumb out of his mouth....if anyone else has had experience in this, I'd also love to hear what you did....I jokingly asked him if "blankie" (yes, blankie has a nickname, and is referred to as "he"!!!) was going to go with him on his honeymoon, and while he laughed at it, he didn't rule that out!!!! We are working on SO many issues with him that this seems like the least of our problems, but it is certainly one that has been a challenge..... Karla :-)

Heather, I stand amazed!!! I have homeschooled for 23 years now and my head is spinning with all you do!!! And how organized you are!!! That is incredible!!! And to top off all you do in school, you are all over the homeschooling boards helping other people!!! I wish I had a fraction of your organizational/follow-through skills (and energy!!!!) You often talk about your dyslexia, but it sure hasn't stopped you!!! My problem is ADHD (undiagnosed, but very, very real)....I have all those great ideas and want to do so many things, but I research and research, then can't make up my mind, agonizing over decisions for months, then I order something and it sits on the shelf and I struggle just to get the basics done, and all of this is with a struggling 12 year old son with HFA that HATES school!!!! I feel frustrated so much of the time and don't feel like I get nearly done what I know we need to do....thus the questions about the looping schedule....I think I will try to figure it out.....just three or four basics every day, no matter what, and the rest of it as we can get to it....at least that way I'll feel like we're doing "something"!!!! Thanks so much for your response....I see you "everywhere" and I always read what you say....and listen.....and think....and I respect what you have done/are doing with your children.....you honestly amaze me!!! I wish I could come sit at your house and soak up what you do for a few days!!!! Blessings, Karla :-)

Heather, I'm sure you've posted about this somewhere else, but would you mind sharing ( or directing me to your posts) about how you set this loop up....what you DO daily, what's in the loop, how much you usually get done, how does it work??? I know there's alot of info on loops here, but I'm really interested in how you require the daily basics of language, math and reading, and then loop the other stuff in there..... This is an old post, so maybe you aren't doing the same thing, but just thought I'd ask!! Thanks!

If you have a minute, would you mind sharing your list for matching the maps to the Biblioplan weeks? They really do look good! I saw a sample of the new Biblioplan maps, but I'm just not sure about them....I know the SOTW ones probably wouldn't be the best for my 6th grader..... BTW, are you using the Cool History and the new Teacher's book? If so, what do you think of them? Do you think they add enough to be worth the purchase? Thanks!

This is probably here on the board somewhere, but I'll ask again....with a 12 year old boy who has absolultely NO writing experience/training at all due to learning delays and HFA, is still in the struggling to learn to read fluently stage and HATES anything to do with language arts at all, could a person start out at the very beginning with book one and just do a bit here and there as they learn and then move on, quickly covering the material in a year or two, then moving on to higher levels of writing? (Wow! Just read my run-on sentence.....maybe I need to use it too!!!) :001_smile: He can do basic copywork and has some narration experience, but his writing/spelling is so tied to his reading ability, that dictation is very difficult.....I know the first book is very simple and basic, but again, could I just fly through them, slowing down when it gets more challenging to solidify something, and then speeding up and doubling/skipping lessons as able....I know he would be at the end of 7th grade if it took two years, but since he has none of those skills, wouldn't it be better to work through these than try to put him in another program he wouldn't be able to handle? Or is there a better way???? Sorry to hijack this thread!!!!

Do the Map Trek maps line up with Biblioplan/SOTW/MOH????

I think I have it narrowed down to doing Ancients this year with a 6th grader....I have Biblioplan, MOH and SOTW with AG....each one of these resources has maps....which maps do you think are the best for this time period with a 12 year old boy? I can't decide!!!!

You are AMAZING!!!!! I want to be just like you when I grow up!!!! Thanks so much for all your hard work (which I'm sure you consider "fun"!!!)!!!! You are such a blessing to so many people who either don't have the time, or the organizational skills to do what you have done!!! THANK YOU!!!!