Thanks Geofff. We have tried the first one, but not the second link. We'll give it a go, and hopefully make it long term. We are to the point where something has to give. There was an awesome thread about typing math last year, and I cannot find it.

DS and I just started science today, and his handwriting is a hot mess. I don't want to discourage you; however, DS has had IM, OT, and PT. All the retained reflexes are reintegrated. Sometimes no amount of remediation is going to help. Just prepare yourself, and you have a couple of years to decide what to ultimately do about the handwriting. DS can read cursive and sign his name. I gotta say though, this kid will likely be typing from here on out.

P says no, but I will need to confirm that.

OK, we are trying MathType Equation Editor, and thus far, it is the easiest. Google Chrome has a free equation editor called Daun, but I couldn't figure it out quickly like MathType.

I wanted to add, I have never planned Singapore. I must be like the worst homeschool parent in the world. Anyhoo.. OP, I think you are doing great. Totally an aside, but a couple weeks back, DD started playing Scratch Jr. on the iPad because it was a free download and a CS friend recommended it. DD loves it. If your boy hasn't seen it, maybe check it out.

For grammar stage, I don't schedule history and science on the same day. When DS attended private school, those subjects were never taught in the same week unless there was a read aloud that could count as one or the other AND a lit. DD is squeezed into where I can fit her. All of her subjects are open and go because of the demands made by her elder bro. The only subject that requires pre-work are her copywork sheets and they take like 5 minutes to type up and print. My laser printer is also a copier, so a science sheet may be copied quickly. For read alouds, I use works in the public domain and download them via Voice Dream onto the iPad. I do that in advance. We own a Brock Magiscope, all kinds of building toys, science encyclopedias, and snap circuits. My backyard is huge. Girl plays as I help her brother. I just cover Bible, the 3Rs, music, science or history, ballet on Friday, and swim of Saturday, and that is plenty. With DS, certain subjects are open and go and completed weekly by chapter. Math is slow and I cannot plan because I never know when or where he will be stuck. My presence is required for Algebra and chemistry. I basically breathe math and adjust on the fly. You are eyeball deep in remediation. Maybe work through the reading, get the math done, and work on activities to help the handwriting. Try to combine subjects to cover two or more skills at once. Socratic type questioning crosses all subjects simultaneously. If you want to be purposeful with art, include an audio book from a literature selection and allow him to listen while he creates. DD started drawing pictures narrations of the books as she listens, and they are pretty good. Try to remember, you don't work for the curriculum. Make it work for you. Your little guy is a rising 2nd grader. You will have 11 more years to cover what you want. Reading and math and accommodated handwriting are the priorities.

I am sorry. I should have been more clear. My son's handwriting is a hot mess and it is interfering with his ability to perform the factor label method in Chemistry. I need an equation editor that is quick and easy to use.

Who here has a student that consistently types their math, and what program do they use? I'd appreciate any and all feedback, Thank-you, ~h

Maybe consider getting her to an OT for evals to check developmental motor (aka retained reflexes) and sensory with an SIPT qualified OT. Your DD is very young, and you have options.

DS learned in to type 5th grade. I know other moms have taught their children sooner. Maybe try, but don't push or go to war over it. Just me..and I know other people approach these things differently. With DD, I spent maybe 15 minutes on handwriting. We ramped up slowly. Your DD's issues are somewhat different with the VT. If her vision is a problem, you may even want to set the pencil aside until it is cleared up. Stick with the big arm movements and other big motor activities.

I am glad that kbutton mentioned cursive that was too loopy for her DS. My DD had the same problem with loops and weird flourishes. (I don't now the language of fonts. ) I am a fan of NAC, print italics, and cursive italics because of their simplicity. Teaching DD the letters in order of formation helped eliminate b&d confusion. (Kel, I know that your DD doesn't struggle that way,) In the classroom, DS was taught a-z and that was a major mistake.

We haven't even discussed pencil grips. With DD, I purchased a box of golf pencils, and she used those for awhile. I then picked up a package of Twist N Write Penagains. They were too large for my DD's hands but suited DS very well. Overall, my DD is not a fan of pencil grips, but OT exercises helped a bunch.

Yes...

I don't know whether my comment is relevant, but DS performed a ton of static and dynamic balance exercises with PT. I wonder whether your DD will need something like that in addition to the VT. ETA..Son seems less clumsy and his all around carriage is much improved after the exercises.

Well, I actually think you and your friend should come back.

NAC is New American cursive, and the same font that Crimson mentioned. Start Write sw has the NAC font. A link follows: http://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/penmanship/new-american-cursive

The SLDs are more than being stuck in a rut. There would be no movement at all without interventions that take time and money. As to the original question... My DD is a rising 2nd grader. She is a motivated self starter. Highly organized with a scary memory. Her only delays seem to be handwriting and I see improvement after working with an OT/PT and practice. She reads anything I hand her but prefers books on about a 3rd grade level. She loves non-fiction and science documentaries. Vocabulary is huge. She builds snap circuits, wooden blocks, Zome, and Star Wars Legos. She loves her Brock Magiscope. She is very talkative and makes friends easily. She cleans house better than her brother. I expect that if we strapped blocks to her feet and handed her the car keys, she would drive better than her bro. I don't allow her to empty the dishwasher because she is too short to put the dishes away. She draws, uses scissors, can knit, loves card making, and beads. DD is a lot of fun. Very picky eater. A vegetarian really because she loves animals. She does not nap. Loves dragons and playing dress-up. I taught her to sew on my treadle during the winter. Eta... DD sings all the time.

For motor planning, I the HWT IPad app and combined that with large arm motion letters and the dry erase board. LOE sells excellent handwriting materials. We then moved to daily copy work using sheets I made using Start Write sw. I have slowly reduced the font over the last few months. We started with short phrases and have built up from there. DD also uses the LOE dry erase board for spelling and dictation. I scribe for everything else. DD is slowly taking command, and we start NAC soon.

I'm sure your comments are motivated by a sincere desire to provide loving and helpful encouragement; however, they came off discouraging. Without being on the receiving end of her high standards, her child would not have learned to literally open and close his mouth to articulate and form words. In one posting, you are dismissing very serious SLDs that have taken years to deal with. If the OP is thick in the woods of therapy and exhaustive teaching, it is ok if she pops her head out to ask a question about normal childhood behaviors.

Has your child been tested and diagnosed with anything? For the writing, Dr. Charles Haynes gave a webinar that is posted on the Eides' blog about the sub-routines of writing and scaffolding. FairP introduced us to the webinar so maybe search the forums and watch the webinar. For written output, scribe. Haynes suggests the first paragraphs be in 1st person and describe a series of events, which really practices sequencing and organization of output. My kids use manipulatives with math. The first week or so off of summer break is review. When DS forgets, I just reteach. Is she 8 yo and unable to recall basic math facts? Testing will allow you to know specific strengths and weaknesses so that you can tailor your teaching.

PBL must mean different things to different people. The art classes that are taught in my neck of the woods are PBL and cross multiple subjects. My hs cover associates with the state Christian Educators Association, and the kids work on their Art Fair projects for weeks and weeks The State Science Fair is huge here as well. National History Day is popular in certain parts of the country. These projects earn high school credit, scholarship, and prize money. Yes, I am all for connecting the educational dots across multiple disciplines. DS definitely learns best with multisensory instruction that suits his interests, and DS never could have produced print advertising materials to illustrate logical fallacies without first studying computer generated graphics and sw products first.

2.) At what point would you quit seeing a pediatric therapist? DS is teenager and very tall. Facility we were going to most recently had equipment his size, but the majority of their clients are elementary and preschool age. DS felt out of place. Son's pediatric therapist worked at a facility for adults and children. Both children and adults were always present. All of the equipment that DS used was appropriately sized for adults. DS is 6ft tall and saw the therapist until he cleared all of her goals. He was assessed every 7-8th visit, and DS does not have CP. Dmmetler might be a good person to solicit input from.

Wowser! The first article's intro pic has a student with a HORRIBLE pencil grasp. Yikes I hate that. Our hs cover offers drama, singing, and public speaking to the students, and the students love it. My State has competitions for that kind of thing alongside art (sculpture, painting, and sketches), music, and photography. I am little disappointed that the article omitted those things.

OhE, your FIL has been buried a week maybe? Prior to that, your family was turned sideways dealing with hospice and funeral arrangements, and lots and lots of emotion. Humans don't work like a light switch where they can turn things on and off at will. I expect your son's normal day to day living has been confusing and upsetting all at once, and ASD or not, I don't expect he has the maturity to deal with his feelings. You and your DH are vulnerable, tired, overwhelmed, and sad. Your DH lost his father. You sound like you handled your boy well. I expect he wanted attention from you. The things that he wanted and was never pleased with were just things. You were the constant in that scenario, and he calmed down.

Here's a thread filled with links to 2e resources. The forum is huge, so I expect that you'll find all sorts of info. Geoff is also one of the moderators so that fact has to count for something. :001_smile: