nitascool
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Posts posted by nitascool
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The other possibility-is English Festival something done on top of doing regular school work?
I haven't personally spoken with the 7th and 8th grade teachers in the 6 participating schools (I think there were 20 teacher and 6 librarians total). I was told by one of the attending librarians that the teachers will be using this list for their reading requirements for the new school year and that the kids would need to read at least two of the books, preferably three, over the summer. The librarian fought to get at least one more difficult book on the list, which is why they chose one 9th grade book.
She mentioned my son (not by name, of course) and several of his more current reads to try and illustrate that the program would be worthless for him if they made it too simple. One of the teachers actually said, "Well, that kid must be a genius, and we're not talking about genius kids." Our librarian said, "No, we're talking about honors kids." My son is gifted, but he isn't a savant. It's not like he's reading Kierkegaard. He likes to read, we provide classics for him and some good modern materials as well. We were hoping that he'd enjoy reading some modern books other not savant kids his age were reading.
We'll still be doing the program this year, I just wish it were actually a challenge to my son.
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So I just had another... this is why we homeschool moment... today when I got the list of English Festival books from our local librarian. I was under the impression that the English Festival was for students who were higher achievers (I could be wrong). Anyway, the list this year is two less then last year and the books are at grade level or below. Only one of the books "My Name is Not Easy" is above grade level @ 9th grade reading level. This list of books is supposed to last 9 months. From what the librarian told me this is the list the kids will be using for the school year, nothing more. One title on the list I was happy to see, Fahrenheit 451, until she told me it was the Graphic Novel Version. In 1987 my husband read the original Fahrenheit 451 in preparation for the very same English Festival. Josiah just finished it with no trouble understanding the content. So why did the 7th and 8th grade teachers who decide which books to choose this year think that this book was to difficult for their honor students? Am I way off here...I know Josiah is advanced in reading, but is expecting honor students to be reading a couple grade levels higher off base? Ok... I'll get off my rant now.
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We do Sequential Spelling. I printed a large format of the response book so that he has more space to write in with book one. He is on book three now and doesn't need the extra space as much. I have him spell it out loud, write it, then spell it aloud again to me. He has no trouble when spelling aloud but does write it incorrectly at times. My oldest does SS as well and take 10 minutes to do a list while my ASD dysgraphic son takes 20-25 minutes.
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We did lable our entire house when mine were little (table, chair, wall, corner, toilet). My ASD ds never had vocabulary issues but I think it was because we are such a language intensive home. I read at least 70 books a week to them before we began formal Kindergarten. I also made picture books for them all. I printed pictures of their family and friends, as well as, familiar items. I laminated them with the words below each picture, hole punched them and put a ring or yarn through them to hold them together. Some of my ASD sons favorite books were his family book, bath time (had pictures of him taking a bath step by step with him in his bathing suit), and our neighborhood (pictures of place we visit around our home- store, library, park, art center, etc.).
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I'm not sure I entirely agree with this statement: "Because autistic children resist change, and anything new is seen as a threat, teaching situations and materials must be changed periodically, or the child will not be able to generalize learning to other situations." Though I did see resistance to change some in the early years I don't think it is something that has to continue throughout a child's life. Also I don't believe (at least in my sons case) that all new things were seen as a threat but rather unprepareness to changes was what he saw as a threat.
My son does like routine but we (dh and I) are more free spirits. It has made life hard on all of us. Ds has had to learn to adapt to us and we to him. We learned to give him time with transitions. And he still has some minor issues with wanting to do things the same way. We keep our dinner table arrangement the same. Chores change only once every six months (he's learning to do dishes now). But the order of school work changes daily. We focus on the core curr. daily, but change when and where we do our work. At 11 he can go with the flow of life fairly well (thought we'd never get here). We just have to remember to inform him of changes 5 min. in advance along with what that change is.
When he was first dxed with ASD we were told strict routine was the key to helping him get better. It turned out to cause anxiaty for him though. When we flow more smoothly with a looser routine (not strick with exactly 15 minutes or 5 minutes doing this or that) he does better overall. Right now his routines look something like this.
Up and showered by 7:30-8:00
Breakfast after shower then Breakfast dishes (this order never changes but time may vary)
Start school. Do core subjects (takes 30 min. a piece most days but we don't use a timer anymore) with a movement brake between each subject.
Lunch and play time
Finish core subjects and do fun subjects.
Play outside or get on tablet depending on the day and weather
At least once a week we go do something... take a nature walk, go to the park, out for pizza. Something to change up our routine.
I think the key to teaching flexabilty is to insist that thier way is not the only way. And not to give into the temper tantrums that sometimes occur. Discussion of what is going to change and why is important but I've never allowed my son to be the dictator of our lives. We work toward flexability and give coping skills for the times when things are not in his perfect order.
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We are using MCT with my ASD, ADHD, dysgraphic son and it is a really great fit as we can easily adjust for writing issues. I have dyslexia and I think it is the first time in my life I have really understood grammar. I'd start with doing just the grammar and vocabulary books though and maybe do the others in the summer. I do the practice books as scribe with him. It has really solidified his understanding of the material. It is more discussion based which we've all enjoyed. It is a program you have to do "With" your child. So you can move through it farely quickly. A month or two (15 min. 3X a week) each is probably all you will need. Less if you don't require she do the writing exercises in the Teacher Section. I found doing it verbally works better anyway. I think understanding how grammar works has really helped me with understanding writing better for me and my son.
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We never taught "sight words" as a PP mentioned 98% of all "sight words" are decodable with phonics training. We use Phonics Pathways. I liked the original version better as they did not suggest writing be attatched to the reading process. If you use the newer version then just ignore the writing prompts. We used Phonics Pathways, Reading Pathways and Bob Books only for my older two. Using that program they are now 13 and 11 reading at college level. With my younger two (less time to spend reading with them) we also do online reading after finishing the Bob Books Series (www.starfall.com and morestarfall.com). Just to show you that phonics is all that you'll need I just had my 6yo, who is just over half way though Phonics Pathways, do the Dolch Sight Words list for Pre-Primer, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. She missed 6 words total. My 8yo second grader, who is two thirds of the way though Phonics Pathways, didn't miss any.
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Another vote here for Math U See. The newest version is normed to the Core Standards drafted by Obama last year. So if they are at grade level then then you shouldn't have any issues with Standarized testing. We have never had issues since we began with MUS with their math scores.
My oldest had math issues beginning in Kindergarten. We started with Saxon, then Singapore. Singapore Math was in my oppinion my biggest mistake with him. I like the program but it was a total disaster for him. His brain just didn't work that way. And saxon just wasn't making it stick (too abstract I think).
He also didn't like to use the manipulatives. We used them only for the innitial introduction to a new topic.We always watch the DVD together. I thought that it would take him two or three years in multiplication and division also. But we began the program in Alpha (even though he was half way through 2nd grade). It really didn't take that long for him to figure it out. He went through Alpha and Beta in 4 months. Once he understood addition and subtraction better he had no issues with Multiplication. Division went a few weeks into the summer but not as difficut as I thought it would be. Zeta did take him a year and a half but he still scored well on the math portion of his state testing. Well above GL even though he is more then 8 months behind in math this year.
If your children don't have 0+0 though 9+9 down I'd start in Alpha no matter what their age or your "state requirements" say. No program will work if you don't start at the right level. They have an online placement test. Test Alpha then Beta etc. If they get below an 80% start on that level. Your state should have different laws pertaining to children with special needs. The requirements for SN kids are not the same as NT kids even if you homeschool. Though you may have to get an IEP for them it might be worth peace of mind.
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My 11yo ASD son also has a lot of focus issues. His working memory and processing speed where in the 1st % on his IQ test. In the past we have had him at my elbow (literally). This year he has been lying on the floor beside me. Over the year we have been slowly moving him physically away from me while maintaining that same level of focus. We begin a subject together then I give him seat work (which he does on his tummy- helps him focus better then sitting at a table). Then I instruct the younger two each in turn and their older brother. My 11yo always starts school before his siblings and ends after they are finished. I give them all brakes throughout the day. We never do every subject, every day. One thing that has really helped is getting off the PS schedule and just schooling year round. This has freed us up to work with our sons focus issues. Sometimes I have to let the others just play on days when my son needs my full attention (a bit less this year then last year). As long as they aren't using that time on TV, Computers or Video Games (not allowed during school time) then the others usually find something on their own to learn.
My 8yo has surpassed his brother in penamanship, many life skills and common sence areas already. He will likely pass him next year in grammar and writing. When these things have happened we use those times to talk about what it means to have Autism and how it effects nomal development. And that this is why big brother stuggles or little brother doesn't in an area. We talk often about how hard it is for my ASD son to deal with issues... which makes all those little vicotries- time for celebation. We never use the ASD as an excuse not to try though... only a help explain as to why he's not developing those same skills at the same time as his brother.
I think the big thing is not worrying too much about the NT kids. They will adapt quickly to whatever method you use.
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Our church experiences with our Autistic, SPD, ADHD son have made church attendance difficult as well. In his first church (a larger church about 1000 adult members) we got looks and comments because we harnessed our son. His impulsive behavior had caused more then one near hit by oncoming traffic and he often ran to the top of the stairs and tried to jump off head first. We were regularly told how we needed to teach our son "first time obedience". We were even told that we must be sinning since our son was "acting out so badly".
*So not judging the parents on the behavior of their special need child would be a great start.
In his second church (about 40 adult members) we were told that our son was demon possessed.
*So not assuming that there is a "spiritual" problem (aside from the normal every kid needs to learn about God) in the child is really helpful. And also teachers knowing the signs of the most common childhood disorders....ADHD, Autism, OCD, ODD, SPD... I'm sure I've forgotten a few would be helpful.
And in his third church (about 300 adult members) he was chastised by the teachers. One of the teachers left a bruise on his arm because he wanted to hide under the table (he was overwhelmed and trying to cope). Also the children called him rude names and were cruel. My oldest son (who was 6) was expected to make him mind (they were in the same class even though we'd requested they not be).
*Not expecting siblings to deal with the issues that the child has would be paramount in my opinion. An if at all possible, not even placed in the same group. Even if that means putting the sn kid in a lower group or the sibling in a higher group. Also, providing CPI (Crises Prevention Institute) classes for teachers would be high on my list for churches who expect more then a couple special needs children in their church. CPI teaches people how to use proper and safe holds for people who are having unruly behavior.
In the forth church (about 60 adult members), we met with a mix. Some of the older people were kind and patient with him, but those who had children my sons age were more concerned about pointing out his bad behavior then trying to help him to fit in. My son has never been violent in any way but one child insisted that he was hitting him... for weeks. And he was chastised even though there was no proof. When I asked why he had not been trusted I was told "Just because your son was weird and Autistic" (Teachers exact words).
*In this case knowing a bit about Autism and about my son... he was not at that time capable of lying... would have at least helped.
We are now going to a church (about 600 adult members split into two services) that is not perfect in it's attempt to meet our sons needs. They do have a special needs class in the first service for children. Which we first attended thinking it would be a benefit for him. However the teacher, ironically, a special needs teacher, tends to expect way too much of him. And all the children are physically challenged, not emotionally/socially. This frightened my son, to see these children appear so differently. So they made accommodations in the typically-abled class for him. They try and that for us is the most important thing. My son is on the more mild end of the spectrum, with Asperger.
*They do not have one to one helpers which would be good for him. They do not have diapering accommodations for older children, or assistance for sn people older then 11. I don't think they would do well with children who had OCD, ODD or made loud noises in service. In the few times where my son stayed in service he was looked at with frowns for what I consider mild behavior (rocking in chair, singing too loudly - but on key, asking when the preacher would be finished perseverating).
It would be helpful for the congregation to be educated. But as far as I know my son is the only Autistic child in the church, there are no children with cerebral palsy or down syndrome in the church either. There is one brain damaged child, he is severely so and physically disabled as well. They have met the needs of several physically disabled children well for several years but I get the impression that there is less compassion or understanding for the mentally challenged. There is one Tween with ODD who has been attending about a year. Again, I think education on this would be of help, because in general they seem compassionate and caring.
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My oldest who has his own special needs (introverted, gifted and add) has been having a really hard time dealing with his younger 11yo Asperger brother of late. They are only 19 months apart, but the older they get the bigger the gap is between maturity and ability.
He complains about not having a "friend" brother because my second is... self absorbed, spacey and too eggheaded. Now he would never say these things to his brother... but it's his heart bleeding for a relationship that he may never have.
My second has been trying more to include his big brother in his life. Coming out of himself more and trying to do things with him. But they are so different. My oldest likes art. My Aspy likes history and science. The only thing they can both relate to is Minecraft. My oldest likes to play Mindcraft while my second likes to watch Mindcraft videos on YouTube. There has been some collaborations on that front which has keep the hurtfulness at bay for a while.
So there is the difference of interest and the difficulty in communication on both parts. And there is also that teen gloom hanging over my oldests head that is getting in the way as well. With my oldest I'm most concerned that he'll just give up. Any BTDT would be great.
Then I also have the other end of the sibling thing happening. My 8yo has been noticing for a couple years now how his big brother needs help in public places. How he is more emotionally mature at 8 then his big brother. That he is faster at writing and doing math and physical things. He sees the good stuff to but... more and more he is shadowing his big brother. And he asks questions. Why does big brother have to be the way he is? Why do I have to do x while big brother doesn't? etc. And I have no answers.
I guess my biggest question is how do you deal with the sibling dynamics with you normal or almost normal kids and you SN kids?
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TVPS3 stands for Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – 3rd ed. I was expecting either off, way off, or sort of normal. But they were just wonky. He's 11 and has Aspergers, SPD, and ADHD. Not diagnosed with Dysgraphia but is to a tee for the signs and symptoms listed on Wikipedia.
These are his Raw Scores, Scaled Scores, Percentile and Age Equivalent
Visual Discrimination (DIS) 5, 3, 1%, 4 yrs.
Visual Memory (MEM) 11, 9, 32-42%, 6-6 yrs.
Spatial Relations (SPA) 13, 12, 70-79%, 9-3 yrs.
Form Constancy (CON) 13, 14, 88-93%, 16-7 yrs.
Sequential Memory (SEQ) 10, 8, 21-30%, 8-6 yrs.
Figure Ground (FGR) 11, 10, 45-50%, 9-8 yrs.
Visual Closure (CLO) 6, 6, 7-11%, 6-1 yrs.
Subtests Sum of Scaled Scores Standard Scores Percentile Rank Age Equivalency
Overall (includes all subtests) 62 94 34% 8-7 yrs.
Basic Processes
(includes DIS, MEM, SPA, & CON) 38 98 45% 8-10 yrs.
Sequencing
(includes SEQ) 8 90 25% 8-6 yrs.
Complex Processes
(includes FGR & CLO) 16 90 25% 8-3 yrs.
So he's mostly averaging around 8-9 years dipping down to 6 year and even a 4 year score and peeking with a 16 year score. I have an appointment scheduled for next month with a ped. developmental vision specialist. I'm wondering the likelihood that he will need VT or if it's a separate issue all together?
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We've done WTM/CM type schooling over the last 8 years now with my eldest ds and while it has been a fair fit for him, over the last couple years we are finding more and more need to modify .
I want to prepare my son for his future. High school is just around the corner for him. He is very strong on the idea that he wants to do something in art. Or as a last resort a fiction author. He has several ideas and I could see him achieving those goals. He has the talent and creativity, but I want to guide him over the next few years. How can we better tailor his education to meet his unique goals?
At this time he has had some art instruction and some minor art history, but we've not gone deep into anything art. Even though we have books full of narrations, copywork, dictations and even a few essays and term papers, he says that he doesn't feel like he's accomplished much in his education. I think he has a fairly broad base now, and I know that I'll need to meet state requirements (Ohio), but I'm wondering if a more project based approach will work better for him. Maybe take projects in one month chunks studying Art History instead of World History? Is there something out there already, that might be a good fit for my son? I hate having to reinvent the wheel.
This year we finished Introductory Logic, Critical Thinking Series, Mindbenders Series, MUS Zeta (he begins Pre-Algebra tomorrow), Life of Fred Decimals & Percentages, Most of the suggested history reading, but his spine was History of US, MCT Voyage Series, Exploring Creation General, and The Story of American Painting. He has also read about 2/3s of the books on AO year 7 in a few sittings not dragged out over the year.
I know for sure next year that we will continue with MUS and Exploring Creation, but petty much everything else is up in the air. I want to nurture his desire to create not bog him down in things for the sake of "learning". I want instead for him to learn and want to learn. So can I give my son that creative outlet and still give him a high quality education? Sorry for the long ramble... I'm just groping around for answers... and hoping some of you might have some. Thanks.
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My son Micah is 11. A little background... At 8 months he was dxed with Failure to Thrive, he lost almost all his aquired skills up to that point.
At 2 he had Rotovirus and was severly dehydrated. They kept him in the hospital for 3 days, he was still slightly dehydrated when we took him home.
At 3 I told his new doctor that something was wrong. I was told he was just a normal boy and that my oldest had "spoiled" me. He was clumsy and reckless and would run from room to room for 16-18 hours a day until he would finally colapse on the floor where his tired little body would twitch and turn all night. His doctor said I must be exaggerating.
At age 4 I showed the doctor my son's inability to walk down the hall w/o hitting the walls, his many bruises and the fact that he couldn't even throw a ball. But his vocabulary was extensive and the doctor dismissed me again.
At 6 we went to yet another doctor and finally got an evaluation for Autism. They said it was just ADHD hyperactive. I insisted on him getting an OT evaluation anyway, and she dxed him with Sever SPD. He had OT for a year. He rose from the 1st percentile to the 5th and was denied serveses.
At 7.5 we retested him for OT and he was back down to the 1st percentile. He received serveses for another year.
At 8 his doctor left the state so he got another doctor. When she did his yearly physical she fould that he was very delayed with his motor skills and offered OT and PT. So he had another year of OT and 12 weeks of PT. His PT evaluation had his skills below the 1st percentile. But in 12 weeks time he was up to the 5th percentile and was again denied further services.
At 9 he finally went to a psych. doctor after years of us asking to have further testing. He was dxed with PDD-NOS. Eight months later he saw a neurologist who said he was maybe HFA or Asperger. He's been in and out of OT since he was 6. And is now also in ST.
He has made a lot of progress with the stems and clumsy behaviors. He has come a long way in so many areas and yet handwriting is still a big issue. He also has issues with following directions, working memory and processing speed issues (though I suspect ps may be writing related).
So after doing OT since he was 6 his newest OT (has worked with him for two years now) is telling us that she has helped him as much as she can in regards to his handwriting. Handwriting for him is a real problem. Even a few words takes a very long time. He complains that it hurts his hand just to write a sentence. His letter size, spacing and placement on the page is erratic even though he has had active instruction in how to write letters for five years on a daily basis. He must have a physical model to work from and even then he often misspells words. Yet, if I have him spell a word verbally he spells it correctly 95% of the time. I will often ask him to say them alloud as he writes them and still he will spell incorrectly on paper and correctly when speaking them. So now his OT believes that there is something wrong with his eyes. He has a referral to a pediatric vision specialist (I forget what they are called). And the OT is doing testing called Test of Visual Percetual Skills III. He has done three of the 9 subtest and has scores of 4 years, 6.4 years and 9.3 years. So there is def. something going on there.
So I guess my concerns are:
Could his writing issues be really vision issues?
Should he be seeing a VT insead of or along with an OT?
Is it worth the considerable money we'll have to shell out for him?
Could some of his social issues (as the ST is telling us) be related to vision as well?
What kinds of things should I discuss with the VT to help her understand my son's needs best?
I'm sure I have many other questions but this is the basics.
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My oldest is a gifted artist. Not just with ability but with creativity as well. He is also gifted accademically... though not very motivated.
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I am so sorry this happened to your dd. We have not had good success with co-ops either. Often the groups my son finds interest in are for older kids. When he is old enough to take a class it is dumbed down to the point of being rediculous. Of late, my youngest has been word checking herself with the adults in her life. The fact that my 5yo has to simplify her vocabulary to be understood by adults often makes we worry about the path our sociaty is on. I too find it difficult to swallow that my children always have to be the ones to change. Recently, a woman at the library told my dd that she uses too big of words, and laughing said I don't even know what reverberate means. I thing we moms of bright kids can only take so much... because that day, I had had it. I told her, "Your a librarian. LOOK IT UP!" and grabbed my dd's hand and stormed off. Not my best of moments but it sure felt good.
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I see many posts and have had many converstations about the wonderful things that my family & friends kids are doing, and I think that's great, but I rarely post online or talk about things like that about my own children. Over the years I've had so many people (especially those righteous religious folk) tell me that when I talk about my children's accomplishments I'm being "proud". It seems permissible to talk about your kids soccer game, scout award, up coming speech... but when I talk about my children doing this or that I'm being a braggart. So I pretty much don't tell others about the great people my children are becoming. I think it's about time I start giving credit where it's due though. And I think it's wrong that I keep quiet just because some people are put out. So I wrote down a few things that I find amazing about my four children. I'd love to hear about the truely great things others are doing as well.
My eldest son Josiah is a wonderful kid. He's just a month away from being a teenager and he is showing such maturity and poise. Just last night he was sitting on the floor with his little sister laying in his lap talking about My Little Pony. He has a beautiful relationship with all his siblings, but I am especially proud of how kind and respectful he is with his little sister. He engages her with tea parties and reads "girl" stories with her. He participates in things that she enjoys and involves her in his own interests when appropriate. He works hard to create beauty in his world through artistic expression. He shows compassion to others, volunteering regularly at our local library to help elementary children learn to read, and have fun educational experiences. Though he has trouble always understanding Micah his autistic brother, he tries hard to have patience with him and often comments on how amazing and brilliant his not so normal brother is. He sets time aside nearly every day to teach his brother Zechariah how to do computer programming so that he can create computerized art like he does. I am proud of the young man he is becoming. There are many "things" that he has done over the years that I could say are his "accomplishments", but what it all really boils down to is that my son is becoming a godly man... and that above all else is what Jason and I have been striving for these last 13 years.
My second son Micah, who is 11, is a unique gift from God. He has come so far from those strange stressful toddler years when I though he wouldn't make it through childhood because of his reckless ways. He no longer cries at the barking dog, the noisy vacuum, or the buzzing florescent lights. He no longer runs into walls or falls off chairs, having finally mastered his proprioceptive and vestibular senses. He learned to read well and often despite the fact that the letters and words move, waver and sway. He has learned to write even though he has severe fine motor delays. He can ride a bike despite being told he'd never master the balance required to do so. He has learned to show compassion even though he doesn't understand the motives of others. He has learned to be a peacemaker in the midst of a strife filled world. He is now learning to look for and understand the elusive expressions of others, which come so easy to some and so difficultly to him. His memory is amazing and his scope of knowledge impressive, yet you won't find an ounce of arrogance in his demeanor. He has brought humor and laughter into our family. He gives everyone the benefit of his friendship, even when others treat him poorly. He sees the small blessings in life and shows them to his world. His love for God pours out of him like a fountain. He has taken the labels that society has placed upon him and turned them into assets. His struggles have made him have more compassion rather then bitterness. They have made him more aware of the pain of others, rather then dwelling on what he can't do. I am proud of my son... he has come a long way in his short life.
My third son, Zechariah being the youngest boy gets all the hand me downs, never gets to be the first to do anything and is not usually the best either. But he never complains. When we go out to busy places he looks out for his big brother Micah because he know how busy places can confuse him. He never complains that he gets less attention because so much has to be diverted to his big brother. He plays well with his little (lets be honest, a bit pesty) sister. He is by far the biggest sharer of the bunch and has an easy going attitude about life in general. He has a great enthusiasm for learning and loves math above all else. When he's around I don't need a calculator haha. He is quick to help me in whatever I might need done around the house. Last summer he was my main helper in the garden and made gardening less of a chore and more of a fun experience for me. He is a great weed puller. He has an easy way with others and it has been refreshing to see his interaction with his peers. He is not afraid to speak of his faith and I have often heard him telling his neighborhood friends that he would pray for them. He is polite and kind, patient and caring, loving and giving. He is my boy... who is just happy to be here. And I am so blessed to have him in my life.
And then there is my Selah Princess Sugar Plum. We were done when we had Zechariah... hence the Z name. But then we had our little girl. She has been the perfect daughter for me. Me being the "I hate all things pink, girly and pretty" kind of person all my life. She has brought something that was missing into my own personality. She is a girly girl to the max. She loves makeup and jewelry and pretty pink things. She is uber sensitive (emotionally), God has taught me patience with this one. And yet her sweet nature has melted my heart. She can make the most grumpy of souls crack a smile... I've seen it time and again. She has such beauty, yet doesn't act better then others. If she has met you, you are her friend. She is helpful and kind. She is very, very smart yet not overly demanding. She is content to learn at what ever pace I can manage, and keen to learn from her brothers as well. She is my ray of sunshine on the many, many gray days we have around here. She is gift wrapped in a pretty pink bow. A promise God gave me a long time ago.
I'd love to hear about your great blessings if you don't mind posting.
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I'd definately not put them together. I would focus on building her attention span. It will be important as you go on. I'd also add in as many sensory things as you both can handle to help her integrate them as much as possible. As you move through the year you will have a better idea of what subjects you might be able to include both children in. We've had limited success with inclution of Science, History projects and Literature (readers theater type stuff).
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My son loves his Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum which makes typing into a video game type experience. I would not say that he is as yet proficient, but he can type far better than he can handwrite, with much less struggle and pain, and in a shorter time of work on it.
My son has been doing OT for writing skills since he was 6. Now 11, his writing is what I would expect to see at the beginning of second grade. He has no official dx of dysgraphia, but has all of the signs and symptoms mentioned on wikipedia. She mentioned that she should have seen a lot more progress with his writing by now. And that his motor skills for handwriting were where they needed to be... that his vision needs to be addressed now. So she suggested we try a typing program as a stopgap. In January my son started using Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum in just three months he can now type faster then he can write.
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I would tell them that I'm dyslexic and taught myself how to read using phonics. I have one child with some visual perception problems who I taught to read despite the fact that the letters move, float, have halos and change color on him.
If this person was a pain to me... I'd say, "Oh go take a flying leap." Or at least I'd think it. But since you want to be polite... Smile and Ignore is probably your best choice.
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My aspie son likes to pretend play. In fact, that's all he would do if we let him. One thing this year that has helped him is Minecraft... it has helped him have a "normal" pretend thing that his nt brothers also do so that he can see how to pretend play a little more on the norm. As a second child he's never been able to be the manipulator of his siblings and is likely why he likes to play with things over people.
When you go to your OT you should mention the fits and meltdowns... your dd is old enough to learn to control those. The OT will be your best help in the beginning to reach your goals. It's not easy for them (Aspies) but they can learn to deal with the overwhelming sensations that they must go through. It took my son a couple years of OT before he could relax in his own skin but now at 11 he can deal with Sensory overload much better. He rarely has a meltdown these days. Your daughter can get there too. You will likely see the anxiety drop once she feels more comfortable with herself.
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My Asperger son 11 has been taking a break from OT for the winter. We live an hour from the threapy so we take a few months off each year. Tuesday he had his first session for the new year. Since my son had met all of his previous goals aside from penmanship issues we discussed vision issues that he's been having. His OT gave him a portion of a new test for vision that she has... called Test of Visual Perceptual Skills 3. The test covers: Vision Perception, Visual Discrimmination, Visual Memory, Visual Sequential Memory, Visual Spatial Relations, Visual Spatial Orientation, Visual Form Constancy, Visual Closure, and Visual Figure Ground. She did three sections Tuesday: Visual Discrimmination, Visual Memory and Visual Spatial Relations. He scored 4yrs, 6-6yrs, and 9-3yrs respectively.
Back in November we took our son to see a vision specialist who suggested we wait until spring to work on any issues. Obviously there are some vision issues if our OT test is showing such low numbers. I was wondering what I should expect from the VT appointment? What kinds of questions should I ask?
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Thank you ladies. I think we'll work toward gluten free for a few months and see if there's any change. And he is mostly dairy free already as we only buy cheese, butter and sour cream... easy enough to drop. He said he's willing to give it a try, if it means he will be spacing out less. It really annoys him that he can't keep his focus.
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At the chiropractor today I noticed that my almost 6 year old daughter had put her turtleneck on backwards. I caught the backward shoes, but missed the shirt. I mentioned the mistake in front of the assistant and my daughter said, "Oh, I'm sorry, the volocity of my rotation isn't adequit for my atire." The assistant, who should know better by now, said, "Huh?" My dd, "Humm," thinking a moment says, "I was spinning too quickly, I mean fast, to dress my self correctly... I mean the right way." Sadly, I find that my children are more often having to adjust their vocabulary to be understood by the adults in their lives. :(
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7
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What would you do?
in Accelerated Learner Board
Posted
I have a ds 13 now who had the same disparity in ability. We started with a coop with 1st. It wasn't even as academic as you are suggesting. It backfired big time. Eight years later my son still has trouble dealing his higher academic skill. He hates to stand out. I didn't do a coop with my other three. They are all comfortable being academically advanced. They don't go around bragging that they are advanced... but they don't hide their skills like my oldest does.