Please, can someone tell me what to do???

[Greta]

We've been reading Our Island Story for several months now. A chapter or two a week, though we took the whole month of July off. We're reading some other History books too, like This Country of Ours. So we look at maps and we're making a Book of Centuries to keep it all straight. And for the first few weeks that we did this, I always asked her before we started: "okay, we're going to read This Country of Ours again -- what country are we learning about?" Hadn't felt the need to do this in a long time, though we always do a brief review of the last thing we covered before we start. But I asked her today, mostly as a joke, "What island are we reading about when we read Our Island Story?" Mind you, we're on the 24th chapter. And she could not answer the question.

 

:banghead:

 

This is an example, not an isolated incident.

 

She has attention problems. She went through an evaluation, and they basically told me that she has ADD although they couldn't officially say that she has ADD because that's a medical diagnosis.

 

But she also seems to have retention problems. Sometimes, I am amazed at the weird little trivial facts that she will remember (that *I* have completely forgotten about), but then she won't remember the big, important, central ideas!

So could someone please tell me how to teach this kid? Not much to ask I realize. I feel like I must be going about this the wrong way for her learning style. What kind of approach or curriculum do you think would help her? Any thoughts at all? I'm having one of those I'm ruining my child's life and she'd be better of in public school days.

 

I'm putting some info about what we're currently doing below, so that you can (hopefully) offer me some feedback.

 

Thanks for ANY help!

 

Daily Work:

 

LATIN (Latin Prep Book 1)

MATH (RightStart Level D)

ENGLISH (Junior English Book 3)

CLASSICS (The Story of Rome, I read aloud a chapter, she narrates orally.)

COPYWORK (I select poems and prose, she works on them for 5 minutes)

LITERATURE (Lamb's and Nesbit's Shakespeare, I read a story, a section at a time as these are too much for her to follow in one chunk, then she narrates)

 

Weekly Work:

 

GEOGRAPHY (Continents Activity Book)

AMERICAN HISTORY (This Country of Ours, I read, she narrates)

EUROPEAN AND WORLD HISTORY (Story of the World and Our Island Story, I read, she narrates)

SCIENCE (currently doing a lapbook of the periodic table)

INDEPENDENT ASSIGNMENT (every week, she's to read a chapter of Famous Men of Rome on her own and do a written narration. this is a struggle!)

 

That's the "heavier" stuff, then there's the fun stuff.

Handicrafts

Picture Study (CM style)

Drawing (Hooked on Drawing!)

Nature Study (not very consistent or well planned!)

I keep saying we're going to do composer study but we never get around to it.

 

I would say that math and science are her strengths. We've had GREAT success with RightStart. I wish there was program that was to Language Arts as RightStart is to Math. That's the one area I feel pretty confident in, and it's all because of RightStart. The Galore Park programs seem pretty good too (Latin and English). She basically hates to read, and I am so ashamed to admit that, because it makes me feel like I have really failed her.

 

What do to?

[sagira]

I know, this can be so frustrating :grouphug: At nine, does she do written narrations as well? Maybe she's not inclined to be auditory. My ds (6) is like this too and it does drive me batty, but I'm confident he's learning to be more attentive to what he hears (I'm like this too, BTW, not a good listener yet). after all, we're just a month into our first year.

 

What about getting an audio version of Our Island Story too, and play this while she's doing something else, like copywork or drawing, or even playing, or in the car. This way she'll hear it a few times and it can cement if she didn't catch it the first time around. Also: can she follow along, reading the book as she's listening? This helps my ds. He listens to SOTW.

 

Relax, you are not ruining her. On the contrary, you're helping her be the best she can be and you're concerned, that's good. In a traditional class she could easily get lost.. and she'd learn only to jump through hoops but never really listen that well. Also, could it help for her to start taking notes to jumpstart her brain? I know this works for me. Have her maybe write one word at a time as she's listening to remind her to narrate later. At least in the beginning, as she's practicing her listening skills.

 

As far as Nature Study is concerned, what are you using? I find the book Nature Smart really nice as it's projects centered around nature and a wealth of information in there as well. We pick topics (this year it's trees, birds and weather) and go from there. I also use Handbook of Nature Study and Kingfisher's Young Discoverers Series on the aforementioned topics. I agree that a plan for nature study is nice as it will actually get done.

 

Good luck!

[Susie in CA]

Well, first off, I don't think it is all that unusual for a 9 year old to forget this sort of thing. I will say, though, that my kids could not have read so many different works of different areas and times at the same time. I suggest to consider keeping only one of the 3 weekly readings: Geography, This Country of Ours, and Our Island Story. Read it three times a week and when you are done with it move on to next one. It may be less confusing that way.

 

Susie

[Susie in CA]

Oh, I would just drop Famous Men of Rome for now. She can read it later.

 

Susie

[Greta]

Sagira, thank you so much for the help. She's just doing one written narration a week, from Famous Men of Rome, but it seems really hard to her. It's always tricky for me to know if this really is too much for her level, or if we're dealing with a discipline issue. :confused:

 

The audio cd is a great idea!

 

Thank you also for the Nature Study suggestions. I'm not using anything at the moment -- just winging it with some field guides. I'm sure that will help tremendously.

 

I'm feeling better already. Deep breaths, deep breaths. :001_smile:

[Greta]

Well, first off, I don't think it is all that unusual for a 9 year old to forget this sort of thing.

 

Okay, that's good to know. I'm just befuddled sometimes when she remembers the obscure stuff but not the main point. KWIM?

 

I will say, though, that my kids could not have read so many different works of different areas and times at the same time. I suggest to consider keeping only one of the 3 weekly readings: Geography, This Country of Ours, and Our Island Story. Read it three times a week and when you are done with it move on to next one. It may be less confusing that way.

 

Susie

 

I had started wondering about this too. I will try your suggestion. The geography really isn't a reading. It's mapwork and a fun little activity. Kind of more "hands on" than just sitting and listening. So I think we could keep that one. But I will sit down with her and hubby tonight and pick ONE of our history resources to focus on.

 

Thank you!

[Greta]

Oh, I would just drop Famous Men of Rome for now. She can read it later.

 

Susie

 

Okay, will do. Do you think I should have her do one written narration per week, still, using whatever history book we stick with? She does get some writing from the Junior English program.

[Greta]

At nine, does she do written narrations as well?

 

Forgot to mention, she's turning 10 in just a couple weeks. Just don't want you to think she's a "young nine". She's "old" for a 4th grader. :D

 

Maybe she's not inclined to be auditory.

 

She's definitely more visual. I have been trying to develop her auditory learning, but maybe I'm over-taxing her.

[siloam]

My feeling? It's history......who cares? Ok now I am going to get myself lynched. :blink: The purpose of history, in my mind, is to show them a bigger world, and to learn from the mistakes of the past. They can do that and still be pretty sketchy on the details. I would love for them to remember, but really in the scheme of things it is not a battle you necessarily need to fight.

 

You might have an LD at play. How is her spelling? When she reads aloud do you notice she skips words, substitute a for the, or him for his read I am as am I type of thing? One thing to keep in mind is that if she is stumbling over how to read more than 5 words in 100 then it is above her frustration level. It might be that Famous Men of Rome is too advanced in reading for her. Can you get it in audio? Having a child listen and read at the same time builds fluency and would take some of the reading weight off her shoulders. Dyslexic children are also known for having recall problems of information you KNOW they have down. I blank on my best friends name all the time when put in the spot to introduce her to someone. :glare:

 

Is your dd able to create pictures in her mind when you are reading? Some kids can't and that explains the lack of comprehension. There are programs that help develop this ability if needed. Verbalizing and Visualizing by Lindamood Bell is one.

 

It all might be normal kid stuff and not LD at all. Kids remember the details that are important to them. We as adults have been trained in how to study thus we are good at picking up the "right" info. Yet we also tend to pay more attention if it is something that we are interested in. In time she will learn too. You still have several years till High School when it becomes important to be able to pick out that most important data.

 

Heather

Edited September 30, 2009 by siloam

[nevergiveup]

My son does this too and one thing that I have found to help him is to have him talk around the question--just start telling me anything at all that he remembers no matter how minute. Getting at the main idea through the back door, so to speak, since one memory can spark another.

[Kfamily]

Just a couple of ideas for written narrations...

 

Famous Men of Rome might be too large a chunk (if she is reading the whole story/section about a specific man at once) to manage a narration for all of that at once. Maybe you could break it up into sections or choose something with smaller, more manageable reading selections to introduce and build written narrations.

 

Also, CM allows you to write proper nouns and such on the board so that the student may use them as they write their narration. I would sometimes include a word I knew she might misspell. I also, as she was first learning to write written narrations, would have her give me an oral narration first and then write her narration down. This gave her a chance to organize her thoughts and if needed get some feedback. This also gave her confidence before writing.

 

Just some humble ideas...hope that helps a little

[Greta]

Just a couple of ideas for written narrations...

 

Famous Men of Rome might be too large a chunk (if she is reading the whole story/section about a specific man at once) to manage a narration for all of that at once. Maybe you could break it up into sections or choose something with smaller, more manageable reading selections to introduce and build written narrations.

 

Also, CM allows you to write proper nouns and such on the board so that the student may use them as they write their narration. I would sometimes include a word I knew she might misspell. I also, as she was first learning to write written narrations, would have her give me an oral narration first and then write her narration down. This gave her a chance to organize her thoughts and if needed get some feedback. This also gave her confidence before writing.

 

Just some humble ideas...hope that helps a little

 

That helps a LOT! Thank you!

Edited September 30, 2009 by GretaLynne

[Greta]

My feeling? It's history......who cares? Ok now I am going to get myself lynched. :blink: The purpose of history, in my mind, is to show them a bigger world, and to learn from the mistakes of the past. They can do that and still be pretty sketchy on the details. I would love for them to remember, but really in the scheme of things it is not a battle you necessarily need to fight.

 

I do understand what you're saying. No lynching, I promise. She likes history, though. And the problem is just that I am seeing the same struggles across different subject areas. Still, I think what you're getting at is that I can lighten up a bit, and I appreciate that advice! :001_smile:

How is her spelling?

 

a year ago I would have said "awful". She's made remarkable improvement in the last year though. And it's really nothing that I've done. It's like it started to click for her.

You might have an LD at play. ... Dyslexic children are also known for having recall problems of information you KNOW they have down.

 

I got an educational evaluation done on her last year, because I thought between the atrocious spelling and the difficulty/dislike of reading that we might be looking at dyslexia. They told me, however, that she shows the same pattern whether it's in reading and language areas or mathematics: her comprehension and understanding is very high, but her fluency or speed is very low. They said she is not dyslexic or LD, but has a "processing disorder" -- unofficially ADD.

Is your dd able to create pictures in her mind when you are reading? Some kids can't and that explains the lack of comprehension. There are programs that help develop this ability if needed. Verbalizing and Visualizing by Lindamood Bell is one.

 

You know, I'm not even sure how well she does this. I'll talk to her about it, and look at the program you mentioned. Thanks!

It all might be normal kid stuff and not LD at all. Kids remember the details that are important to them. We as adults have been trained in how to study thus we are good at picking up the "right" info. Yet we also tend to pay more attention if it is something that we are interested in. In time she will learn too. You still have several years till High School when it becomes important to be able to pick out that most important data.

 

Heather

 

Good points. Thank you!

[Laura Corin]

Do you think that you might narrow her history? I love broad world history, but maybe it does not suit her. Perhaps you should (horror, shock) do a survey of world history for a bit, not expecting that much retention, then concentrate on a year or two of American history?

 

Oh, and Hobbes often remembers the details, rather than the main thing. I try to do very stripped down reviews of the previous hundred years of history at the beginning of each session. This seems to help. So, we'll be half way through the 17th Century and I'll start a session by saying: 'Now the kings on the British throne in our history are the Stuarts. Can you remember how they came to power? No? Let's go back to the previous century. In the 16th Century, England and Wales were ruled by Tudors. Do you remember Henry VII who built up the wealth of the nation? Then Henry VIII, who spent the money, split from the Roman Catholic church over his divorce, married six times and had three surviving children......'

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

Edited September 30, 2009 by Laura Corin

[Greta]

My son does this too and one thing that I have found to help him is to have him talk around the question--just start telling me anything at all that he remembers no matter how minute. Getting at the main idea through the back door, so to speak, since one memory can spark another.

 

I have done that a time or two. Thanks for the reminder, I'll try to do this more often (as needed).

[Greta]

Do you think that you might narrow her history? I love broad world history, but maybe it does not suit her. Perhaps you should (horror, shock) do a survey of world history for a bit, not expecting that much retention, then concentrate on a year or two of American history?

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

 

Yes, we took on more and more because she was enjoying it, and I was feeling like we've spent so much time on Ancient History, we've *got* to throw in some American History. But you're right. Now that I look at it, wow, it is confusing!!! Oops. :blush:

[Greta]

So does this look better?

 

Daily Work:

 

LATIN (Latin Prep Book 1)

MATH (RightStart Level D)

ENGLISH (Junior English Book 3)

CLASSICS (The Story of Rome, I read aloud a chapter, she narrates orally. Perhaps one written narration per week.)

COPYWORK (I select poems and prose, she works on them for 5 minutes)

LITERATURE (Lamb's and Nesbit's Shakespeare, oral narration)

HISTORY (American, This Country of Ours, until we finish. Then probably Our Island Story. Oral narration.)

 

Weekly Work:

 

Monday - GEOGRAPHY (Continents Activity Book)

Tuesday - SCIENCE (currently doing a lapbook of the periodic table)

Wednesday - NATURE STUDY

Thursday - HANDICRAFTS while listening to classical music

Friday - ART (Picture Study and a lesson from Hooked on Drawing)

 

 

ETA: Two things I forgot to mention.

 

I only require one daily narration to be a "tell me everything you remember" type. For the others, we use the narration cube from Simply Charlotte Mason. Fun and easier.

 

I didn't put this on the schedule, but we also do a fun reading thing where NO narration is required. "Tag team" reading, where I read one paragraph, she reads one, etc. We just pick fun books for this.

Edited October 1, 2009 by GretaLynne

[angela&4boys]

We have four boys and although he's never been officially diagnosed, we are all but certain our 9yo has adhd. (We've changed diet, environmental factors etc... and have seen improvements in a lot of areas.)

 

Anyway to address your concerns, I found that after reading aloud to him for the past two years, I was spinning my wheels and frustrating us both immensely. Even though I wanted to keep our boys together in their history studies, I knew I had to do something different for him.

 

This year we have chosen seperate history studies for the two school-age boys. Our 9yo ds is now reading his history aloud to me and it is full of maps and pictures (which he *loves*). I have found that not only is his retention higher, but that he looks forward to our history time.

 

I am still reading aloud to him for writing purposes, but it is short and sweet. We use Writing With Ease 2 and although he doesn't look forward to it, it does the job and pushes him a little.

 

My 2 cents,

[Greta]

I found that after reading aloud to him for the past two years, I was spinning my wheels and frustrating us both immensely. ... Our 9yo ds is now reading his history aloud to me and it is full of maps and pictures (which he *loves*). I have found that not only is his retention higher, but that he looks forward to our history time.

 

I am still reading aloud to him for writing purposes, but it is short and sweet.

 

I had these issues with my son until I let him read on his own. If he reads it, he remembers. If I read it, well, nothing sticks. Since I have other kids to read to, I get two copies of many things and he follows along.

 

Hmmm . . . well maybe I should revisit having her read it herself. She has been very resistant to this. She does not enjoy reading at all, and would really prefer that I read to her. But do you think despite her dislike of it, she might actually retain it better? The chapters in The Story of Rome are pretty short. Maybe I could start with that and see how it goes.

 

Angela, what history book are you using that is so nicely illustrated? I wonder if that might make it more fun for her.

[AngelaNYC]

We're also reading An Island Story and This Country of Ours (and Child's History of the World) for history. My son retains info best when he narrates back what we've read. We do narrations after almost every reading - he's doing 2-3 narrations each day. Usually it's only about 1-3 sentences of anything he remembers. Next year (when he's 9) he'll do maybe one written narration each week working up to more by the spring.

 

I just think narrations are so helpful. Ds retains so much info, and really does understand the stories. Don't forget, narrating also sets the stage for composition.

[angela&4boys]

Hmmm . . . well maybe I should revisit having her read it herself. She has been very resistant to this. She does not enjoy reading at all, and would really prefer that I read to her. But do you think despite her dislike of it, she might actually retain it better? The chapters in The Story of Rome are pretty short. Maybe I could start with that and see how it goes.

 

Angela, what history book are you using that is so nicely illustrated? I wonder if that might make it more fun for her.

 

My ds does not enjoy reading if it's too challenging or does not hold his interest. I, therefore, chose a "3rd grade" text and considered the amount of illustrations and maps in doing so. (I have to give credit to Sonlight here. When I first started to homeschool I read in their catalog that one should give a reluctant reader titles that are a grade or so below level so that they gain confidence.) The title he is reading is Our Nation Under God from Christian Liberty Press. I expect that we'll probably finish it half-way through the year because it is smallish. Now, I will say that we desired a text from a Christian worldview, so that may or may not appeal to you. And fwiw, it does not have dumbed-down text imho. As an aside, my df is using their 4th grade text with her 8yo dd entitled A Child's Story of America.

 

In the meantime, between this post and the latter, he did his day's history and when he closed the book he said, "I love history." Now I know that may not seem like a big deal for some dc, but it is monumental for him. I'm a happy mama. :)

Edited October 1, 2009 by angela&4boys

[plimsoll]

I would just be patient. Kids develop at different rates - all of a sudden something clicks and they get it. I have found that with some of the narrative history books, you get good story and memorable characters, but not much geography or timeline stuff. So you may want to look for places on the map together and also put together timelines to place events sequentially. (For example, my son made reference to Beethoven being around during the first world war - together we had a good laugh over that.)

 

Additionally, it takes some time before they develop the skills to clearly articulate what they're thinking. While my son can finally write pretty well for his age, getting him to describe something orally, using complete sentences, adjectives, good verbs, etc. is something we're still working on. I think with practice and coaching they get better at this.

Edited October 2, 2009 by plimsoll

[TraceyS/FL]

I got an educational evaluation done on her last year, because I thought between the atrocious spelling and the difficulty/dislike of reading that we might be looking at dyslexia. They told me, however, that she shows the same pattern whether it's in reading and language areas or mathematics: her comprehension and understanding is very high, but her fluency or speed is very low. They said she is not dyslexic or LD, but has a "processing disorder" -- unofficially ADD.

 

I spew it a lot it seems, but Auditory Processing Disorder is being shown to "mimic" ADD in a lot of cases (as in, many kids don't really have ADD/ADHD but have CAPD instead). If you haven't read on that you might to see if it fits. I've thought for years my oldest was ADD, but since getting a diagnosis of APD for the middle one, i realize that a lot of it is that in her. So i had her tested, and sure enough - she has a problem area.

 

Here is one places to start reading: http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html

 

:grouphug:

[Evergreen Academy]

Two of my boys are similar learners to what you describe, and we've explored different methods of trying to engage them. I've had to simplify my history studies a bit, as you've mentioned in the new schedule you posted (sounds great!) and I have to make sure I have a healthy dose of visual materials for my two non-auditory learners. I have The Usborne Illustrated Book of World History as well as the Internet Linked and the Kingfisher history encyclopedia, and I may have those open to the appropriate pages as I read the history text. I allow them to draw something pertaining to history while I read, and amazingly, that seems to increase their listening comprehension (it seems my little maybe ADD guy can't remember a thing I read unless he's drawing, wiggling, squeezing playdough, etc).

 

I also either buy or borrow from the library books pertaining to the time period. For example, for early American History, the D'Aulaire books are wonderful, and the library has a slew of others, many pertaining to the art or daily life of each time. These are a hit with my ds8, who NEEDS pictures. We love the "book basket" time that My Father's World suggests - I keep that basket stocked with books from our home or public library, and they have to read for 15-20 minutes a day from any of those, in addition to their assigned reading.

 

As a side note, I recently learned that one of ds has a hearing loss (that explains a lot, but he still is a visual learner even with his hearing aid), and I'm having another screened for auditory processing. As you pare down your readings and watch her, you may want to keep an open mind as to that sort of thing.

Blessings,

Aimee

mom to 6 great kids ages 6-19, schooling grades 1, 3, 3 and 6

[Greta]

First, I want to thank everyone for their help, encouragement, suggestions. If I haven't responded directly to your post, please don't think I didn't read and appreciate it!

 

Auditory Processing Disorder is being shown to "mimic" ADD in a lot of cases (as in, many kids don't really have ADD/ADHD but have CAPD instead).

 

Here is one places to start reading: http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html

 

I'll have to look back at my paperwork to be sure, but I believe they did a screening of this for her, and ruled it out immediately. I wonder, though, if I might be thinking of something else. The woman who did the screening said that my daughter was very eloquent, had an impressive vocabulary, had no trouble communicating whatsoever (either understanding or expressing). So they didn't explore it further. But, on the other hand, many of the questions they have on the first page of that link DO apply to her -- all but two actually.

 

...and I have to make sure I have a healthy dose of visual materials for my two non-auditory learners. I have The Usborne Illustrated Book of World History as well as the Internet Linked and the Kingfisher history encyclopedia, and I may have those open to the appropriate pages as I read the history text. I allow them to draw something pertaining to history while I read, and amazingly, that seems to increase their listening comprehension (it seems my little maybe ADD guy can't remember a thing I read unless he's drawing, wiggling, squeezing playdough, etc).

 

These are great suggestions. She is very visual, and very creative and artistic. What we've been doing (in History and Lit) is almost 100% auditory now that I think about it. It must be hard for her. I'm kind of lucky myself in that when I take those quizzes to see if you are auditory or visual, I always come out "mixed", and I do feel comfortable taking in information either way. I have to keep in mind that maybe she just can't do that.

 

My ds does not enjoy reading if it's too challenging or does not hold his interest. I, therefore, chose a "3rd grade" text and considered the amount of illustrations and maps in doing so. . . . The title he is reading is Our Nation Under God from Christian Liberty Press. I expect that we'll probably finish it half-way through the year because it is smallish. Now, I will say that we desired a text from a Christian worldview, so that may or may not appeal to you. And fwiw, it does not have dumbed-down text imho. As an aside, my df is using their 4th grade text with her 8yo dd entitled A Child's Story of America

 

Thank you, I will look at these! One problem I have with her when trying to get her to work with stuff that I think will be easier for her is that she is a bit of a perfectionist (putting it mildly), and she gets deeply offended if she thinks I'm giving her something below her level! Do these books say the grade level on them? If so, there's just no way I could give her the third grade book, even if it would be better for her. She can be quite stubborn about these things. Don't know where she gets that from. :001_smile:

 

 

I would just be patient. Kids develop at different rates - all of a sudden something clicks and they get it. I have found that with some of the narrative history books, you get good story and memorable characters, but not much geography or timeline stuff. So you may want to look for places on the map together and also put together timelines to place events sequentially. (For example, my son made reference to Beethoven being around during the first world war - together we had a good laugh over that.)

 

We have just started a Book of Centuries (similar to a timeline) this year. But I definitely could do more mapwork with her, and use more picture books.

[TraceyS/FL]

'll have to look back at my paperwork to be sure, but I believe they did a screening of this for her, and ruled it out immediately. I wonder, though, if I might be thinking of something else. The woman who did the screening said that my daughter was very eloquent, had an impressive vocabulary, had no trouble communicating whatsoever (either understanding or expressing). So they didn't explore it further. But, on the other hand, many of the questions they have on the first page of that link DO apply to her -- all but two actually.

 

I fought this for years with the ENTs - i said she had a problem, even they didn't want to go there.

 

I requested the testing - you can only know with a test by an Audiologist - and ha, i was right.

 

A good book on it is, "When the Brain Can't Hear".

 

http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/capd-idx.html

 

Is another good site with links - some are broken, but the listing of audiologists by state should/might help.

 

My DD with sever CAPD - was "diagnosed" with ADD by a Behavioral & Developmental Ped. IT was a bunk diagnosis... he 100% relied on his checklist and refused to read the other evals she'd had.....

 

Anyway, it's worth checking further since she matches so many of them.

 

:grouphug:

[Greta]

A good book on it is, "When the Brain Can't Hear".

 

http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/capd-idx.html

 

 

 

Thank you, I will look into this further. What I am most curious about, though, is what you do with this information once you have it. What I mean is, how would I teach her differently if she does have this problem? Do you have any resources you could point me to about that? Because I'm kind of wondering if I should just try the methods for awhile and see if that seems to help her.

[angela&4boys]

Thank you, I will look at these! One problem I have with her when trying to get her to work with stuff that I think will be easier for her is that she is a bit of a perfectionist (putting it mildly), and she gets deeply offended if she thinks I'm giving her something below her level! Do these books say the grade level on them? If so, there's just no way I could give her the third grade book, even if it would be better for her. She can be quite stubborn about these things. Don't know where she gets that from. :001_smile:

 

I replied to your pm! :)

[TraceyS/FL]

Thank you, I will look into this further. What I am most curious about, though, is what you do with this information once you have it. What I mean is, how would I teach her differently if she does have this problem? Do you have any resources you could point me to about that? Because I'm kind of wondering if I should just try the methods for awhile and see if that seems to help her.

 

A lot of can't be "cured" - you can't rewire the brain in a lot of ways. But, there are methods that help, and some items have shown better results the next time a person is tested. It just depends.

 

Right now we are working mainly on retrieval of info, trying to get it more automatic. I posted this week on the Special Needs forum a few things we are doing in Speech (Language) Therapy.

 

The other part is that you have a diagnosis and can get accommodations when/if needed.

 

Like i said for my oldest it's not a major deal (especially at home - would be huge at a school as she suffers with the "hearing in noise" issue). But it plays into her short term memory - can you say lacking, and getting thru her day. Now that we know that we can work with her to understand she needs to do XYZ. Or on the hearing in noise, work on teaching her to be an active listener.

 

For my middle, it's so broad we are just taking on one part of a time. I expect her to need the therapy for a few years, at 2 hours a week.

 

I think my youngest has it too - but she is too young to test. For her, i think its mostly impacting her phonological awareness.

 

A few things you can try on your own is Brainware Safari and/or Earobics. Both on the computer.

[Greta]

A lot of can't be "cured" - you can't rewire the brain in a lot of ways. But, there are methods that help, and some items have shown better results the next time a person is tested. It just depends.

 

Right now we are working mainly on retrieval of info, trying to get it more automatic. I posted this week on the Special Needs forum a few things we are doing in Speech (Language) Therapy.

 

The other part is that you have a diagnosis and can get accommodations when/if needed.

 

Like i said for my oldest it's not a major deal (especially at home - would be huge at a school as she suffers with the "hearing in noise" issue). But it plays into her short term memory - can you say lacking, and getting thru her day. Now that we know that we can work with her to understand she needs to do XYZ. Or on the hearing in noise, work on teaching her to be an active listener.

 

For my middle, it's so broad we are just taking on one part of a time. I expect her to need the therapy for a few years, at 2 hours a week.

 

I think my youngest has it too - but she is too young to test. For her, i think its mostly impacting her phonological awareness.

 

A few things you can try on your own is Brainware Safari and/or Earobics. Both on the computer.

 

Thank you very much for the help. She is definitely easily distracted by sounds, so maybe one simple thing I can do it be more conscientious about providing her with a quiet environment. I will take a look at the software and the other resources you mentioned earlier too. Thanks again!