klmama Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 My dc with focus issues struggles most with that in math. Sometimes this dc breezes through a set of problems, but if concentration is broken, it's almost impossible to get it back. At that point, simply remembering the math facts is a huge obstacle, even though they came fast 5 minutes before. This child's ITBS subscores showed excellent understanding of concepts & estimation and problem solving & data interpretation, but extremely poor computation skills. Dc was very anxious over the short time allowed for the computation section and couldn't concentrate at all. So, does this sound more like ADD affecting math performance, or does it sound like true dyscalculia? I'm not sure it even matters, but I'm trying to figure out how to help this dc learn and progress, and it's hard. When dc gets bored or can't concentrate, it doesn't matter what text or approach we use, it isn't going to happen unless I push and prod, and even then it may not work. It's very frustrating for both of us. I don't think different curriculum is the answer - we've tried A Beka, Singapore, TT, LoF, BCM. Everything is fine for the first few weeks while it's new and the interest level is higher, but then we're back to where we started. Do you have any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 My ADD dd has math disabilities. If you can, I would have your child tested. While you are deciding about that, here is a link which might be useful. http://www.ldonline.org/article/5896 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 Thank you! This is very interesting! It sounds just like my dc - able to grasp more advanced concepts right away, but messing up the subtraction or forgetting a crucial step in a process. Who would I see for the testing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) My dc with focus issues struggles most with that in math. Sometimes this dc breezes through a set of problems, but if concentration is broken, it's almost impossible to get it back. At that point, simply remembering the math facts is a huge obstacle, even though they came fast 5 minutes before. This child's ITBS subscores showed excellent understanding of concepts & estimation and problem solving & data interpretation, but extremely poor computation skills. Dc was very anxious over the short time allowed for the computation section and couldn't concentrate at all. So, does this sound more like ADD affecting math performance, or does it sound like true dyscalculia? I'm not sure it even matters, but I'm trying to figure out how to help this dc learn and progress, and it's hard. When dc gets bored or can't concentrate, it doesn't matter what text or approach we use, it isn't going to happen unless I push and prod, and even then it may not work. It's very frustrating for both of us. I don't think different curriculum is the answer - we've tried A Beka, Singapore, TT, LoF, BCM. Everything is fine for the first few weeks while it's new and the interest level is higher, but then we're back to where we started. Do you have any suggestions? Your dc sounds a lot like mine except that mine doesn't have ADD. She typically does her math very slowly, but yet some days she can breeze through it. She also scores high on math concepts but extremely low on computation. We've tried different curriculum, and even though we haven't found one curriculum that solved her struggles, I think it's still been beneficial to create renewed interest and enthusiasm. Long-term, I've found that it works best to rotate through 2 curricula, using each for a couple of months at a time. My dd had a full educational evaluation, and dyscalculia was one of my concerns, but she was not diagnosed with it. However, she was diagnosed with a couple of things that affect her math performance: Slow processing speed - It takes more time and repetition to get things into her long term memory, and it takes more time for her to retrieve data from long term memory. The amount of time she spends thinking makes her appear to have ADD, but she doesn't. Mild visual motor integration weakness - This makes anything that requires good eye-hand coordination, including writing, more difficult for her. I found that I needed to work with her on math facts until she was proficient orally before giving her drill in written form. When she was 11 or 12 and still struggling with math facts, we did oral drill 30 minutes a day for several months and that really helped her. Problem solving and organizational weakness - She has a weakness in either inductive or deductive logic, I forget which. Multistep word problems in particular are difficult for her. She has to strictly follow algorithms or she loses track of the process before she finishes. She can seem to master something, but a month later be clueless. I do a lot of re-teaching with her. She was separately diagnosed by an audiologist with auditory processing disorder. I'm not sure what role that plays in her math performance, but I'm sure it's all interrelated. She is also a visual-spatial learner. (see http://www.visualspatial.org) One thing that was very helpful was giving her a multiplication chart to use when she was doing math. Seeing and using that chart every day helped her learn the facts. Over time, she became less reliant on the chart, but we still keep it handy. Another thing that helps visually is triangle flash cards where the answer is on the same side of the card as the problem. I downloaded them free from http://www.donnayoung.org and printed them on cardstock paper. Edited July 12, 2009 by LizzyBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Who would I see for the testing? Our testing was done by an educational psychologist at the NCSU Psychoeducational Clinic. It was quite a bit cheaper than an EdPsych or neuropsychologist in private practice. You might check on whether you have a university near you that has a similar clinic. It would be part of the psychology dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 Interesting. This dc doesn't have an ADD diagnosis, I've just assumed it's the problem behind the many issues. Perhaps not. Thank you for sharing so much! You've given me a lot to think about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 My dc with focus issues struggles most with that in math. Sometimes this dc breezes through a set of problems, but if concentration is broken, it's almost impossible to get it back. At that point, simply remembering the math facts is a huge obstacle, even though they came fast 5 minutes before. This child's ITBS subscores showed excellent understanding of concepts & estimation and problem solving & data interpretation, but extremely poor computation skills. Dc was very anxious over the short time allowed for the computation section and couldn't concentrate at all. So, does this sound more like ADD affecting math performance, or does it sound like true dyscalculia? I'm not sure it even matters, but I'm trying to figure out how to help this dc learn and progress, and it's hard. When dc gets bored or can't concentrate, it doesn't matter what text or approach we use, it isn't going to happen unless I push and prod, and even then it may not work. It's very frustrating for both of us. I don't think different curriculum is the answer - we've tried A Beka, Singapore, TT, LoF, BCM. Everything is fine for the first few weeks while it's new and the interest level is higher, but then we're back to where we started. Do you have any suggestions? It doesn't sound like dyscalculia - there would be problems with estimation, problem solving, etc. Whatever the label/diagnosis, an approach that might help to move forward is to focus on particular areas and customize your daily lesson, rather than following a curriculum-driven approach. It takes a little bit more planning, but once you get used to it, can be very effective (and definitely less frustrating). I started doing this with one of my kids who has a math disability, and now follow the same approach even with my kids who excel at math. This works at any level, including high school. We have a scope and sequence, a stack of textbooks, workbooks and software, and we dip into various books and materials, using whatever resources best convey the concepts on the current to-do list. To reduce computation anxiety, you could try a short and focused daily practice at the beginning of the math lesson (5 -10 problems in whatever area of computation needs practice). Do the same thing every day until it becomes automatic, and then review from time to time if necessary. (I use a program called Math Wizard which generates worksheets automatically). Meanwhile, continue to move ahead with other concepts, using a calculator, charts, etc. to avoid getting bogged down in computation. If ADD is an issue, short, frequent lessons tend to be more effective and less stressful than long lessons. I've found that customized math lessons following a standard, predictable daily order really reduced the need for pushing and prodding my child who has difficulty with math. When concentration is broken, I sometimes push a little further, and sometimes take a break and come back to it later, depending on the circumstances. A good way to inspire cooperation despite a low interest level is to keep the lessons reasonably short and predictable. They may not like the work, but at least they know what to expect and when it will end. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cillakat Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Interesting. This dc doesn't have an ADD diagnosis, I've just assumed it's the problem behind the many issues. Perhaps not. Thank you for sharing so much! You've given me a lot to think about! 40% of kids with ADHD have an LD as well.....and some high percentage of kids with LD have ADHD as well so.... :) K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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