Help! Is our ds a right-brained learner?

[smilesonly]

If anyone is savvy in this area, can you please let me know? Our ds just doesn't seem to fit into any neat box, but has MANY traits of a right brain learner. I am hoping someone can point out a good (available) book for me to read, a website, etc...

 

I could provide a description of him if that is helpful.

 

Briefly, he is NOT a lego builder-though he builds (out of anything) a sports field, stadium, etc..whatever he creates-which he is ALWAYS doing-is usually sports related. He creates detailed drawing of baseball or football fields,etc..

 

Which leads me to the next difference-ds is EXTREMELY AGILE AND ADVANCED IN HIS SPORTS ABILITY.

 

He is an EXCELLENT speller-though he is UNABLE to retain math facts, even after two years of going over and over, using (I thought!) different approaches.

 

In every other way, he is textbook right brain-I think.

 

Any advice for this stumped mom?

 

TIA,

Smiles

:)

[Sputterduck]

Is he left-handed?

[smilesonly]

Thanks for replying!!

 

Nope, he's a righty. Why? Does that mean something?

[smilesonly]

Bump!:)

[JaneyL]

Have you checked out Diane Craft and her resources?

 

I have just been learning about Right brained learning and her website has been very helpful.

 

I just ordered her math fact flashcards and hope they will provide the "glue" that will make those make facts stick for the way he learns.

 

HTH.

[LizzyBee]

http://www.visualspatial.org

 

Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World

The Edison Trait

[smilesonly]

Thanks, Ladies! I'll look into these resources.:)

[smilesonly]

Hmm.

 

Elizabeth,

Okay, after a quick peak, ds scores high on being a "Right-brain" learner. I see that this website is from the same author of _Upside-Down Brilliance_? It's all very interesting. I wish I had lots of $$ to have him evaluated!;)

 

Janey, thanks for Diane's site! I will have to look into her flashcards. I do have issues(which I may need to get over;)) with something being "wrong" with ds, just because he learns/processes differently than most. He does seem to have other issues, but those same ones seem to run in our family. EX; anxiety/worry/fears.

 

So much to digest....

 

Thanks, Ladies!

 

Anyone else?

Edited October 19, 2009 by smilesonly
Typos!

[coffeefreak]

I second Dianne Craft! I've posted about her many times on these boards. My oldest dd is a right brainer who is mixed dominant. Dianne was IMMENSELY helpful. I would order her videos. One seminar and I had all the info I needed to help my dd in math and writing. The mom I went with went for reading issues. Neither of us has had to go back.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[Sputterduck]

Thanks for replying!!

 

Nope, he's a righty. Why? Does that mean something?

 

 

Yes. Most people's handedness is the opposite of their dominate brain side (opposite because most of the nerves cross over to the other side).

 

I'm a typical right-brained lefty. :p

 

Just follow your son's cues. Stay away from lectures and other audial teaching. For most people in this category, avoiding reading helps, too, since it is processed through audial paths in the brain. Visual and tactile learning is probably your key, especially tactile since your son is so physically inclined.

 

He sounds just like me except I love math. It's a visual thing for me, though. Math in my head is clumps of dots of various colors and kind of... emotions. I know that doesn't make sense to most people. :001_huh: But when manipulating dots in my head, they each have different feelings attached which helps me track them. I thought I was unique until I saw a documentary on a guy who has shapes and colors of numbers in his head. He has shapes, and I have dot clusters, but I totally understood him. lol

 

I bet if you teach him math visually, he will excel at it.

[smilesonly]

I second Dianne Craft! I've posted about her many times on these boards. My oldest dd is a right brainer who is mixed dominant. Dianne was IMMENSELY helpful. I would order her videos. One seminar and I had all the info I needed to help my dd in math and writing. The mom I went with went for reading issues. Neither of us has had to go back.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

 

Thanks, Dorinda!

Our ds is 8, so I really am not sure where he is in writing-except when it comes to the mechanics-his penmenship is beautiful-especially for his age.

I like Charlotte Mason's appraoch to grammar, and* have* discovered that ds HATES dictation so far. Any creative writing he has done, he is so expressive-way more than our other dc.:confused:

[smilesonly]

Yes. Most people's handedness is the opposite of their dominate brain side (opposite because most of the nerves cross over to the other side).

 

I'm a typical right-brained lefty. :p

 

Just follow your son's cues. Stay away from lectures and other audial teaching. For most people in this category, avoiding reading helps, too, since it is processed through audial paths in the brain. Visual and tactile learning is probably your key, especially tactile since your son is so physically inclined.

 

He sounds just like me except I love math. It's a visual thing for me, though. Math in my head is clumps of dots of various colors and kind of... emotions. I know that doesn't make sense to most people. :001_huh: But when manipulating dots in my head, they each have different feelings attached which helps me track them. I thought I was unique until I saw a documentary on a guy who has shapes and colors of numbers in his head. He has shapes, and I have dot clusters, but I totally understood him. lol

 

I bet if you teach him math visually, he will excel at it.

 

Okay, I get what you're saying.

 

Question- what do you mean to stay away from reading? Do you mean read alouds? If so, ds does very well with listening to reads far above his age level-as long as he is drawing/playing catch/doing his putt-putt golf thingy, etc.. He is able to narrate in detail what he has heard. On a different note, he is seeming to shy away from reading chapter books that don't have any illustrations-even though his vocabulary and comprehension are very good.

 

Also-math. In the past, he hasn't done well with manipulative based maths. Weird, since he is so physical! I have tried Singapore and MUS, and when I put him in PS(BIG mistake), he used Houghton Mifflin. He hated all of these, so I switched him to Rod & Staff-and started all over. Dh felt that he probably needed something that was more concrete, with plenty of review, no manips, and little diistractions on the page. He is doing slightly better with R & S, but not great. We asked him tonight how many pennies nine cents is, and his answer was, "I don't know.":confused:

 

Thanks for any continued help.

[Sputterduck]

I mean that he likely won't learn as efficiently with reading. Certainly, he should be encouraged to read a lot. I love to read, I just don't learn a new subject well doing it.

 

I'm trying to think of ideas for his math. He needs something that'll make the bridge to visuals in his head. What kind of manipulatives have you tried? I love the unit cubes for my son. Could it be that he goes to math assuming failure because of his difficulty in the past? If so, I would go back to basics and do physical activities and visual activities for the basic math operations. If he can't see/feel those in his head, he can't go any further.

[smilesonly]

I mean that he likely won't learn as efficiently with reading. Certainly, he should be encouraged to read a lot. I love to read, I just don't learn a new subject well doing it.

 

I'm trying to think of ideas for his math. He needs something that'll make the bridge to visuals in his head. What kind of manipulatives have you tried? I love the unit cubes for my son. Could it be that he goes to math assuming failure because of his difficulty in the past? If so, I would go back to basics and do physical activities and visual activities for the basic math operations. If he can't see/feel those in his head, he can't go any further.

 

Okay, gotcha, on the reading!

 

Once I put him into PS, he labeled himself as stupid in math. I am trying to praise him hugely on small successes, but he is sharp, and compares himself to our other dc-a math whiz.

 

Along with Rod & Staff, I am using a putting green and golf balls to introduce new addition families. This seems to work so far, but the question about pennies tonight really floored us! When I did the money intro from R & S, I made sure to use REAL pennies-so he was feeling them, seeing them, etc..yet he still doesn't get it.

 

Ya know, he REALLY hated MUS. I wonder if he associated the cubes the program uses with ALL manipulatives. He likes to use balls and golf tees when I bring them out-but is soon distracted by them and wants to put them to good use, by getting out his green, or begging to go to the driving range.:confused: I don't know, maybe I should try manips again? He has never been one to like board or card games, so I always shyed away from curriculum like Right Start.

 

I am so :confused:.

 

Thanks for helping me....

[Sputterduck]

How about relating everything math-wise to sports? Play sports every day and plan ahead for opportunities to involve math. It's a great way to teach physics, too! When a kid thinks he's dumb in an area, it can really be hard to get over. I am of the opinion, though, that anyone can learn math. They just need it in their own language.

[coffeefreak]

My oldest doesn't retain math facts either. We taught her "touch math" using Dianne Craft's cards. After we did that, we were rocking and rolling! She learned multiplication the same way. Now, we use A Beka. She didn't like MUS or anything with manipulatives. The manipulatives helped only when she had them in front of her. They didn't help her retain.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[Sputterduck]

My oldest doesn't retain math facts either. We taught her "touch math" using Dianne Craft's cards. After we did that, we were rocking and rolling! She learned multiplication the same way. Now, we use A Beka. She didn't like MUS or anything with manipulatives. The manipulatives helped only when she had them in front of her. They didn't help her retain.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

 

 

That is cool! That 5 is exactly how the dots for a 5 are in my head! The 8 is totally different, but still, those are neat!

 

I bet those would work wonderfully!

[coffeefreak]

That is cool! That 5 is exactly how the dots for a 5 are in my head! The 8 is totally different, but still, those are neat!

 

I bet those would work wonderfully!

 

They did. I do touch math now:D and I'm teaching my first grader the same way. Anything that works, right?!

[smilesonly]

How about relating everything math-wise to sports? Play sports every day and plan ahead for opportunities to involve math. It's a great way to teach physics, too! When a kid thinks he's dumb in an area, it can really be hard to get over. I am of the opinion, though, that anyone can learn math. They just need it in their own language.

 

Well, you may be right. I do go back and forth on teaching to his "language." I want him to be more well- rounded, so I guess that is why the back and forth. I'm going to think a lot about this. Maybe I needed someone to *suggest* that I do that.;)

 

Thanks, I do appreciate your suggestions!

[smilesonly]

My oldest doesn't retain math facts either. We taught her "touch math" using Dianne Craft's cards. After we did that, we were rocking and rolling! She learned multiplication the same way. Now, we use A Beka. She didn't like MUS or anything with manipulatives. The manipulatives helped only when she had them in front of her. They didn't help her retain.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

 

Okay-I skipped over those when I saw them, as I thought they were just for learning the numbers-which, thank God, he knows! But, you are saying that these cards are used to teach adding and subtraction,too? And your dd was able to move onto A Beka? There are no instructions about how to use the cards-maybe I am missing something?

 

Thanks for your help, I do appreciate it!!

[smilesonly]

That is cool! That 5 is exactly how the dots for a 5 are in my head! The 8 is totally different, but still, those are neat!

 

I bet those would work wonderfully!

 

Wow! That is so cool that you shared that with us-it gives me a whole lot of insight into the way our ds is seeing everything! Fascinating.Thanks!

[Arch at Home]

Try this website http://www.visualspatial.org/ It is by the author of Upside Down Brilliance. There are a lot of great ideas in the articles and the books which I got out of the library were helpful.

[lgm]

If anyone is savvy in this area, can you please let me know? Our ds just doesn't seem to fit into any neat box, but has MANY traits of a right brain learner. I am hoping someone can point out a good (available) book for me to read, a website, etc...

 

I could provide a description of him if that is helpful.

 

Briefly, he is NOT a lego builder-though he builds (out of anything) a sports field, stadium, etc..whatever he creates-which he is ALWAYS doing-is usually sports related. He creates detailed drawing of baseball or football fields,etc..

 

Which leads me to the next difference-ds is EXTREMELY AGILE AND ADVANCED IN HIS SPORTS ABILITY.

 

He is an EXCELLENT speller-though he is UNABLE to retain math facts, even after two years of going over and over, using (I thought!) different approaches.

 

In every other way, he is textbook right brain-I think.

 

Any advice for this stumped mom?

 

TIA,

Smiles

:)

 

Did you know learning style can vary by subject? I found this out from my older child...auditory for social studies & language arts, but visual for math, spelling, and science. Combined for foreign language..kid would be better off not going to class and instead spending his time in the langague lab watching while he hears. The year the school put him in a concrete learner classroom was a disaster.

 

Also, the learning style and teaching style need to match up. In high school, ds has an auditory science teacher who does nothing other than give a lecture...he finds taking notes to be the only way to remember anything this one presents as there is no time given to process the info from verbal to visual in his head, and then think. The year prior, he had a visual science teacher...didn't need to take notes and remembered all he the demos he was shown & experiments he did and much of what was said as well as able to think and ask pertinent what-ifs. The effort that has to be put into mastering science varies enormously depending on the mismatch between the teaching style and his learning style.

 

The most helpful books I"ve read are the ones on study skills:

"What smart students know" by Adam Robinson for ex.

 

Can you son describe how he learns or knows spelling words to you? Does he remember what he hears or does he see them? (If he uses see, say, spell,write he will probably omit the see or say as he intuits which is useful and which is useless). Does he use a pattern strategy? That will tell you how he memorizes best.

 

For math, little ones change their learning style as they grow. The very visual children seem to be done with concrete earlier than others but pictorial to abstract is in use for a long time to come for them.

 

The big problem with math facts is usually developing the part/whole concept, then having the patience to let the student progress through the stages of addition, rather than jump to memorizing. What stage is he in? Dominoes and addition war are the games that he'll get the most rapid benefit from. A good nightly game is to sort and count the change in dad's pocket, reporting the findings on a tally board, then bar graphing (on Monday) the total for the week. As he continues, he'll develop the skill to 'eyeball' the smaller numbers, rather than count. Then he'll develop the skill to group, and so on until he's reporting the total dollars and cents and how much more Dad needs to make an even number of dollars or have enough to buy milk or whatever.

 

One opinion on strategies if you're interested in this sort of thing: http://www.childresearch.net/RESEARCH/CCHILD/2008/preschool3.html

Edited October 19, 2009 by lgm

[smilesonly]

Try this website http://www.visualspatial.org/ It is by the author of Upside Down Brilliance. There are a lot of great ideas in the articles and the books which I got out of the library were helpful.

 

Thanks so much. Our library doesn't have this, but I am trying to get it ordered through ILL. I've got the site bokkmarked!

Thank you!

[smilesonly]

Did you know learning style can vary by subject? I found this out from my older child...auditory for social studies & language arts, but visual for math, spelling, and science. Combined for foreign language..kid would be better off not going to class and instead spending his time in the langague lab watching while he hears. The year the school put him in a concrete learner classroom was a disaster.

 

Also, the learning style and teaching style need to match up. In high school, ds has an auditory science teacher who does nothing other than give a lecture...he finds taking notes to be the only way to remember anything this one presents as there is no time given to process the info from verbal to visual in his head, and then think. The year prior, he had a visual science teacher...didn't need to take notes and remembered all he the demos he was shown & experiments he did and much of what was said as well as able to think and ask pertinent what-ifs. The effort that has to be put into mastering science varies enormously depending on the mismatch between the teaching style and his learning style.

 

The most helpful books I"ve read are the ones on study skills:

"What smart students know" by Adam Robinson for ex.

 

Can you son describe how he learns or knows spelling words to you? Does he remember what he hears or does he see them? (If he uses see, say, spell,write he will probably omit the see or say as he intuits which is useful and which is useless). Does he use a pattern strategy? That will tell you how he memorizes best.

 

For math, little ones change their learning style as they grow. The very visual children seem to be done with concrete earlier than others but pictorial to abstract is in use for a long time to come for them.

 

The big problem with math facts is usually developing the part/whole concept, then having the patience to let the student progress through the stages of addition, rather than jump to memorizing. What stage is he in? Dominoes and addition war are the games that he'll get the most rapid benefit from. A good nightly game is to sort and count the change in dad's pocket, reporting the findings on a tally board, then bar graphing (on Monday) the total for the week. As he continues, he'll develop the skill to 'eyeball' the smaller numbers, rather than count. Then he'll develop the skill to group, and so on until he's reporting the total dollars and cents and how much more Dad needs to make an even number of dollars or have enough to buy milk or whatever.

 

One opinion on strategies if you're interested in this sort of thing: http://www.childresearch.net/RESEARCH/CCHILD/2008/preschool3.html

 

Our ds is 8.

I find this fascinating! Thank you. It makes sense that we would learn differently depending on the subject, actually! I'll have to really think about this, especially in reflecting on our older dc. I am going to do some online and general questioning a little later today. It should be interesting to see how he answers!:D

I bookmarked that site.

Thank you,

Smiles

[coffeefreak]

I thought she had instructions, but they might be buried in her notes. Here's a link to some free worksheets on "touchmath.com" They have good explanations on how to teach touch math. The basic idea is, each number has "touch points" and when you add, you touch the points on the numbers to find the answers. Eventually, you get so good at it, you can add without touching the numbers and just use your eyes.

 

For subtraction, we did tick marks. So, for example, if you were going to take 4-2. You would make a tick mark for every number after 2. You would teach your son to say, "two," while touching the two and then write a mark for three and a mark for 4. The number of tick marks is the answer. They have a similar solution at touch math.

 

For multiplication, my daughter used touch math on her own. She learned skip counting with the MUS CD (it was totally up her alley). She figured out that she could skip count using the touch points.

 

The trick is, finding what works for your son. Aimee was in 2nd grade before I found Dianne Craft and touch math. We are always a half year "behind" in A Beka because it took us so long to find something that made it click for her. So, right now we're doing the 3rd grade workbook and we'll start the 4th grade workbook after the first of the year. Hang in there, once he gets it, he'll take off and you'll be giving advice to other Moms on what worked for you :D

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[Cedarmom]

My suggestion isn't left brained or right brained, it is more to do with your sons athletic ability. Would it help to do the math in big movements.I.E. jumping up and down skip counting, hopping addition etc. I found big movements helped my sons memory the best.

[smilesonly]

I thought she had instructions, but they might be buried in her notes. Here's a link to some free worksheets on "touchmath.com" They have good explanations on how to teach touch math. The basic idea is, each number has "touch points" and when you add, you touch the points on the numbers to find the answers. Eventually, you get so good at it, you can add without touching the numbers and just use your eyes.

 

For subtraction, we did tick marks. So, for example, if you were going to take 4-2. You would make a tick mark for every number after 2. You would teach your son to say, "two," while touching the two and then write a mark for three and a mark for 4. The number of tick marks is the answer. They have a similar solution at touch math.

 

For multiplication, my daughter used touch math on her own. She learned skip counting with the MUS CD (it was totally up her alley). She figured out that she could skip count using the touch points.

 

The trick is, finding what works for your son. Aimee was in 2nd grade before I found Dianne Craft and touch math. We are always a half year "behind" in A Beka because it took us so long to find something that made it click for her. So, right now we're doing the 3rd grade workbook and we'll start the 4th grade workbook after the first of the year. Hang in there, once he gets it, he'll take off and you'll be giving advice to other Moms on what worked for you :D

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

 

Thanks, Dorinda!

 

I did order the number cards off of Diane's site, but I am looking at everything right now!;) It's good to know there is hope!

[EKS]

Here's my take on the whole visual-spatial/right brain thing: it's a nice way to say the child has a learning disability.

[smilesonly]

My suggestion isn't left brained or right brained, it is more to do with your sons athletic ability. Would it help to do the math in big movements.I.E. jumping up and down skip counting, hopping addition etc. I found big movements helped my sons memory the best.

 

I have tried tapping into his kinesthetic(sp?) style, by doing this-and he still doesn't retain math.

 

I'm feeling somewhat....alarmed? I've had him do nothing with math since last Thursday, and today he was doing addition sums to SEVEN-and could NOT remember them.

 

Now that I am looking at his "view" of the world, I am even *more* aware of how keen his eye is! He is also doign constant comparisons to things that have to do with something sports related. For ex; he will see something that sort of resembles ( I guess!!;)) a flag that goes into the hole of a putting green, points it out, then goes into amazing detail of how such and such golf course has this and that.

 

I feel so lost. I try to keep up with his details-but he leaves me in the dust.:auto:

 

Feeling hope in some ways, with all the reading I've done,but there is so much information to take in, my head is spinning. :confused:

[smilesonly]

Here's my take on the whole visual-spatial/right brain thing: it's a nice way to say the child has a learning disability.

 

:confused:

 

Could be. I'm on the low end of the learning curve with this topic, and am trying to glean as much information as possible.

 

Could you perhaps add some wisdom, advice, etc.?

 

Thanks!

[thowell]

Here's my take on the whole visual-spatial/right brain thing: it's a nice way to say the child has a learning disability.

 

I have to say that I am inclined to not agree with this. My dd9 is a very right brained child and has been tested twice when she was in PS and tested off the charts! She is well above her grade level on her reading, writing, has a memory that most people would kill for and I am learning that if I teach her new info in a way she processes it she is off and running by leaps and bounds. I think it is sad that alot of people think that because a child doesnt fit into some kind of mold that they have a LD or ADD or ADHD. I cant even begin to explain the differences with my dd9 since we started HS. The benefits have carried over into every aspect of her life.

[LizzyBee]

Here's my take on the whole visual-spatial/right brain thing: it's a nice way to say the child has a learning disability.

 

If you mean something like this quote from medicinenet.com, I agree:

 

"Researchers think that learning disabilities are caused by differences in how a person's brain works and how it processes information. Children with learning disabilities are not "dumb" or "lazy." In fact, they usually have average or above average intelligence. Their brains just process information differently."

 

If you mean that calling someone a VSL is a nice way of saying that there's something wrong with them, I would have to disagree with you.

[mama2cntrykids]

Yes. Most people's handedness is the opposite of their dominate brain side (opposite because most of the nerves cross over to the other side).

 

I'm a typical right-brained lefty. :p

 

Just follow your son's cues. Stay away from lectures and other audial teaching. For most people in this category, avoiding reading helps, too, since it is processed through audial paths in the brain. Visual and tactile learning is probably your key, especially tactile since your son is so physically inclined.

 

He sounds just like me except I love math. It's a visual thing for me, though. Math in my head is clumps of dots of various colors and kind of... emotions. I know that doesn't make sense to most people. :001_huh: But when manipulating dots in my head, they each have different feelings attached which helps me track them. I thought I was unique until I saw a documentary on a guy who has shapes and colors of numbers in his head. He has shapes, and I have dot clusters, but I totally understood him. lol

 

I bet if you teach him math visually, he will excel at it.

 

Is that why my left handed dh says that he's in his "right" mind?:lol:

[mama2cntrykids]

I just went back and read some of your other posts in this thread OP. My youngest ds has Asperger's and some of the traits you're talking about sound like they could be up that alley. Maybe try googling it to check out more about it? Just my 2 cents!

[EKS]

What I am saying (and this is as the mother of a highly gifted VSL-type child who also has LDs) is that when a child has persistent difficulties with some routine part of schooling and the extreme accommodations afforded by homeschooling aren't helping the situation, then there is a problem.

 

Calling a child a VSL, and assuming that whatever problems he has are because of his gifts in other areas isn't really helpful. The child still has the problems and still needs help.

 

The other problem with labeling a child a VSL is that then you frequently find that the parent is always looking for the "magic" curriculum or way of presenting the material so that it "clicks" with the child's learning style. For a child who has struggled with basic material for years, a different presentation is very likely *not* going to just click. It usually just takes a lot of hard work for a lot of years.

[smilesonly]

What I am saying (and this is as the mother of a highly gifted VSL-type child who also has LDs) is that when a child has persistent difficulties with some routine part of schooling and the extreme accommodations afforded by homeschooling aren't helping the situation, then there is a problem.

 

Calling a child a VSL, and assuming that whatever problems he has are because of his gifts in other areas isn't really helpful. The child still has the problems and still needs help.

 

The other problem with labeling a child a VSL is that then you frequently find that the parent is always looking for the "magic" curriculum or way of presenting the material so that it "clicks" with the child's learning style. For a child who has struggled with basic material for years, a different presentation is very likely *not* going to just click. It usually just takes a lot of hard work for a lot of years.

 

 

Okay, yes, I see what you are saying.

I am not attributing my ds's learning abilities to his strong areas of giftedness, rather, I am trying to determine if his unique (different than average) way of learning-or lack of learning, could be categorized as something like "Right-brain dominance." I am becoming very aware that regardless of ds's unique gifts, he still has areas(mainly math at this point-but some others also) that he is obviously not even near grade level.

 

As a sage parent, may I ask what is so wrong with me looking for ways to teach our ds? What is the problem with me trying to make learning basic math facts fun-or-not miserable and unsuccessful? Our ds is young-only 8 yo-if I hadn't yanked him out of PS, by 3rd grade he would be labled the dumb jock! Seriously. I am not looking for the magic curriculum, but for goodness sakes, I have him in front of Rod & Staff math right now, which has to be the most boring, dry, traditional math curriculum out there. He hates manipulatives, thinking they are too babyish-so programs like Saxon, Miquon, Right Start are not going to work. If there is a way that does make it click for him, even a little bit, it will be worth it.

 

I probably won't be the type of parent to drive/fly our ds around the world, trying to *cure* home of his inability to get math-but it IS important to me, that I at least try to HELP him w/i a reasonable means. That is the least I can do for him.

 

Knowledge is power, isn't it? Ignorance can be bliss,too!

[smilesonly]

I just went back and read some of your other posts in this thread OP. My youngest ds has Asperger's and some of the traits you're talking about sound like they could be up that alley. Maybe try googling it to check out more about it? Just my 2 cents!

 

I have considered this with both my dc.

While one has been identified as highly-gifted-this dc also has anxiety issues. We now believe our ds I refer to here, also has similar anxiety issues. So, we have highly-gifted, anxiety and perfectionist-type issues. Combined with our recent label of possible "right-brain dominance", it does look like Aspies, but no, at a closer peek, it most definitely isn't that.

But, thanks.:grouphug:

[Sputterduck]

Here's my take on the whole visual-spatial/right brain thing: it's a nice way to say the child has a learning disability.

 

 

I had my first college class at 12. I do not have a learning disability. I am left-handed and right-brained though. Nice try.

[smilesonly]

I wanted to add, that I don't think a learning disability=NOT NICE. Maybe our local PS district has me thinking in a *politically correct*way, but around here, it is *labeled* as *differently-abled*. To me, it's ALL nice-just different.

 

FTR-I dislike labels. They are only useful when trying to get help for a child-and personally, see no good beyond that. JMHO.

[smilesonly]

I have to say that I am inclined to not agree with this. My dd9 is a very right brained child and has been tested twice when she was in PS and tested off the charts! She is well above her grade level on her reading, writing, has a memory that most people would kill for and I am learning that if I teach her new info in a way she processes it she is off and running by leaps and bounds. I think it is sad that alot of people think that because a child doesnt fit into some kind of mold that they have a LD or ADD or ADHD. I cant even begin to explain the differences with my dd9 since we started HS. The benefits have carried over into every aspect of her life.

 

Wow. I would really love to here your story of your journey with your dd!! When you refer to her writing, do you mean her mechanics is good, or her composition/creativity is good?

With her reading, did she shy away from books that had NO illustrations/photos?

I would really love to know more-she is so close to my ds's age, and also has the (negative?) expereince of being in a classroom. Please PM me if you want-or, never mind me.;)

Thanks.

[EKS]

I had my first college class at 12. I do not have a learning disability. I am left-handed and right-brained though. Nice try.

 

I was referring to when people use the idea of the VSL to explain away their child's obvious learning problems. The OP was describing a child who has some apparent gifts, but also some significant issues. I think that using appropriate terms for the problems will make it easier to find help for the child.

[lgm]

Here's my take on the whole visual-spatial/right brain thing: it's a nice way to say the child has a learning disability.

 

 

Yes, and the school district gets lots of money for declaring a child LD. They can then use this money to buy the texts,workbooks, and visual aids that they should have supplied in the classroom in the first place.

 

IN my experience, the problem with students labeled vs is that the teacher is usually giving a lecture with imprecise wording, vague organization, and no time for the child to process. I'm vs myself...a picture is worth a thousand words to me and saves significant time.

Edited October 21, 2009 by lgm

[EKS]

Yes, and the school district gets lots of money for declaring a child LD. They can then use this money to buy the texts,workbooks, and visual aids that they should have supplied in the classroom in the first place.

 

IN my experience, the problem with students labeled vs is that the teacher is usually giving a lecture with imprecise wording, vague organization, and no time for the child to process. I'm vs myself...a picture is worth a thousand words to me and saves significant time.

 

I was actually referring to a child in a homeschooling situation where the parent has tried "everything".

[lgm]

I have tried tapping into his kinesthetic(sp?) style, by doing this-and he still doesn't retain math.

 

I'm feeling somewhat....alarmed? I've had him do nothing with math since last Thursday, and today he was doing addition sums to SEVEN-and could NOT remember them.

 

Now that I am looking at his "view" of the world, I am even *more* aware of how keen his eye is! He is also doign constant comparisons to things that have to do with something sports related. For ex; he will see something that sort of resembles ( I guess!!;)) a flag that goes into the hole of a putting green, points it out, then goes into amazing detail of how such and such golf course has this and that.

 

I feel so lost. I try to keep up with his details-but he leaves me in the dust.:auto:

 

Feeling hope in some ways, with all the reading I've done,but there is so much information to take in, my head is spinning. :confused:

 

Retention without understanding depends on ability to memorize. The sums to 7 have 33 differerent combos. It's hard to memorize random facts...they need some sort of order or a connection with something else for the mind to hold on to.

 

One of my sons could not do fact families at all...it made no sense to him. Once he understood the part/whole concept (aka the many ways to sort your beans into two groups to make the designated quantity), his teacher moved him to the everyday math strategy of memorizing the doubles and then doubles plus one. Total failure as he needs a why instead of a memorize approach. Fortunately she had been a gifted teacher for years and immediately figured him out as a child that needed a why approach . She then moved him to using the count on strategy and then on to the more sophisticated strategies and the properties. He is still mystified why anyone would name these things 'fact families' as he sees it more as grouping and regrouping in the base ten system. I would encourage you to sit down with your son and ask how he figures each sum. That will give you insight on where he is in his strategy use and where he needs to go.

Edited October 21, 2009 by lgm

[lgm]

I was actually referring to a child in a homeschooling situation where the parent has tried "everything".

 

 

Thanks for the clarification. I had thought you were speaking of students in general.

 

 

Do you have a professional background in diagnosing LDs?

[EKS]

Do you have a professional background in diagnosing LDs?

 

I'm in the process of getting a master's degree in exceptional student education (it's a combination of special and gifted education) and I have travelled a long road with my son, who some would say is the classic VSL (the kind with issues, that is), but no, I do not (yet) have a professional background in diagnosing LDs.

[Sputterduck]

I was referring to when people use the idea of the VSL to explain away their child's obvious learning problems. The OP was describing a child who has some apparent gifts, but also some significant issues. I think that using appropriate terms for the problems will make it easier to find help for the child.

 

 

Okay. It sounded as if you were projecting your son's combination of LDs and right brain learning onto every right brained person.

[Wyndie]

I found the book Unicorns are Real by Barbara Meister Vitale to be very helpful in understanding my right brain dominant child and it has alot of activities for helping things "stick". Your library may have that.

[smilesonly]

For all the praising i've been doing of our library system, it has not a single book on this subject. I have put in orders through ILL, but that will take some time.

 

I get that I have TONS of reading to do. I get that my ds is different than others. I think I just need to start with his inability to grasp number concepts. I am not a numbers person, so more specific suggestions would be great.

 

When asking him how he knows something, his answer is,"I don't know" or "I just do"-if I pry, he gets frustrated. I asked him what he *sees* in his mind?head when I say the word FIVE-his answer was he sees five golf balls.:confused:

 

Math is on hold for now. It is absolutely ridiculous to put him in front of math when he says he hates it. It is heartbreaking to here that such a young child would even hate math to the point of tears.

 

I am frustrated and in tears right now. Specific and GENTLE posts would be most helpful.

 

Thanks,

Smiles