Several years ago, we used "Let's Read, A Linguistic Approach", by Bloomfield and Barnhart. It takes a parts-to-whole approach, rather than the reverse, but the outcome was positive - noticeably speedier reading. :) It begins with single syllables and gradually builds up to multisyllabic words, using lists of similar words followed by practice readings. The second half of the book appears to be about the same level or maybe a bit above the 2nd Pathway reader.

The set we have is published by John Wiley and Sons, and from the Fourth Reader on up, the print is quite small and dense (looks like half the size of the print in Pathway "More Busy Times"). Are there any larger print versions of McGuffey?

When my 8 yo throws the dustpan against the wall because I politely ask him to sweep up a few more crumbs, or my 5 yo yells and screams for half an hour because she doesn't like the menu, I honestly don't CARE why they feel the need to behave like that. No amount of understanding on anyone's part will cause them to behave better, only consequences. I do understand that they're "spirited", but I can also see that they're stubborn and manipulative. Not easy to deal with, that's for sure. :) We're having some success with a banking system (they want to earn money for Legos). They get paid once a week if they do their jobs and their school work well, and without complaining. The most common transgressions (tantrums, avoiding school work) have a predetermined monetary penalty attached. They get $2 per week, but each bratty incident costs them 50 cents, so the profits disappear rapidly unless they control themselves. One of my older kids is the paymaster (he's in college so they can't nag him all day about reconsidering the penalty). I get to play the indifferent bureaucrat ("Sorry, rules are rules, my hands are tied...) so they can't nag me either. :) The advantage to this system is that it shifts the responsibility and the outcome of their behavior (both good and bad) onto them (like in the real world).

So true. The alternative can be very unattractive. My parents, for example, are adult versions of emotionally intense "brats" who never learned to moderate their behavior, resulting in an extremely stressful and combative home life.:tongue_smilie: I don't want that for my children if at all possible!

I remember reading that sometimes dyslexics max out at 4th grade level, because that's when reading starts to get more complicated. Is he mildly dyslexic? That would explain some of the difficulties you've mentioned. My older son is dyslexic but I didn't realize it, because it was mild. http://www.proedinc.com/customer/productView.aspx?ID=2745&SearchWord=Metacognitive%20program%20for%20treating%20Auditory%20Processing%20Disorder This, maybe? http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/spld.htm

It's Catholic - "Vocabulary Quiz Workbook Set" Maybe it's because they often fall behind in reading and vocabulary? We've put the lion's share of time into those areas, rather than trying to follow a typical curriculum. Auditory comprehension difficulties aren't as easy to overcome because you can't control the sounds around you, but that's where the meta-cognitive strategies can help fill the void. I know what you mean. It's alarming at times (like if they don't register that a car is coming). My younger kid seems to be trying to read lips (maybe unintended fallout from the LiPS program :lol:). When he's trying to follow what people are saying around him, he ends up staring at them too much. They don't know why, so it makes them uncomfortable. Not sure how to eradicate that habit.:tongue_smilie:

:iagree: No need to feel guilty at all. Some people can actually learn MORE this way. :)

Excellent! :)

Yes, but only recently, because he's now at the point where it's sinking in. He had such awful problems at the beginning (it took over a year for him to make the sound/letter connection for his 3-letter nickname!!!:tongue_smilie:). We tried multiple phonics programs, to no avail. It was LiPS that finally did the trick. Then we went on to OG, but only for reading. I deliberately omitted the spelling portion because #1 priority was to get him reading as quickly as possible, and he needs to see the big picture in order to progress. Therefore, it made more sense to go back to spelling another time, rather than try to learn it in bits and pieces. Alongside the OG program, he learned sight words, also as a means of jump starting his reading. And then we just read and read and read... I spent a couple of hours each day for a year listening to him read at me.:tongue_smilie: Academic Therapy Publications has a nice selection of books that appeal to boys - we've read quite a few (dozens!). http://www.highnoonbooks.com/index-hnb.tpl It was a lot of time spent reading, but the results were encouraging. Then we worked through "Rewards Intermediate" for reading of multisyllabic words. At this point, he's reading very competently at grade level (6th), and probably a little above. It was hard to find the time (I have 7 kids, also, and one was a screaming, nursing infant at that point, but in retrospect, it really paid off). :) Have you read "The Gift of Dyslexia"? Some of Davis' techniques are helpful for learning abstract words. He says he was "cured" of autism, and whether or not that's true is debatable, but in any event, he seems to be a very visual thinker. His approach can be helpful for people who are highly visual (and as such, may have some difficulty with abstractions). For words in context, a couple of my kids are using a program (religion-based) which consists of books to read, and a vocabulary workbook with a lesson keyed to each chapter. In order to find the correct definition, it's necessary to go back to the original sentence in the book and read the word in context. I think it would be fairly easy to pick any book that you want your child to read, pick out vocabulary from each chapter, highlight it, and type up a little workbook on the computer. I'm thinking of doing this with some other books, once we run out of pages in this program. Both. By the time we finally had testing done, many of the recommendations were things we had done or were doing.:) No. His achievement test maxed out at 99 percentile. I think it's because once he started reading, that's all he did (for several years, his entire curriculum consisted only of reading and a math text.:lol:) How about an e-reader? I just got a Kindle in the mail and loaded so many free books that it's already paid for itself. :tongue_smilie: I want my younger son to continue to progress with his reading, and this little machine is a wonderfully cheap form of "assistive technology" (around the same price as the graphing calculators my older kids needed for the SATs !!!!). The electronic voice is a bit tinny and the pronounciation is a bit weird in places, but overall, it's good enough for the purpose. Now he can read on his own without getting stuck on a word that he doesn't recognize in print.

That's a useful data point, actually. :) If he retains things he sees on tv, you can use that for homeschooling. Same here, which is why I'm having him work through programs that emphasize that approach - he needs it. :) I don't think anyone knows for sure at this point to what extent the brain can be retrained, but I've seen amazing improvements after using LiPS and OG. I have no doubt that that processing can be strengthened with the right techniques, at least to some degree, because I've seen it happen with my own eyes. The audiologist said that the underlying weaknesses that were still detectable with my older son have far less impact than they would have had several years ago because he's developed strategies to compensate very well. So maybe people level out at a certain point, regardless, and then they need to learn ways to compensate for the remaining weaknesses. This is interesting, about neuroplasticity: http://www.dana.org/news/brainwork/detail.aspx?id=13662 I would definitely try. Well, since my older son remediated himself and both kids have the same types of deficits, I'm using him as a model for my younger son. Older son did tons of reading. It seems that at a minimum, a large vocabulary provides scaffolding for the meta-linguistic strategies that minimize impact from CAPD. So we work on idioms, vocabulary, reading, and speaking. We use lots of visual input (history and science videos, computer software), plus a meta-linguistic strategy program. Music was suggested by the audiologist, and he also does karate. All these things are having a cumulative effect over time, so it's reasonable to be optimistic.:)

The approach varies according to the symptoms (but nothing cures it ). We've used Balametrics, Earobics LiPS and OG reading programs because those in particular attacked my younger son's areas of weakness. One of my older children was only diagnosed recently, and he apparently remediated himself to a huge degree. :thumbup1: But the testing also revealed the underlying processing weaknesses that no amount of remediation can completely eradicate.

Check out Linguisystems - lots of helpful practice books for language problems. And "Words" - http://www.proedinc.com/customer/productLists.aspx?Author=Marcia+K.+Henry ElizabethB recommended this, we recently started using it, and I think it's really very good. :) Well structured and easy to implement. And it comes with a disk, so you can print out the worksheets and use it with multiple kids. I'm also going to have my kids start using an e-reader with the voice enabled to see if that helps further enhance vocabulary, usage and speech fluency (and modeling of proper cadence). One of their problems is that they speak too rapidly - another area we're working on. Sounds very useful. "Until" and "after" are sometimes very abstract terms to people with language difficulties. One of the programs we used recommended making clay models to help fix the meaning permanently as a mental image in order to help the person use it correctly more consistently. Drawing a picture would probably accomplish the same thing. Why is he remembering credo? It might be that whatever program you're using for Latin is a good match with his learning style so it's sticking, or it might be just random, or maybe he's already picturing something in his mind (like a prayer book). Take that list of sentences and continue to work on those particular words. Have him look up the word nimble, asserted, averted, plight, set up a notebook page for each with the meaning at the top and then have him come up with another bunch of sentences using it properly and write them on the page. Then review the notebook at least once a week and have him come up with a new sentence (orally) until it sticks. :)

Exactly! :)

That really makes sense, I think. I didn't even attempt to "teach explicitly all the rules and skills and figures of language" until recently. It was too abstract and confusing without a broader, more general foundation. Now that language abilities have improved, it's sinking in very quickly (no more of that "deer in the headlights" look, and a surprising degree of retention!). :)

The "subtype" seems to be the label/description of symptoms. Testing will identify the underlying temporal weaknesses that result in the symptoms. For instance, one of my kids did poorly in certain test areas, particularly the following: "Random Gap Detection Test" (deficits in this area interfere with ability to process rapid acoustical changes) "Dichotic Digits" (weakness in binaural integration skills for processing numerical integration) "Competing Sentences Test" (difficulty processing verbal information with other speakers competing in the background) "Pitch Pattern Test" (difficulty processing verbal information) Bottom line - the test results explain why he has many of the weaknesses you posted on your list (and more :tongue_smilie:). I wouldn't get too caught up in the finer points of labeling this, since you've already observed the particular weaknesses for yourself, and there seems to be a similar array of symptoms that overlap to some degree among various people dx's with CAPD. It would be useful to have an official APD label for college accommodations down the line, perhaps. The symptoms you're observing will dictate the action plan and help narrow down curricula choices. My son's audiologist recommended Wilson and Lindamood Bell, but these were just suggestions - there are other programs and approaches that are equally effective. One of my kids was diagnosed at a major children's hospital, and the other was diagnosed at a rehabilitation hospital, so those are two possible options for you.

It just might trick you. I have a Nook, and it's so easy to forget I'm holding a book - it feels like reading from a calculator. :lol: Definitely a great way to lure the reading-resistant student (especially one who likes computers) into thinking of reading as less drudgery.

Excellent! Thanks so much. :)

Now you've really tempted me.... :drool5: Could I side load files on Kindle, since I don't have WiFi?

I think it's safe to trust your own observations and judgements. I'm not sure having young children tested results in particularly reliable scores, and after some testing experiences with my older kids, I've become a bit skeptical. :) For instance, one child was tested at 15 and scored in the gifted range, but there's no way he would have scored very high as a 7 year old - he couldn't even read then, nor did he do much reading until age 10. But after that, he read and read and read... My 8 yo had a sudden surge in the last year and a half, but before that, he didn't exhibit any particular brilliance, nor was he academically precocious. :) In fact he seemed to be exhibiting signs of LD's. I'm sure that in some cases test results must accurately reflect potential, but ultimately I wouldn't place too much emphasis on results that don't mesh with your own observations.

Very familiar. And in retrospect, it was observable from early infancy (if one knows what to look for, which I didn't). One of my kids came home just about hairless from the NICU, having ripped the IV's out of his hands (and then his head) so many times that his head was shaved entirely bald. :tongue_smilie: He then became the relentless baby who NEVER slept, the tantrumming toddler who never gave in, and until recently, his meltdowns have been frequent and overpowering. He has a will of iron. :eek: He's been challenging, but he seems to have turned the corner lately (just turned 8 - could that be the magic age? :001_smile:). Our experiences with him were what led me to start reading this board and the various recommendations regarding the care and handling of gifted kids and the typical personality profiles that often come with the package. Suddenly the scales fell from my eyes. :) Now I can better understand (and forgive) my family life growing up, the differences between myself and my husband make more sense (and IMO he got the better deal, being a "normal smart person" rather than a "gifted" one). Like a previous poster, I wish I had this information years ago. Not sure if I would have raised my older kids much differently had I known then what I know now, but the insights I've gleaned are definitely useful in managing my younger ones. I used to think the "gifted" label was pretentious, and avoided it. But in reality, it's extremely useful as a guidepost for finding relevant and helpful information, in the same way "dyslexic" has been a necessary label for locating essential information and learning materials. And it's helpful to be aware that various behaviors that are extreme and difficult to deal with are not necessarily the result of lack of appropriate discipline, training, etc., and as such, the generally recommended approaches described in many popular child rearing/psychology books may not necessarily be the most appropriate and effective when dealing with your gifted child, who is likely wired very differently from a typical child. :)

:iagree:

We've had some of our kids tested (through the school system, and also privately) and honestly, I didn't learn anything from the testing that wasn't also observable by teaching them and working with them at home. And the test results are only a measure of current performance at a given time, and may be useless a month from now. Case in point: One of my kids had a relatively low score on a visual-spatial section of the WISC. After I read the results, it dawned on me that he hadn't done much in the way of visual-spatial practice (didn't like legos, or drawing, or other things of that sort). But after a week playing with "Mighty Mind" and some visual spatial workbooks, he was whipping through each puzzle rapidly. So the test result was actually kind of misleading if one were to regard it as a measure of potential ability, since the score was due to a lack of exposure (and also proves the assertion made by some posters here that people can practice for IQ tests! :)) Another of my kids would have appeared to be dyslexic if he were tested a couple of years ago (reversed numbers and printed in mirror image). He still puts his shoes on the wrong feet. But he suddenly taught himself to read from watching Leap Frog and skipped ahead six years in math and reading during a single year. Had he been tested at 6 yo, the results would have been discouraging and misleading. It might be worth pulling her out now if she's finding school so intolerable that she's shut down, rather than hassling with the school district over testing. Something to consider, anyway. :)

Here are some I read when I was thinking about high school: http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-High-School-Planning-Admission/dp/1932096116/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296772041&sr=1-4 http://www.amazon.com/Homeschoolers-College-Admissions-Handbook-18-Year-Old/dp/0761527540/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296772041&sr=1-5 http://www.amazon.com/High-School-Handbook-Junior-Too/dp/0966093771/ref=sr_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296772338&sr=1-19 Don't worry - it will be fine. :) At the outset, it seems like a bigger deal than it actually is. Definitely sounds like an excellent choice for your son. Good luck!

One of my kids was accepted at a state school two years ago, and offered a spot in an honors program. He didn't take a GED - just submitted a "Mommy Transcript", and the school didn't require verification from a guidance counselor. He ended up going somewhere else, so it had slipped my mind. :tongue_smilie: Another one of my kids has an application in now, and after seeing Nan's post, thought I'd better check. Anyway, they said his application is complete as is, and it's the same documentation we sent in for kid#1. Of course, the rules could be different again next year. :)

Good advice - that little bit of extra paperwork might help avoid a big hassle down the line. :)