This is GREAT! THANK YOU. I was going back and forth between a box curriculum or going on my own with a Science Encyclopedia. I think this will work well with the second (and cheaper) option. :hurray:

Thank you both. This is exactly what I thought the answer would be from those who are currently homeschooling. Thank you for the reality check. :)

Hi....I will be in my first year of homeschooling (just my daughter this year). If she was going back to school, she would be entering the 4th grade. She has both Dyslexia (recently dxed) and Inattentive ADD. My focus this year is going to be on remediation of her dyslexia with Barton and keeping up with math - both facts and using Teaching Textbooks. I am going to do a bit of history and perhaps some science. I have joined a local co-op where there are 3 blocks of classes that are taught by the moms. We should still be able to get a bit of Barton and Math in prior to co-op as it does not start until late morning. I am also very much interested in getting her involved in CC...but I am afraid it might be putting too much on her plate. The tutor told me that at this point, Essentials would be optional for her so she could just stay for the morning and do Foundations - I believe this year is Cycle 3. So, this would mean 3 days of teaching at home and 2 days of co-ops. Since I am not super focused on the history and science component this year, does anyone see this as being an option? Or do you think that I should stick with just one? Has anyone here been happy with doing TWO co-ops per week? Thank you!

Hello! I think I have decided on the above curriculum for my daughter's first year of HSing. She would have been entering 4th grade if she was going to continue going to school...but due to her needing remediation for recently diagnosed dyslexia we decided to give homeschooling a try for this year. I have spent countless hours researching various curriculums and in the end BFs history seemed to be the best fit for what I feel that she will need this year. Since she technically fits into the Intermediate level, I was going to just go for that one...but then I began to wonder if the Primary one might be a better fit for her this year. Our main focus will be the remediation of her dyslexia...second will be keeping up with math. History and Science will be taking a "back burner" so to speak. I plan on doing both but likely only 2 or 3 time a week for history and maybe one day for science. For those who are familiar with both Primary and Intermediate...which would you recommend for us this year? Thanks!

We are 2 more lessons in Level 2 - so probably sometime next week. Will you be able to send it by then? and if so how much are you asking for it?

I hope this is ok to post here....Does anyone have a good condition Level 3 of the Barton Reading and Spelling System? I am not having much luck with finding it as a complete system (tiles and all)...I really hate to spend $10 plus another $10 to ship them on the Barton site...and I prefer the tiles to the app. Thanks!

I would say that it is less of an undiagnosed issue than it is an issue of his attachment to the computer. Technology tends to have an addiction component to it. I see with my own kids that, the more time they get their electronics, the worse the behavior. If I let them have it consistently for long periods, it is like withdrawal when I either give them less time or take it away completely. I will be honest in saying that I think that 3 hours a day is excessive....I suspect that, if he has had it for 3 hours per day over a long period of time, he is addicted to it. The crying, tantrums, etc are the withdrawal signs. When I have had these experiences in the past I made my kids go "cold turkey". Yes, I paid for it for a number of days...but it was well worth it. My kids used to get their ipads every day...but after the behavior issues started to return, I took them away. They have not had them for over a month. I allow one hour in the afternoon for either computer games (for my daughter) or Wii (for my sons). I set the timer and when the hour is over they have to get right off. If they have behavior issues that day - it gets taken away and they dont get it at all. I heard alot of complaining and "i'm bored" talk for the first few days but they eventually figure it out. To me boredom is just lack of creativity. If they tell me they are bored, I tell them that I have plenty of chores to do - if they dont want to help me with those then it is best that they find something to do. They probably hear, "figure it out" more times than they care to hear!

I *think* i'm going to have a very difficult time getting an IEP...her comprehension scores have always been very high (when taking into account her reading skills). Because she scored high on her SOLs (VAs State Testing) and shows high comprehension and average math ability, it looks like I would be in an uphill battle in order to get them to take her needs seriously. I was surprised when the Neuropsych told me that she was going to be labeled as "Moderate to Severe"...because her progress had been SO amazing thru the year. We all were very happy with the progress...including me. However, those high scores and placement were completely opposite of her terrible spelling, decoding, oral reading and her Lexia assessment (which put her in a 1st grade level for (I believe) things like phnological awareness and things of the sort. Its like, "Well, she is 'smart enough' and getting by, so she does not really NEED the services and does not qualify for special ed testing or services. According to them, they like the kids to be 2 years BEHIND before they even test them. Ridiculous, if you ask me. I don't want my daughter to be surviving....I want her THRIVING....something she wont be able to do until she gets that intensive OG-tutoring that is recommended for dyslexics. I'm waiting for a call back from the Asst. Principal...but doubt we can (or should) even meet until the complete report is done. It will give us more details on the areas where she struggles (auditory processing and such).

Thank you for the information. My problem with my kid's school is that they seem to think she is "progressing"....and she did this year. She went from a 2.0 reading level at the beginning of Third grade to a 4.4 at the end. HOWEVER, according to the neuropsych that tested her, this is due to her ability to "work around" her issues, something I suspected all along. She also scored one point (!!) below "advanced" on her virginia state testing in reading, making it even more difficult for me to make a case. A few months ago when I spoke with the Asst Principal and told her that I was opting for outside testing, she told me that they still might have to test her with their own tests...cant figure out how school special education testing would trump a full neuropsych test. *ugh* I plan to call her today and give her the update and diagnosis. We will get the full report in July at which point I would like to have a meeting with her to discuss what options we have (if any). I have already ordered Barton Level 1...we will begin on Aug 1st. Until then we have so much stuff going on that we would not be able to be consistent. I look forward to starting this program and getting her the help she desperately needs....

Thank you for your perspective. My situation is a bit different....I do have 2 younger ones - but a bit older at 6 and 4. The 4 year old will be going to preschool (it is a 4 hour program but flexible with before and after care should I need it) and my 6 year old - well, I have not decided yet. He does not struggle but I think would have a hard time going to school knowing his sister is "getting to" stay home alone with me. Part of me says, "well, life is not fair" and the other part would feel guilty. He is the middle and frankly has always gotten the short end of the stick. :crying: I do plan on speaking with the administration to find out my other options but I am *pretty* sure there wont be much of a middle ground. I have read about the option of going into the school during hours to work with her but, being a public school, I just dont see that being likely...but I guess you dont know until you ask...

Dumb question but how does an IEP differ than a 504 Plan?

Are you talking about educational or behavior eval? (Im assuming educational based on the board...but thought i'd ask anyway). It really depends on your insurance....our insurance paid for my daughters behavior eval (suspected Inattentive ADD and was diagnosed after testing)...but they didnt pay for educational testing. We are in the DC area and had to pay $3000 for a neuropsychologist to do the testing (This included the testing and post-test meeting to discuss results). It is not cheap but I am SO thankful that we got it done because now we can have a plan. My daughter struggled for 4 years and we were told so many different things...all the while my "mommy gut" told me it was Dyslexia....guess what, I was RIGHT! *ugh* Best of luck - what exactly are you testing for?

Hello, I am hoping for some guidance regarding recent diagnosis and remediation techniques. My daughter will be going into 4th grade and was just diagnosed with dyslexia (suspected it for years but just now got the confirmation). Currently, she attends a very good public school in BUT from my understanding the only "program" they offer specific for dyslexics is the "Hermon Method" and they use the Lexia program. My research tells me that this program is not one of the better ones- and we would be better off going for a tutor that does Barton, Lindamood Bell or Wilson. She already has a 504 with the school for her ADD (Inattentive Type), so they are at least aware of those issues. They gave me pushback when I requested testing (she isn't 2 years behind for special education testing... :banghead: ) so we just decided to bite the bullet and get outside testing done for an answer. So, basically I see my choices as the following: (1) send her back to public school, adjust the 504 and pray for the best, (2) send her to public school and tutor her myself (or pay a tutor) after school or in the evening, or (3) homeschool her for at least this coming school year and do the Barton program. Obviously, option one is not REALLY an option. Option two concerns me because by the time school is over for the day she is DONE. I just have a hard time trying to figure out WHEN to tutor her since the kids dont even arrive home until 4pm...add in homework, brother's activities, dinner, my husband's long commute, etc....and I'm overwhelmed even thinking about it. However, homeschooling makes me nervous as well. Has anyone had success with going to school AND tutoring after hours?....and how crazy was it? Thank you!