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Popsicle

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  1. Due to the pandemic and the fact that I am immunocompromised, I will be homeschooling my son for a while. At least until there are treatments or a vaccine. I homeschooled him from k-5 but put him in public school for 6-7. Next year he will be doing algebra and I need some help learning about what would work best for him. Distance learning hasn’t gone well for him. He has mild autism and ADHD and all the opening and closing of tabs frustrates him. He is a very mathy kid and has done well with every curriculum we’ve used and at Public school as well. I’m hoping to find a program that is thorough and complete but maybe doesn’t have a ton of problems on each page. My son gets overwhelmed with a lot of busyness on the paper. He doesn’t need a ton of review either. I like the idea of having a video lesson to watch as well, but I feel confident I can teach him too. I’m rather mathy myself. Any ideas of what curriculums are available?
  2. I have an 11 yo ds with HFA and significant Tourette Syndrome. He has gone through similar periods of tics causing physical pain. He once ticced on his side so badly he strained the muscles in his torso and couldn’t lie flat for a week. He’s also had neck stretching tics that hurt him over time. I’m so sorry you and dd are going through this. It’s so hard to watch sometimes (most times). One thing that has been and still occasionally is hard to discern is a tic from a psych med side affect called akathesia. Both Prozac and Paxil have caused some twitching that we originally treated as tics. I took videos of the movements to show his psychiatrist and she felt it was side effects of the meds. The way to treat these side effects is lowering the dose if possible or more immediately to give a dose of Benadryl. Because he needs these meds for severe anxiety and ocd, we try to keep a low dose on board and treat with the Benadryl. Benadryl seems to help him with the tics too. I think his nervousness contributes to increased tics and Benadryl helps him calm down. I would ask your doc if this is worth a try. When things are really bad, we have found a long hot bath really helps by calming him down and also easing the muscle pains. These episodes have come and gone, lasting a few weeks here and there, and it’s so difficult but they do usually pass. He won’t take pills but we have him on a clonidine patch which helps the tics also. There are many drugs available to treat tics, however many come with a significant side effect profile. It’s hard to know when it’s worth it to try one out. I hope you find what works for her soon.
  3. I’m pretty new to posting and haven’t spent much time here on this board. Not sure your exact situation but I’m guessing it’s similar to mine. I have a son with a severe restrictive eating disorder. I would bust out of my skin if he ate three foods together! So I’m seriously feeling your joy! Yay!
  4. I have a son with Tourette’s. He’s now 11 and last year was definitely his worst with tics. Please take your dd to a neurologist and maybe do some research on Tourette’s. There is a wealth of information put out by the Tourette’s Syndrome Association. I felt like I could cope with the tics so much better after I learned more about the disorder. It helped me be more patient and helped me communicate his needs to others better. He was in public school for 3rd and some of 4th grade but I had to pull him out when the swearing tics started. Prior to pulling him, he had an IEP and some special training was done with the entire staff of his school and the kids as well. It helped so much. But she would need a diagnosis to get the ball rolling on having the school district support you. Ds used to tic mostly when stressed. Now it’s any kind of excitement that does it. He even has a happy tic! Your daughter maybe experiencing an increase just as a natural progression of the disorder. A neurologist would help you know for sure. In the meantime, good luck to you. It’s hard to watch our kiddos tic. We feel bad for them and we feel bad for ourselves!
  5. Sorry you are going through this. I have rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. While coping with pain makes my homeschooling days more difficult (I get very grumpy and have little patience when my pain is high), it's definitely the fatigue that can put an end to a day before it gets started. When it feels like I'm wearing a 1000 pound blanket, it's not even worth trying to do school. What I have found most helpful is schooling year-round. We take a few weeks off in the summer, but I try to get work done whenever I feel up to it. I know those terrible days will come, and this enables me to have a sick day without falling behind. I also limit almost all other commitments. I have a special needs child. We tried public school and it just wasn't going to work for my son. So homeschooling him is my absolute highest priority. I no longer volunteer at church. I rarely entertain. I accept help from friends and family (hardest thing for me to do by far) and I try hard to not feel guilty. I have a cleaning lady come in twice a month. Due to my son's special needs (HFA and Tourette's Syndrome) I can't really have anyone else teach him but me, for now. It's been a challenge and some days it seems impossible, but I want to share that it can be done. We continue to learn what works best for us and you will too. I wish you all the best in finding a way to make it work for your family.
  6. Some background...my 10yo ds was in our hallway 20 minutes ago banging his head repeatedly on the wall. He has OCD (and Tourette's and ASD) and he needed the sensation to feel exactly even on the left and right side of his head before he could relax. During school today we were giving examples of synonyms. We had to give exactly 4 synonyms for each word, no more or less. Poor guy. I know what real OCD looks like. That said, I can tolerate and even joke about OCD. I know that the vast majority of the time, it's used improperly. I choose to give sympathy and caring to my fellow humans. It's what I would want for my son, acceptance and kindness even when his multiple conditions aren't fully understood. It's the only way I can live with myself. There is enough hate in the world. It honestly doesn't take much effort to be kind to people, despite all the idiosyncrasies. Sorry if that sounds too preachy.
  7. OhElizabeth - wow! Thank you for taking such time to address some of my concerns. You have so much wisdom and experience in those posts. Yesterday took so long because we had to go to his school for services. Twice a week we go for a social group for ASD kids program. Also, ds has OCD about taking videos of school buses and he just had to get all the buses yesterday. That takes over two hours of in and out of the house. His dad came home and took him to Lowe's for a while too so all that added to the breaks made us take forever to do school. Most days should not be so long! We school in a spare bedroom that has been converted to a school room. We love it in there! He loves to feel cozy and snug so we did that. He sometimes has a rolling tic so we provided some space for that too. I like your comment about color. It is a yellow cream room with burgundy drapes. He has mentioned wanting to make it darker and perhaps I should listen to him. I have no idea how to even ask to receive ABA services. I once tried to look online and there weren't any listed within a two hour drive - I'm rural NY. How do I find someone? Does insurance pay for it? About the IEP...He was still mainstream at school when I realized we needed to bring him home. We discussed alternative options but none seemed right for him. He has echoalia and echopraxia. He will literally copy anything said or any behavior he sees. Putting him with other children with physical disabilities or behavior problems would likely result in him copying them, perhaps even making others feel bad. So there wasn't anyplace better for him than home and I'm confidant in that decision at least. His IEP basically made allowances for bathroom breaks (anxiety makes him go frequently), ability to use a keyboard or have me scribe, extra time for tests, ASD services and physical therapy. Nothing regarding academics except he can be excused from work when tics are severe. And you are totally correct that the work wasn't getting done at school. He was practically learning nothing, another reason I brought him home. He deserves a good education. You've got me thinking and I appreciate it. Hopefully we will settle in here in a few weeks. It's so different now with all the tics then when he was younger.
  8. We did rule out PANDAS with a strep test. His neurologist doesn't believe in PANDAS, says it has not been proven yet but at least he was tested. After learning more about Tourette's after the diagnosis, I realized he had more tics than we recognized. Hindsight and all. At public school, he was excused from work due to tics. I was allowed to scribe for him at home for homework (he has a really bad tic in both hands sometimes) and I could use my discretion about excusing him from work due to tics. Now that his education is all on me, I feel more pressure to make sure he's learning enough. I guess I am struggling with finding the right balance for him. He's so smart, I don't want to deprive him of an education. Thanks for responding. I feel the weight of his special needs and I look forward to the day when I have more confidence in my ability to both parent and educate him.
  9. Background: I homeschooled my ds from K-2 then put him in brick and mortar starting in third grade. I had some medical issues and he wanted to try. At the time he had one motor tic, which he had for years. During third grade his tics exploded and some behavioral problems developed as the year went on. He has since been diagnosed with Tourette's, HFA, OCD, anxiety, and sensory issues. I pulled him out of school just before Christmas, which was half way through fourth grade. He was constantly needing to leave his classroom for tics. He now has severe Tourette's Syndrome. He has simple tics, complex tics, echoalia, coprolalia (yes he swears) and even coprolgraphia (he writes bad words on his papers). The school tried valiantly to accomadate him but his tics were just so bad. We began homeschooling last week. Most of the days have been successful, but he requires a lot of breaks. Yesterday was so bad and we did school from 9 am to 8 pm because he just needed so many breaks. Today his tics were so bad immediately when we started school that we took a break before we even started. My questions are for anyone with experience schooling a Tourette's kid or anyone with advice to share. Have you found any strategy that helps? Do you just call it a day when things are that bad? My concerns are not providing him the best education he can get vs not meeting his medical needs. He is fortunate to not have any of the learning disabilities so common with Tourette kids. His IQ was actually very high except for his processing speed and in one of the language categories. We live in NY so that means I have to create an education plan and have it approved by the superintendent. I also have to explain if we are unable to complete 80% of what is on that plan. He has an active IEP which takes into account his tics and processing speed issue. But his academic expectations are the same as other kids because he has no learning issues. I want to do my best for him but I'm not always sure what the right thing to do is. What has worked for you?
  10. Cabinet doors left slightly open or drawers not pushed all the way in Bedsheets must be firmly and equally tucked in across mattress The one I don't mention to dh...he not only brings in the mail and leaves it on the counter, he spreads it out so each piece is visible and not touching another piece and then just leaves them there. Why?!
  11. Oh, how I wish there were no such thing as swear words! My son has severe Tourette's Syndrome. The swearing tics began a couple of months ago. I haven't dared to take him to church. I've recently pulled him out of school and will begin homeschooling him this week (he's in 4th grade, I did homeschool him K-2). If there were no taboo words, he wouldn't say them-that's the nature of this disorder. Hearing them repeated by an otherwise sweet, sweet boy has desensitized me to them. I believe if we all accepted the current swear words, new unacceptable words would replace them.
  12. My ds was on amoxicillin when he was 2yo. It was his second or third time on it for ear infections. On the ninth day of treatment he woke up with hives and swollen joints in his ankle and knee. We took him in and he was diagnosed with serum sickness, a type 3 allergic reaction. We were told that allergic reactions can happen even after being on it for days with no problems. So I think it is definitely possible. Also, allergic reactions to penicillin antibiotics are far more common than to the over the counter cold products.
  13. Other than my introduction, this is my first post here. I've been lurking for years, even after my son went to public school. I homeschooled my ds from K-2. He began public school in third grade due to my rheumatoid arthritis flaring at the same time he started to want to go to school. He did great for a while, but was diagnosed with Tourette's and HFA by the end of that year. He is in fourth grade now. Our district is great and has bent over backwards to make his school life successful. But ds has very severe tics and behavioral problems that have led to us deciding to bring him home. At home, he was very successful academically and I'm thankful he doesn't have any learning disabilities, which are common with Tourette's. We used Singapore Math, Memoria Press Latin, and mostly A Beka for ELA and science. At school he also did well academically, however I felt like he learned nothing in third grade. Fourth grade so far he has learned some things, but no grammar what so ever as far as I can tell. So my question is...how do I figure out where to place him with him coming home half way through the year? I liked Singapore math and I know they have a placement test. That should be easy to return to. But ELA? I have no idea what to do. He's half way through fourth grade and what he knows of grammar came from Prima Latina in second grade. I would love some suggestions on how to approach the rest of the year. Start in the middle of a book? Or start at the beginning then move as quickly as he can successfully go? And since we are making so many changes, should I hold of Latin until next year? Also, I'm not sure I want to stick with Abeka as I know they really ramp up the work after second grade and his tics interfere with reading and especially writing sometimes. So any recommendations for a solid ELA program that is lighter on the physical writing would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much!
  14. Hello all. I have one son, 10y/o, in fourth grade. I homeschooled him K-2, then he went to public school due mostly to some health concerns (I have rheumatoid arthritis) but he also wanted to try school. He did great for a while but within a few months he was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome. His school has tried to work with him, but the severity of his tics and behavior issues has worsened to the point where I feel it's best to bring him home. I'm sure I will have loads of questions on schooling a Tourette's kiddo. I've lurked here for years, BTW. I only signed up with an account over a year ago so I could see Sparkly's bacon dancing! Looks like I finally needed to post though. I look forward hearing from everyone.
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