Are you aware there’s a whole VT program online for sale (workbooks?). It’s one of those gifted homeschool curriculum sites like royal something... I’ll try to find it. Definately modmath (though even using this for years, DS still wants to do everything mentally and hates showing work). There’s a free version and a paid. I paid to support the family but the free is definately good enough. Eta- link for royal press home VT - https://www.rfwp.com/series/vision-therapy-for-early-learners-by-kenneth-a-lane-od ETA 2- teachers pay teachers has some VT stuff, but not awesome from my perusal. I don’t own the home VT program but I want it and have been planning to get it for a while.

Disclaimer- I’m uncertain if I’m reading your question right as it’s early... I’m sure you know about modmath, the non calculator typer for math problems? You can print out your work. It does have a slight learning curve beyond the four basic operations. Maybe physical/manipulives/acting out a word problem. Like after reading the word problem (or it read aloud to him), he can put himself in that real situation. Money problems would be easiest, but LEGO minifigs can be used for people, and frequently their little props. Or he could play act each sentence? If using a LEGO scenario, after he sets up each sentence, or one by one, that gets transferred to a typed math translation. Idk if that makes sense. Sort of like unboxed but lego-ed or brought to life. Or, of course, just manipulatives?

A combo of medical contraindications and personal desire. I can speak only for myself in that I definitely don’t want to withhold something necessary, but OTOH, I will be super cautious about side effects and potential side effects of meds. We have mutiple concerns for contraindications.

Thanks for the replies. DS did have VT, and we “mostly” finished but may still go back for a follow up. OT does still do some VT focus with DS. The last Neuropsych testing was bungled, and I was trying to get diagnoses updated (if there’s dyscalculia, EF concerns, etc). I’m pretty sure now he’ll meet criteria for ADHD (he’s always had the symptoms but the impact on learning and doing is now present), so I just want to be thorough. I can’t treat ADHD with meds at the moment, but I want DS to know and me help him work on EF/memory stuff/etc. Not that I like labels and diagnoses, but it’s much easier to explain that his brain functions this way because of X and that’s why we do Y, versus him realizing he’s different and it’s not just how he reads and writes. Idk, kind of hard for me to pinpoint. I tend to agree that that a lot of this testing isn’t objective enough and there’s not enough tools to help with diagnosis or treatments.

Praying for your sons and family, and strength and peace for yourself.

Ok, so at least theoretically it’s possible. Thanks! I have always mentioned this and I know they do visual perception type tests, but at least two people have said there was no evidence of dyslexia. And I think the definition has changed for diagnosis purposes (where we met criteria long ago of IQ/skill discrepancy, but may not anymore).

I have a specific question regarding testing reading during Neuropsych evals. DS is reading ok, on grade level but not IQ level (probably), with only fatigue. He does still skip articles, read words out of order, and skip suffixes. During all prior Neuropsych reading tests, it’s usually a comprehension and vocab test, where a student reading silently and mixing up articles or suffixes may go unnoticed, especially in a high background knowledge/IQ. Are there Neuropsych tests that will pick up these small reading concerns? Also, if he is trying hard he could probably make no mistakes for a bit, though it will slow him down.

If you’re looking for books to explain diagnoses to a child, this series may be helpful- ADHD- https://www.amazon.com/Gorski-Fidgets-Adventures-Everyday-Geniuses/dp/1492669970/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?crid=4TBRLDV8POO4&keywords=adhd+kid+books&qid=1553594256&s=gateway&sprefix=adhd+kid+&sr=8-11

Please don't quote. My friend's daughter (young teen) is currently hospitalized due to mental health issues. I'm looking for uplifting, positive book recommendations (or gift recommendations) for her. Mine aren't teens yet and I don't think I'll have the time to pre-read for appropriateness. No heavy topics (loss, depression, anxiety, death, sex, drugs), probably fiction. I don't know if this will limit me to boring escapist/pulp fiction. But if any good recommendations are out there, I'm all ears. Thanks! ETA - her likes are science fiction/Harry Potter/Percy Jackson

Thanks, all. This have given me some great ideas 🙂

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. I know it will be highly personal and variable, and I’m trying to model good general daily things for the kids. I know some things may not need to be daily, but I do want to highlight good mind/body/spirit things so as to not have glaring deficiencies 🙂. I will probably use an 8 hour work day and divide up that time to homeschooling and housework, but we also are balancing therapies, extracurriculars, etc. I don’t want to focus so much on one thing to the exclusion of others, as long as there’s balance in our lives most days. We tend to have a super over-busy workweek, then have too much leisure time for days (like too much electronics) on weekends or extended weekends. I’d prefer probably to be a bit more spread out in all aspects. 🙂. Plus I try to pretend there are more hours in the day than there are.

I’m looking for general recommendations for a daily or weekly schedule/checklist/flow chart for optimal personal balance and growth. Something like: X minutes daily meditation/prayer, X hours of work, X minutes of productive leisure activity, X time of family time, X time social activities, X exercise minutes, X hours sleep, X time outside, X time chores, X time errands, X time finances, etc. A book, blog, or personal schedule would be beneficial. I’m finding imbalance in my life and I want to be more productive and have more personal growth but I do not want to overdo it. It’s easy for me to say I want to do finances this weekend but then spend all weekend doing errands, or miss exercising daily for weeks. I need to have a more realistic expectation of daily time needed to be productive and have growth. I also want to adapt something similar for the kids, so kid specific advice would be helpful. Thanks for any ideas! 🙂

The conversation discussion reminded me of this illustration of ADHD storytelling- https://m.imgur.com/gallery/tUs7Nm6

I was going to write in the other thread that some of us have family with disabilities, and the division of mental load labor is a lot different than in a NT family, but I didn’t have the energy leftover that day 😄

Besides ADHD, which may need to be addressed, it can be disrespectful. If I ask DH to not do something, and he does it, it can range from a minor annoyance to very hurtful. Mostly it’s good intentions but with negative consequences. Causes can range from poor attention, poor short and long term memory, misinterpretation of desires, and disregard. It makes life harder for a person living with someone with ADHD who isn’t being respectful of requests. There are many things I have requested to not be done, and most of the time that request is not honored, and my life is made more difficult because of it. A simple rule for all spouses and possibly most people living together is to ask the other person first before doing things. Want to help tidy? Please don’t misplace everything. Want to help do laundry? Please don’t put things away where I cannot find them again. Want to help with groceries? Please get what is on the list. I think I may know why you’re in charge of packing. Good intentions that create extra work, are not good IMO. Decades of extra work is hard for the spouse. I don’t know if most people who don’t live with someone with ADHD understand the constant fixes, weariness, work, and seeming lack of care that many years of daily things can cause to a relationship. Anyway... hugs! 🙂 eta - is it seeming or seemingly? My brain is broken! I think it’s seeming.

I’m sure you know, if you’re vegan, and for some vegetarians, that is the main protein group (with some additional from whole grains mostly). Though, vegetarians may have eggs/dairy. “Beans” includes hummus, soy products (like tofu), as well as beans. Each serving is only 1/2 cup. For each meal, as someone else mentioned, an average of a protein serving, 2 veg, a grain, and fruit makes a balanced diet. I usually have 2 servings of fruit, nuts/seeds, and a grain for breakfast, then a serving and a half of beans for lunch and dinner, with vegetables and grains. It’s quite easy to add some beans to salads, or have tofu stir fry instead of chicken, or have vegetarian chili instead of beef. Some people need to add beans over time to allow their microbiome to adjust, but a whole foods plant based diet is probably the healthiest way to eat. My go to quick lunch is a black bean bowl, with black beans, corn, salsa, avocado, and baked corn chips (or a whole wheat tortilla). Tofu stir fry is also easy. 🙂 Beans on (whole wheat) toast is healthy, and I bet two slices is easily 1/2 cup serving.

I recommend a nutritional tracking app (like chronometer) to see how your nutrition is for a week or two. It helps me know exactly how much iron and B12 I’m getting, plus I also know my potassium isn’t awesome and sometimes my protein is too low. The daily dozen checklist (by Dr. Greger) is a great starter idea of well rounded nutrition based on a vegan diet (but a good nutritional guideline for even omnivores).

Thanks for linking an IP lentil tikka masala. I’ve been looking for one! I always add a bunch more veg though, like carrots and cauliflower, so I may need to up the spices. 🙂

My favorite vegetarian chili, it’s sweet but super flavorful, not too spicy, hearty, dairy free, customizable to beans or vegetables you prefer- https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/01/28/crock-pot-sweet-potato-chili/ My favorite lentil coconut curry- non dairy - https://www.budgetbytes.com/slow-cooker-coconut-curry-lentils/

I answered vegan, because it was closest to the choice that is proven to reverse heart disease: whole foods plant based. Nutritionfacts.org is a great non profit nutritional resource by a physician based on research and diet. Studies have proven whole food plant based is the best diet.

Praying!

Praying for you to have a great experience and feel awesome and at peace there!

I’d follow up. Only because my state (county?) requires notification of ending homeschooling. So I would feel like I was not doing two things instead of one (notice of continuing and also stopping in old state). Idk if any state would request a prior state’s homeschooling documentation either. It’s most likely no one will notice or care.

I’m going to recommend something a bit different. Perhaps you would feel better and more light hearted if the kids weren’t bickering so much and following the rules? I would choose the top annoyance that you think you can improve the easiest/quickest (maybe no yelling or whatever rule a lot of kids are breaking). I’d focus on that for a few weeks. I’d remind kids of the rule and think of a motivator to follow the rule or a punishment. I’d daily try to consistently enforce that one rule with everyone. And, once it’s been a few weeks and most of the kids are on board, I’d move to a second rule or behavior. Having breaks and being fun are awesome, and I commend you for wanting to do that. For me, poor behavior can suck the joy out of me for hours. I cannot always emotionally bounce back from things quickly when there’s a problem with lies, or complaining, or other behaviors. I am overly sensitive to loud noises and one of my first rules was no yelling in the house unless it’s an emergency. When I’m subjected to loud noises outside of my control, I feel stressed and anxious, short tempered, and less able to concentrate. Recognizing that I work a certain way and needing to meet some basic needs for my health has made me more pleasant to be around, and helped me function better. I would probably also have a mandatory quiet time after lunch (like silent reading). Personally I do intervene with some bickering as it affects me negatively so much and I can’t ignore it. I focus on setting rules for time limits for toys, and discussing how our behaviors affect others. If we do something that bothers someone we live with, it’s a normal consequence that we will start to dislike being around that person. I don’t like discord so I encourage everyone to act in ways that don’t annoy others, especially on purpose.

Maybe this is a good time to bring up how advice from one person (move to the area because that one person only hires people in the area) may contradict advice from a different person (don’t move until you have a job), and discuss generic common advice about not moving unless you have a job. People hiring for positions have these views based on what they’re specifically looking for, ability to offer strong relocation packages, past experience in people quitting due to location, etc. I think as young adults we may be too reliant on one person’s advice, whom we view as an expert, instead of thinking there may be a lot of people who are experts and they may all have different advice. As adults, we need to weigh many choices and choose what’s best for us, and consider an expert’s opinion more heavily than a non-expert’s, but realize that expert may also have a viewpoint that is not perfect. D.C. is an awesome city, and probably he’ll make enough to survive and will likely enjoy it, and may find a more career-specific job great for him. But it’s also expensive and similar advice is given to anyone wanting to move to NYC, or LA, etc, without a solid job.