Maybe Mon2Ns will pop over to this thread. I'm thinking her ASD kiddo started using an Alphasmart word processor in 2nd grade. I remember that because I wish DS had used one at that age. From the beginning, I was told to feed the intellect using technology to bypass the reading and handwriting. We did not accommodate the handwriting and that is one of my deepest regrets. My eldest sibling was blind. Never once did a teacher hand her print material and insist that she practice reading. With dysgraphia, severity will greatly affect outcomes. Yes, we should work on automaticity and try to ensure our kiddos can read cursive. I have met teenagers who cannot read it. Otherwise, we have to do what works and if your DS uses a keyboard, so be it. I feel like the deck is stacked against these kids in so many areas of their lives. Handwriting is just not one of those things that seriously bothers me anymore.

IDK...With DD, she never wrote what you are describing until she had automaticity, and we never spent more that 10-15 minutes. Without automaticity, she was copying names of her favorite Star Wars or Little Pony characters. She required OT/PT for issues and took about a month to correctly form a lowercase a. Real automaticity did not come until about 7 months ago. I recommend you reduce the handwriting practice to a time frame more tenable and move on, or you could keep going, grab a chop stick, and shove it in your eye. DD was always excited to write her name in cursive so I taught her. I was always told that cursive was easier, but I did not find that to be the case with DS. You could harness your son's desire to write cursive by teaching him to write his name just to see how things went. He may benefit but you won't know until you try.

Did you say you saw a neurologist? If the brain structures are in tact and if no lesions, seizures, tumors, or obvious physical brain issues are present, wouldn't you see a qualified child psych for the meds or a PhD Neuropsych for NEPSY II and other educational and ADHD assessments? I don't understand.

Ronit Bird's Overcoming Difficulties with Number might benefit your DD.

A good OT or pediatric PT with training can assess and sort out any developmental motor issues which may affect vision. IM is interactive metronome and was used by my son's OT. IM has been used by board members to improve WM.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

What are you doing in terms of OT/PT and cognitive therapies? Where are you in terms of IM, Cogmed, or the many other programs I failed to mention? For math, I'd probably use Semple or Touch math plus daily living type math and move on.

I purchased LOE D for DD and she immediately read all the level D readers and books without difficultly with no advanced phonogram review beyond /sh/. I dropped LOE D, and we are using Pathway Phonics materials, RS Spelling, and the 2nd grade Reading Street books by Foresman for comprehension questions. If your child knows the spelling rules, RS Spelling is easy to adapt. I have been struggling with what direction to turn as I expected LOE D to last one year and it didn't.

I keep thinking about this thread. When DD was 5yo, I never attempted to build any understanding of the concept of number to 100. I was more interested in ensuring she new the dot patterns to 10. We used dominoes up to the 10 dot patterns and practiced the concept of counting on. She eventually learned the math facts within 10 that way. MUS Primer irritated me pretty bad, so DD used to role dice for the units and tens place and then build two digit numbers with the green and blue MUS blocks. Once she was really familiar with building two digit numbers, I introduced the 100s block. DD built so many numbers using the blocks that she has never experienced difficulty comparing numbers. Anyho... I hate manipulatives being spread about the house, and a few MUS blocks has been chewed on by my ChiDoxie. The MUS blocks are kept in a clear shoebox and are used for school business. I never considered what we were doing to be game play. I felt like we were habit training. The blocks and dominoes were not treated like toys. We have plenty of Legos, wooden blocks, and Zome tools for building when not schooling. Eta|. You could scour the Internet and locate math sheets with base 10 pictures for number building. I have used those with both of my kids.

OP, I feel like SandyKC's blog might benefit you. My vote is for whatever Shaywitz recommends. I don't believe that AAR would be enough for any reading SLD without major modification and addition..

When applying for ACT and SAT accommodations, each organization wants to see very specific testing that can only be administered by a qualified tester. The ps doesn't provide all tests because they are only interested in IEP, and they do not provide a medical diagnosis. Maybe go to the ACT and SAT websites and download their documentation requirements for accommodations. Call around to your local neuropsychologists and speak with them about their testing and written reports. I know local mothers of dyslexics that have received the extended time on the ACT without any serious trouble. You can also call the organizations and ask questions prior to applying. When I called the ACT helpline, I found the ACT person to be very kind and homeschool friendly.

When DS was younger, we both had our own whiteboards and worked out problems together. As mistakes were made, we stopped, analyzed, corrected, and moved forward. I did this to ensure DS did not internalize an error in procedure. I limited math to about 25 minutes, and that time has slowly increased over the years. If my student consistently used the wrong procedure for a operator, I would take a colored pencil or highlighter and have him circle the operator so that there was no hasty jump into a problem without thinking first. Khan Academy has been very helpful with encouraging DS to pay more attention to details. We also use math mnemonics for procedure and graph paper. DS has finally started to focus more on his handwriting and uses more graph paper to work a problem. During the logic stage, DS made just as many mistakes using a calculator as he did with plain old pencil and paper. As a 10th grader taking chemistry, the calculator errors have been reduced. DS makes less mistakes using a calculator with a large screen because he can verify all of his inputs prior to hitting enter. I agree with OneStep about partial quotient and lattice multiplication. These methods work equally well, and traditional methods fraught with arithmetic mistakes are a silly hill to die on.

Oh wowser! That was 10 years ago! :eek: Where did the time go?

I paid the local dyslexia school to evaluate my DS when he was Kindie, and they would not perform all testing as they felt he was too young. I was told later that IQ testing would have shown the reading SLD. You do what you can.

Have you ever tried a topical anesthetic cream applied 45 minutes in advance?

http://www.retainedneonatalreflexes.com.au/test-at-hom/

OP, if you add anything to your kid's day, include wheelbarrow walking, cross body exercises, and the reintegration exercises.

DD used water colors and washable markers when she was younger. Pencil and crayon were too much, and I could not direct her at all.

I took my DD to OT about mid-year of kindie based upon what I was seeing, family history, and a major gut surgery she had as an infant. OT discovered weak core and pincer grasp, one retained reflex, and motor planning issues. DD attended OT and I used StartWrite sw, a dry erase board, the HWT app, and LOE's handwriting instructions with her. We followed up OT with a pediatric PT that discovered some post surgery abdominal adhesions that required deep pressure massage. As a 2nd grader, her handwriting seems about typical for her age. I do believe early interventions benefited my DD. My DS was diagnosed by a np at the beginning of 2nd grade. If I could have a huge do over, he would have been np tested after an OT eval by mid-year 1st grade. ETA: As far as dyslexia. Well, I freaked about that and started reading instruction when DD was a Kindie and used a heavily scripted phonics based reading program. DD reads very well, but I gave myself until mid-1st grade to hire a NP, which we did not need.

DS initially worked with an OT and then a pediatric PT that is RMT trained. An experienced PT will have a host of exercises and training to draw from. I was not even aware of RMT until OhE mentioned it, and I asked the PT about it. Anyhoo.. Most of son's exercises involved cross body, strength, postural, and static/dynamic balance work. DS performed a different set of exercises at home because the retained ATNR and STNR affected posture, left side weakness, balance, and bilateral co-ordination. From what I have seen with DS, reintegration exercises alone are not enough especially when the individual is older. I do not recognize any of the exercises on the sheet that OhE linked. Son's exercise program was adapted specifically to his needs.

I applaud you for teaching your DD these skills now. If you want to incorporate science in a less formal way, you can plant a garden or keep a fish/frog/lizard. You can teach kitchen chemistry and math in a more practical way with shopping lists and budgets. Maybe use more project based learning and bring the littles along. Keep a journal and take pictures.

DS was diagnosed ADHD inattentive last year and WISC-IV Processing was 17%. DS has the SLD for written expression. When DS saw the PT, processing was never on my mind. I was only thinking in terms of the dysgraphia and motor inhibitory control. After DS worked with the PT, all I can say is Wowser! I don't know whether processing speed increased, but son has improved with math, overall carriage, and handwriting.

WM refers to working memory. Teaching to self-organize? I'm still trying to figure that one out. DS completed IM, sought therapies through PT/OT, daily habit training, and now meds, which DS requested. It all works together and I don't ever expect things to be perfect. My DH feels confident that DS will be OK and reasons that out by stating that our boy plans Air Soft matches and hiking trips without our input. I can only pray that DH is correct. DS food shops for us and carries a bank card. Here are a few resources: 1. How to Become a Super Star Student --The host of this video has some folder and notetaking ideas. 2. ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life 3. Calendar idea for time management. 4. I really like Cal Newport's Study Hacks blog for my mental preparation more than anything. 5. DS uses a written organizer and sets his phone's timer for important reminders. 6. ETA: BIL swears by David Allen. DS completes his work alone for the most part. Language and math require my direct attention. The first 4 weeks of both 9th and 10th grade were rough, but I feel like he adjusted more quickly in 10th. Middle school was much more difficult, so maybe maturity has helped. I'm hoping that the meds provide the final push. I have found that DS can do most work; he just requires more time. I pare down the courses like health and world geography so that he can focus more on chemistry and writing. ETA: DS became self-directed last year when he began pursuing subjects that he enjoys. For example, he designed and selected parts for a pc and built it. DS has taught himself graphic type sw. High school is where his high gear has kicked in. ETA2: Sorry that I keep adding. I believe that his EF is developed more by work that he does outside our home. My son has worked alongside men and women in our church. He is engaging supportive adults outside our family, and I feel like those opportunities with responsibility have benefited him.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/496612-calling-heathermomster-or-another-metronome-guru/ My DS has a huge discrepancy between processing and his GAI. Motor planning, dysgraphia, and EF confound the processing speed scores. IM helped DS with sustained attention. DS has been np tested 3 times over the years, and his processing score has never increased. Since DS is 2e, I was told to ignore processing and wm and to focus on accommodations and selecting course materials that feed his strengths and interests. Working with a pediatric PT has been most beneficial with DS, and she addressed his static/dynamic balance, developmental motor, and overall strength. He also started taking a non-stimulant med two months ago which is OK. I'm not convinced that I am seeing any improvement, but no harm has been done thus far. EF is the issue for us, so much energy is spent teaching this boy to self organize. I don't focus so much on son's scores. I simply try to encourage, challenge, and support the student in front of me through accommodations.

I don't know about going to a local college for the NP assessment. Maybe call around and discover someone highly experienced at dealing with 2e kids.