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angelmama1209

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Posts posted by angelmama1209

    Vision/Tracking Issues

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    You need to take him to a developmental optometrist. My daughter has perfect eyesight (20/20), but her eyes didn't work together. She did all the same things you're describing. She went through 6 months of vision therapy and it made all the difference in the world.

    • Like 1

    Miquon for child when parent doesn't get it?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    my kids ADORE c rods. I have the entire miquon set, including the lab notes, first grade diary, and teacher something or other. i read them all. I NEVER got it. It's been sitting on my shelf for 4 years. I just can't wrap my brain around it and I hand the sheets to my kids and they just look at me. It's just not for us. I WANT it to be, my 6yo, specifically, does really well with the rods. She's done all the c rod books i can find. But that's why there's so much curriculum out there. Nothing works for everyone.

    • Like 1

    literature for 6th grade

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    What have you/will you/do you read aloud to your 6th grader? What do you assign them to read independently? I've perused many book lists- MANY- as well as looked up reading levels for books and am having a hard time. A book will be listed for 6th grade on one list, 3rd grade on another, and has a reading level of 5.1. It's so confusing, so I'm coming to the experts. Please share your lists. :)

    Help processing diagnosis and what to do next

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    Yes, DSM 5 calls them SLD Reading, Math, and Written Expression, but it's what we used to call dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dsygraphia.  The ODD I think was in both, but it's kissing cousins to ASD.  I would read across labels for that.  Labels aren't absolute anyway, and kids can kind of slide along the ladder of them.  

     

    Has she had an OT eval?  And are you getting a referral to a behaviorist?  Actually I'm not sure what they do for straight ODD.  My ds has those 3 SLDs plus ADHD/ASD.  He's a real pistol to work with.  I can't tell the ages of your kids (because I really don't sit here doing math), but I can imagine you're having challenges, sigh.  

     

    So she's in therapy for the behavior stuff?  That's fabulous that she's making progress!  You're looking for tutors for the SLDs?  And is there any issue with IQ?  

     

    With my ds, I'm doing Ronit Bird and lots of real life stuff for the math.  We're using Barton plus speech therapy materials for the reading and reading comprehension.  For the dysgraphia, I have EZ Write, but my main goal is to get his speech good enough that dictation software can understand him.  Right now he's missing some key letters, so he's about 50/50 whether it will get him right.  I think having SOME means of getting things into print that works is essential.  I don't think it matters what it is, in the sense that I am not in the die on handwriting hill camp.  To me it just matters that SOMEHOW, by SOME MEANS, he's able to get something into print.  And if that means ereaders and dictation, I'm cool with that.  

     

    Ok, things the experts didn't tell me, even with 3 psych evals and seeing tons of specialists?  Your kid can have lots of speech and have developmental language holes.  And if they have holes in their ability to communicate, it's going to come out in behavioral problems.  I've just spent the last month and a half focusing on getting my ds to ask a question.  He would come up to me and HIT or make a single word DEMAND, but he couldn't just say "Could you please hand me the milk?"  Nope, he'd just come and hit.  So now he's to where, when PROMPTED, he can, without melting down (and I do mean melting down), give/repeat the question.  That's progress!  So then I read in Joyce Show's book "Teaching Your Child with Skill and Love" (which is PHENOMENAL) that the response to aggression, after we cool them down obviously, is to help them say what they're feeling (I feel frustrated because I didn't get my way, I feel angry, etc.) and THEN they need to be helped to... drum roll... ask a question!  Because asking questions is how kids solve problems.  But no, instead they can't ASK the stupid questions, so the bolt and have these behaviors.

     

    Whatever.  It just peeves me to NO END that 3 SLPs have seen my kid and NONE of them really sorted out these fundamental things.  And I have no clue what's underlying *your* dd's ODD.  I'm just saying in my ds' behavior challenges, communication is an issue, understanding his feelings is an issue, problem solving appropriately is an issue.  So whatever, just a rabbit trail.  Definitely read across labels though, because you never know where you'll find the thing that will help you.

     

    Well what do you want to do?  Do you need a hug?   :grouphug:  That's an awful whallop to receive.  Ours unraveled in doses, so we weren't so shocked.  Are you wanting to hire help or send her away?  Do you have options?  The other thing that has helped us is structure.  The visual schedules help us immensely.  They are in my ds' IEP (which is gets through the ps to receive a disability scholarship), and they make a big difference for us.  OT strategies can make a big difference with calming strategies, putting her in a better place, looking for retained reflexes.  My ds is *dramatically* better now in that department than he was a year ago.  And it's sort of an evolving thing, where the tools from OT become the things you bring into Zones of Regulation and your calming strategies, so that it's not so much about that one hour but about how it carries over to your home and the flow of your day.  

     

    Do you have a grandma or someone to give you relief?  If your kids are young and you have no one, you need that.  Like you really need that.  Like line up with someone in the church or sign up for a mom's night out or something.  It is SO easy to get overwhelmed and burnt out.

     

    Lots of people before you have gotten through this.  What worries you the most?  I've decided that, for my ds, social skills and self-regulation are probably going to be bigger factors in his long-term stability and employability than his academics.  Like I want to do right by his academics, but he HAS to have the ability to be calm, act appropriately, etc.  So once you decide your focus (which for this child might be different than the others), then you can kind of give yourself some grace not to be perfect on everything.  Sigh.

     

    Thanks for all the replies. This will probably be very rambly but here goes

    ...

     

    I wondered if the diagnoses translated into those 3 terms. She did say the first was consistent with an imaginary dyslexia diagnosis she for some reason thought we already had. The ODD caught *ME* by surprise (I expected ADHD), but noone else- hubby, grandparents, therapist, even a friend- even blinked an eye when told. Fortunately it is a mild diagnosis- only 1 or 2 points- but it is enough that we are trying to figure out the best way to deal with things.

     

    She has not had an OT eval. It was recommended for grip strength and related issues, but she works on that in her current therapy. It is on a back burner, in case we feel she needs it in the future. We also suspect some sensory stuff, so it's not far fetched, but doesn't significantly disrupt her life right now. Kids are 10, 8, 6, 3, 2.

     

    She is in educational therapy  Has been since she was 5 (she's 8). And, yes, she is making wonderful progress. Her IQ tested 100 even. That did surprise us as we expected quite higher. The psychologist said it could have been her processing speed that dragged it down. She is very bright and clever. Her therapist has suggested a tutor or outsourcing of some sort, but I don't even know where to look for that and finances are very tight right now.

     

    Honestly, math is her best subject. We are currently using math mammoth and she is doing just fine with it. She reviews math facts with xtramath on the ipad. She also has started doing simple math in therapy. Her therapist was a bit skeptical on that diagnosis, but wondered if reversals came into play there. I will look into Barton again. The price is what holds me up on that.

     

    I need to look into a dictation program for the laptop. She just got my old iphone for Christmas to communicate with her cousin/best friend without stealing my phone to do it. She uses the talk to text and voice speak on that and I believe it will really help her. With talk to text, she proofs before sending and with voice speak, she's reading along with it. I don't know why I didn't think of that already. She actually has beautiful handwriting, but can't do much at a time and has zero spelling.

     

    Structure, consistency, and visual charts were all recommended. We already have the visual charts for chores and such. Consistency  and structure is much more difficult for us. We are very relaxed homeschoolers and follow more of a loose routine than a schedule. We also school year round so we are able to  take lots of time off throughout the year. mental health days. park days. lazy days. etc.

     

    My hubby is really good about letting me get away. I generally go shopping alone and he's always encouraging moms night outs.

     

    I guess I just don't really know where to go from here. What we're doing at home seems to be working fine, but I don't know if it's the BEST and I feel like I leave a lot to the therapist. She's teaching her how to read. She's teaching her how to write. And now she's started math. I also expect things to get more difficult in the next couple of years. My oldest was doing lots of independent work starting in "3rd grade". This child won't be able to do that any time in the near future and I will be adding more school age kids into the mix. I already feel like school takes up a significant part of our day (more than I would like) and it will only increase, the less I can pass off to them. Also, the writing had me freaked out a bit. Like I said, it the bane of my homeschooling existence already. My oldest is in "5th grade" and waaaay behind in writing because I just haven't found what works for us. Scribing and dictating will take care of that worry, though.

     

     

    Not sure if this helps at all, but here are her scores.

     

    WISC

     

    Verbal comprehension 108 (70%)

    Visual Spatial  108 (70%)

    Fluid reasoning  106 (66%)

    Working Memory 97 (42%)

    Processing speed 86 (18%)

     

    Ancillary index scores

     

    Quantitative reasoning index  88 (21%)

    Auditory working memory index  97 (42%)

    Nonverbal index  100 (50%)

    General ability index  108 (70%)

    Cognitive proficiency index  89 (23%)

     

    Woodcock Johnson

     

    Broad achievement  74 (4%, age 6.4)

    Broad reasoning  66 (1%, age 5.10)

    Broad mathematics  87 (19%, age 6.11)

    Broad written language  82 (11%, age 6.7)

    Academic skills  73 (4%, age 6.3)

     

    Woodcock Johnson oral language

     

    Broad oral language  91 (27%, age 7.0)

    Help processing diagnosis and what to do next

    in The Learning Challenges Board

    Posted

    We have recently received a diagnosis for my 8yo dd.

     

    1. Specific learning disorder, with impairment in reading (with impairment in word reading accuracy,reading comprehension, and reading rate or fluency)

     

    2. Specific learning disorder, with impairment in math (with impairment in memorization of arithmetic facts and accurate or fluent calculation)

     

    3. Specific learning disorder, with impairment in written expression (with impairment in spelling accuracy)

     

    4. Oppositional Defiant Disorder- mild

     

    She has been in therapy for 3 years and is making great progress. I'm not sure what changes I need to be making here at home, though. Especially with regard to writing. Is that a subject to be tackled with a child with these diagnoses? If so,what do you use? Writing is the bane of my homeschool existence anyway, with my oldest dd. Please help!

    Science Curriculum Suggestion

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Favorite American History Spine for Elementary?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I am doing POAG with my 8 year old dd, 3rd grade, as our primary core study and bring in a lot of other US history by checking out books at the library related to our history unit. I really like it but I would have to say that 6 might be to young. We did some AG books last year as we went through early American history---Kaya, Felicity, & Caroline. We had fun but the writing assignments in POAG for Felicity were over her head.

     

    I would likely teach to the oldest and find a curriculum for the 4 & 6 grader and let the 1st grader tag along, maybe throwing in just reading the AG books to her where they fit in.

     

    is there a supplement with some of the newer girls? ie,kaya, julie, rebecca, etc i really want to use this, but there's so many more now.

    Remediating Printing for Older Child

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We just started Evan Moore daily handwriting. It is laid out by day. My 10yo needs print remediation, too, so when we finished her cursive curric, we started this one with our group work. It's short enough to not make her mad/frustrated, but I think enough to correct her poor formation and has built in review.

     

    Also, check in your area for a discovery program. It is very affordable educational therapy through the NILD. MY 7yo has been in it for 2.5 years (suspected dyslexia among other things) and has made amazing progress. They do all kinds of the exercises mentioned above- rhythmic writing (8s), printing pathways, etc. http://nild.org/parents/find-an-educational-therapist/

    Multiple kids at home

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    we do group work together, then my 10yo goes off to do independent work while i school the 7 and 6yo. i give her a break by calling her out for group lit and rhythmic writing, then she heads back while i finish with the others. then i go back and finish up with her. once they're done with school, they are free to play. i have a 19mo who is usually in the middle of everything and the 3yo plays on the ipad (abcmouse, learning with homer, starfall, brainpop, letter school. etc).

    math help please

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    so she knows nothing about decimals, which are on the 3rd grade placement test. i'm thinking dropping her back to 3rd grade when she should be moving into 5th may make her math anxiety worse and confirm her "i'm stupid, i can't do this" thoughts. advice? experiences? thoughts?

    math help please

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    My math hater likes CLE. We switched 1/2 way through 5th grade. Within the first few lessons he was telling me how happy he was that math wasn't stressful anymore. Word problems in CLE are weak, so I also use Singapore FAN math and Problem Solving, just one or two problems a day. Placement tests are linked here. https://www.clp.org/store/by_grade/21While you can purchase them when you click, each link has free downloadable files at the bottom. Lots of people have kids place lower in CLE than the program they left. The scope/sequence is a bit different. 

     

    THANK YOU for the link!!!

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