Btw, Yes, I'm wondering how much anti-homeschooler bias has to do with the "let's see what interventions will do" approach. But now that I see how the special ed system works for my daughter who has a diagnosed "specific learning disability" now I realize how much INTENSE "special ed" I gave her at home. I mean, if they call 45 minutes a day of basically helping with homework level of help "Special Education" then I don't know what you call the intense work I did to teach my two suspected-dyslexic kids to read at home. It was every single day, tons of one-on-one time, customized reading lists, sitting and listening to them reading, Phonics books until my daughter was in 5th grade (the special ed teacher who gave my daughter a decoding test said she had never seen a kid score so high on the phonological test she was given! [Yet my daughter's fluency and comprehension was still poor. It just shows how much intense phonics work I had her do to try to combat her reading issues. And I wonder where she'd be without!!] Anyway, if anyone has any ideas on what they need to hear to convince them that my son has had PLENTY of instruction in writing, and yet his writing skills don't show it (thereby indicating LD or something mimicking it), please let me know. Homeschooling is so much of a different animal that I think it's hard to get them to understand. With my LD daughter, one time the school psych said to me, "It's hard to know what she's done because I can't talk to her teacher." 😮🤔 Ummm, you're talking to her teacher, nit-wit! Go ahead and ask. 😂

I think you're probably giving me good advice, but I need a translation, Lol. I don't know any of these acronyms. What do you mean that I need narrative language? Is there a narrative language test? It's frustrating to hear that I may need to switch gears and look for a clinical pscyhologist who specialize in gifted kids. I'm thinking I will still continue down the path I'm on for fear that I will get waylaid since I'm not sure what I'm doing, but note taken. The neuropsych can certainly recognize giftedness, though, right? So you would think they could then send me on to someone else for further testing if necessary, when they're done? I'm kind of thinking, rule out (or diagnose) a LD so the he can get help with that at school sooner rather than later, and at the same time I want to know about a potential Executive Function issue, ADHD, and definitely if ASD is a part of it. Then after sorting out the problematic part, then I can worry about the gifted stuff? Does that make sense? I'm kind of thinking that after all of this is "out of his way" as much as possible, maybe he will start to take off academically and life in general will also get a bit easier for him (even if part of it is just our family and his teachers being able to name and learn about what he's dealing with, so we can be a bit more understanding). That's my hope.

Oh, also... regarding his low math scores, something I plan to pay more attention to when school starts is whether he is getting such low scores because he is making what I call "silly mistakes" (which he definitely does a lot of), or if he is really not understanding concepts. His teacher noted to me that he would seem to be following right along during lesson time and answering questions correctly and then would proceed to bomb the test. He also was known to constantly a) lose his homework, b) forget he even had homework, c) forget to hand in the homework that he actually DID do, d) do his homework in a hurry, completely wrong. One thing he does that is another strange quirk of his is that he's super informal on his school work. He hates writing answers to social studies questions, for instance, and more than once I looked at his homework and saw that on the EIGHT lines where he was supposed to write a thoughtful answer, he wrote: "I dunno. The indians maybe" (and not on any of the lines, of course). UMM WHAT??? That is so weird to me. Is this just a case of not giving a crap? LOL Kind of comical, but depending on my mood I will either laugh and smack my head, or ream him out. If you have any thoughts on this particular quirk, please let me know! Doesn't "I dunno. The indians maybe" just scream high IQ ? 😂🤣😂 How could I not have known? LOL

Wow, this is so helpful!!!! You guys are my "moms" for sure. Sidenote that nowhere else on the Great Internets do I find such helpful, detailed input on this stuff as on this forum!! <Sigh of relief!> Secondly, this is a bit overwhelming. I'm so thrown off by this testing score and a little annoyed that nobody even called (at least we didn't connect) on the phone, or have a conversation in person about these scores. They just sent them via snail mail and I feel like they dropped a bomb off on my doorstep with no explanation. Okaaay??? Anyhoo, this is really helpful info. I was wondering about how this score correlated with an IQ score, and was afraid to say his "IQ" was 130 for fear of looking like an idiot, LOL. But I'm actually not telling my son this, other than "you're smart!" because I don't want him to get a big head, or think his IQ will put the effort into his school work for him, ya know? But this is such a dramatic revelation for me, you don't even know. This is so strange to me because this is the THE kid in my house who does the "dumb crap" alllll the time (bless his soul!). So, to answer some questions, they did give me the whole print out of all his subtest scores and explanations in paragraph form. All 3 of his "cluster scores" were 90 percentile or above. But they noted a significant inconsistency in that his immediate recall was notably far weaker than his other skills, so they called it a "personal weakness." It was a big discrepancy for *him* but it was actually still in the average range for a child his age. So.... hmmmm. They did also do achievement testing and although I don't have it in front of me right now, the nutshell version was that he did "OK" on everything other than math facts, fractions, and they did notice the errors in spelling and punctuation. They also noted a few reversals like I was talking about and one instance of transposing letters. To me, this made me worry that I have done a terrible job educating him! Because, like I said, his school performance, and this achievement test, shows nothing that you would ever guess as indicating high intelligence. But it's very interesting that one of you said that THIS exact phenomenon (if I'm understanding correctly) is what could indicate a learning disability? (Btw, is Executive Functioning Disorder considered a learning disability?) My plan was to get as much free testing done through the school as they would do, and then take that information to the neuropsychologist for them to build on, test him further, and give me the whole picture. We do already have an appointment in, I believe, September. I'm *100% convinced* something is not "right" with him (or at least definitely not "typical") because of all the space cadet stuff that really affects his daily living (and MINE, Lol). At this point, I'm so tired of guessing about what my kids are dealing with that I'm trying to plow through all of this and will likely be getting at least two of my other kids tested. We are full of neurologically "unique" kids in this house, it seems! So, if anyone is interested, here is some info from the test results that I just grabbed to have in front of me: General Cognitive Ability - 130, 98 percentile Verbal - 132, 98 percentile Word definitions: 71 Verbal similarities: 67 Nonverbal Reasoning - 120, 91 percentile Matrices: 68 Sequential & Quantitative Reasoning: 58 Spatial - 119 Recall of Designs: 53 Pattern Construction: 69 Diagnostic Subtests: Recall of Digits - Forward - 49 Recall of Objects - Immediate - 48 --------------- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - II Reading comp 91 (these are all the percentile ranks) Word reading 79 Oral reading fluency 63 Oral reading accuracy 68 Oral reading rate 58 Math problem solving 32 (ouch!) Numerical operations 32 (eek!) ------ Then there was a Test of Written Language - 4th edition where his overall Writing Composite was 106, with a percentile of 65 ____ Then there was the BASC-3 composite score summary which placed him "at risk" and with two items that were "clinically significant" (leadership and activities of daily living) His Behavioral Symptoms Index was 62 ("at risk") His Adaptive Skills was 32 ("at risk") ____ I'm also attaching scanned images of what the tester said for Recommendations. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It kind of seems like she doesn't think there's anything terribly noteworthy, but what bothers me (I know I'm being redundant here, lol) is that this cognitive ability and his achievement don't really match up at all (wouldn't you say?). Especially math... yikes. He actually got a high D in the first quarter of school, I believe, and then got C's... I worry a tad bit that I could have misrepresented him a little on the BASC because when the question has to do with attention, I'm not sure how to answer. The answer is really *it depends on what you're asking him to pay attention to!!* He can be very focused on things that interest him. School (especially math) does NOT engage him. A book on Greek Myths, though, will... So will a book on geology, or a computer game, or a card game, etc. Math lessons? Not at all. Anyway!! This kid is definitely quirky and complicated and I'm just trying to make sure I steer this whole testing thing in such a way that I find out what we really need to know to make sure I can help him live and learn up to his potential, which I feel like is NOT currently happening... especially after finding out this IQ score. JoelTestResults20190811_21570889.pdf JoelTestResults220190811_22005924.pdf

Can anyone help me make sense of this? So my 11 year old son had some assessments done through the school, at my request, to check for learning disability. His major problems are spelling (letter reversals, number reversal, occasional transposing of letters), writing mechanics (lack of capitals and punctuation, tons of errors), and losing things. And when I say losing things, I mean, it's kind of extreme, in my opinion. He can't keep track of anything other than the book he's currently reading and maybe his deck of cards he loves. He will put on his 5 year old brother's pants and think they're his, he'll walk out the door without his backpack, he'll be wearing dress shoes with shorts, he won't be able to find his jacket in the coat closet when it's in front of his face, forgets his LUNCH in his locker at school when walking with this class to LUNCH... like, wow. He has a bad case of SCS (Space Cadet Syndrome). But he learned to read easily and as soon as he started reading, he HAS NEVER STOPPED and has always been super interested in games, puzzles, reading, and trivia. When he tells you about what he's been reading, or when you notice his vocabulary, he seems smart. But so many times EVERY day he does what I would call "the dumbest crap." 🙂 Anyhoo, so I got the results from this assessment and his General Cognitive Ability score is 130 which is the 98th percentile and in the "very high" range of ability. HUH?! Now, I'm glad, of course, but also a bit flabbergasted. With a score of 130 (I'm not exactly sure how this correlates to IQ score?), WHY would this not translate to academic performance? Like I said, he LOVES to read, he loves puzzles, loves games, loves anything hands-on, and can have extreme interest in learning things that engage him. But... he's a straight C student at school. Why??? Is it just that he's not conscientious? Definitely losing homework constantly and forgetting he even has homework is a problem grade-wise. But even still... this supposed "very high range of ability" is not showing itself at school. Plus... what's with the writing issues? Am I right that he could still have a learning disability? And if so, what kind of testing should I suggest to hone in on that? Now, background: We definitely have learning disabilities in my family. I joke with my husband that we are a dyslexia factory. We have 8 kids and so far two of them are dyslexic (both score very high on spatial reasoning, but have problems with language... had a hard time learning to read, terrible phonetic spelling, etc). So my 11 year old seems to have the writing aspect of that, but didn't have a hard time learning to read. He also didn't really speak at all until one day he said a full sentence at over 3 years old. Summary: Language-related learning disabilities in our family (dyslexia), smart kid who does really dumb stuff all the time (lol), surprisingly high intelligence score, does not do well in school. What the??? He was homeschooled up until last fall, by the way. So I have a hint of doubt in the back of my mind that maybe I've done this kid wrong somehow. But other than reading, he's never really noticeably excelled at work... especially when any writing is involved. Anyway, please let me know if you have any thoughts on this.

I'm picturing the bookshelves on one end that is more "cozy" with a soft rug in front of the bookshelves, maybe a few flat pillows to sit/lay on. In one of the corners on the "bookshelf side" of the room, you could keep a futon or loveseat to fit you and the child who needs 1 on 1 time. Lapdesks or a tv dinner table to work at under a tall reading lamp. On the other end, the desks lining the walls, and in the middle (if there's space) the table & chairs. On desks, I would keep all the essential books they each individually & currently need. I use craftsman toolboxes for this purpose and they keep them right on their desks. http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=35554526&KPID=18611069&cid=CAPLA:G:Shopping_-_Craftsman_-_Brand_-_DT&pla=pla_18611069&k_clickid=b8c28c5c-2357-4e11-949f-f54c3aa1fa2e&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkMCcht2j1gIVBoZpCh1WAwKVEAQYAyABEgLiI_D_BwE Between the tool totes & the drawers, they should have plenty of space for their personal school stuff.

Er, duh, I just realized I read your question in the title and didn't bother to read your post, Lol. Oops! Anyhoo, you can see my suggestions of how I would attempt it.

Memoria Press has this set on Insects. I'd probably use that and kick it up one notch for 6th grade if I thought it was close, but not quite. You could require an essay once a week, add a book, or a few activities (IF it's even necessary). Sometimes older kids just end up getting more out of the 4-5th grade material than they would have, is all. https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/science/book-insects/

Both of these ideas are almost too good to be true!! Now that you mention it, I guess Plaid Phonics DOES cover "Spelling" in theory. I just wonder if it's enough. I love ChristianBook.com, by the way. They have great prices and a very easy site to navigate and order from. I wonder if Spelling Workout literally lines up, or if I'd have to skip around and figure out which spelling lists went with which phonics concepts, ya know? Sounds lazy, but I have so much on my plate, I'm not sure I have it in me to do that. Although I guess I could try to rip all the pages out of Spelling Workout and put them "in order" in a binder...

How do I provide solid spelling instruction along side phonics? I plan to use MCP Plaid Phonics level B next year for my rising 1st grader. Would it be crazy to use the words from her Plaid Phonics as her spelling words? I'm afraid to get too inventive, but I don't get why spelling rules aren't taught alongside the phonics rules for the same words. Is there a way to do that? Does Spelling Workout that is put out by MCP mesh with the phonics, or do they cover totally different types of words at the same time? TIA

HSLDA Online Academy: $385 per semester (less if you're a member) http://academy.hslda.org/courses/ They have English, Composition, Math, Social Studies, and Foreign Language courses.

There's got to be a website that lists a lot of the available online (live or recorded) course providers, right? Like Homeschool Connections, HSLDA Academy, and the like? I'm looking for an English composition class. I thought HSLDA's Foundations in Writing would be perfect for 9th grade, but it's $395.00!!! Yikes!

How are you planning to integrate all of these resources into one course? I am planning on my Ds taking Spanish next year, but have no idea about resources. It's tempting to just go with Rosetta Stone.

First time planning 9th grade for me! Ds will be 14 in May. Social Studies - Sonlight Core F: Eastern Hemisphere English - Thinking about outsourcing a composition class, but not sure! Math - Math U See Algebra 1 Science with Lab - Apologia Physical Science Foreign Language - Spanish, but not sure what resources yet. Art - Khan Academy has an eastern art history class. I'm considering that to go with the Core F Eastern Hemisphere studies. (Half credit) Health - No idea (Half credit, opposite Art) Music - Piano PE - No idea

I'm thinking in terms of individual courses, or using it full-time. Opinions on how they compare in terms of effectiveness, easy-of-use, practicality for homeschooling, etc? What should I consider? I'm just brainstorming ways I can get some of my kids even more independent, because I don't want the busyness of my day (with a 3 yr old and 1 yr old) to hold them back. TIA