I'm at the end of the line with this child!!

[mama2cntrykids]

He will be 7 in February, 1st grade. He refuses to work. He was doing sooo well for quite awhile, now...well, let's just say this week is starting where last week left off:thumbdown:. I don't know WHAT to do! I love HSing, but man alive, I'm on the verge of putting the boy in public school. He won't work for me.

 

He was struggling wanting to read, we got that straightened out though. Now he will NOT write! I'm in tears everyday because of it (silly probably, I know), but I'm frustrated! Now he's refusing to do any math. He just wants to sit and do nothing.

 

He has Asperger's and I'm sure that plays into it. I just feel like garbage right now...I've told him that if he can't do his work for me than he'll have to go to public school and he hates that idea, but right now, I just don't know!

 

His older brother on the other hand does great and is a joy to teach at home. I don't want his younger bros attitude and lack of motivation to rub off, you know?

 

I'm not sure what I'm looking for...maybe just to vent...advice...btdt?? A hug?? Sigh...:001_huh:

[jenL]

I don't have any btdt stories to share, but I wanted you to know that I'm saying a prayer for you and ds. :grouphug:

[eight_gregorys]

I have one like this as well. He is almost 8 and has ADHD and some learning delays. I understand your pain. What I have done is implemented ways for him to get his wiggles out while he is working. I bought him an exercise ball to sit on while he does his work....math particularly. It allows him to move without getting up and stopping what he is doing. I also let him write on dry erase boards or chalkboards. He likes switching things up and it makes monotonous tasks more fun. We have game days each day of the week. One day we'll do phonics games, one we'll do math games, etc. So he has an incentive to finish his work in a timely manner.

 

What are you using curriculum wise? Does he struggle with it? I ask because my son tends to show those same behaviors when he's struggling with topics. Although it can be an obedience issue as well so you would have to make that call.

 

I would recommend trying to switch things up a bit and see if that helps. You're a great mom. You sacrifice a lot to homeschool your children. It does get better.

 

Have a Merry Christmas!

[FriedClams]

I have a 7 year old boy too. Man, they are their own animal aren't they!?!?

 

I might throw a few things out - but since I don't have an aspie - please disregard anything useless. :)

 

1. I would define - for you and later for him - what you want written and what's unnecessary. For example - I require (and yours will be different) 2 sets of copywork 4x a week (bible verse and geography terms right now), and daily he writes his math and everything for his CLE writing workbook. I have friends that require more and friends that require less - it just depends on the kids. I would write it out for him:

Every day you must - copy one sentence (neatly, proper punctuation /capitalization, etc.) and write the answers for the first half of your math page. I will scribe the second half, IF the first half is done diligently and cheerfully.

The rest I would do orally. I would also set up a specific consequence for not getting work done timely and cheerfully. No video games, quiet time working on "homework" instead of tv or game time with the family at night/in the afternoon. Clear, simple, related consequences stated up front.

 

 

Get creative! I would look into notebooking and lapbooking. Let him draw or cut out pictures to recount stories or information. Have him narrate and video tape it to play for dad later. Act things out. Have him narrate with legos or stuffed animals. Play games. Drill with flashcards and work on memory work - there's no writing and kids are sponges!! Make sure he's learning but don't drive yourself nuts in the process. Not every kid learns with workbooks and lots of writing.

 

And take a break over the holidays. Set a start date and stick with it. Give him the run down and let him know what's expected. Stick with it!!

 

You can do it!!!!!!

[dirty ethel rackham]

You know, I could not get my very bright boys to write much until 6th grade. Even then, it was like pulling teeth. It is still like that, but their skills have improved. My oldest had a paper accepted by Magnum Opus (but it wasn't published because the science magazine he quoted never responded when we asked for permission to use the quote. He got a 740 on the writing section of the SAT last spring, as a freshman.

 

Hang in there. I do think that TWTM recommendations for writing are beyond many kids. Some kids take longer to develop this area. Patience and baby steps.

[Willow]

He's not 7 yet, so don't panic. My youngest (now 13) wrote almost nothing until he was 11. It was like pulling teeth. As he was the youngest and I had teenagers going through HS high school, he got left alone, we did stuff verbally, I got one of the girls to write his responses etc.

 

Then when he was 11 the girls were entering a national writing contest. He wanted to enter. So I set him up with the laptop and he wrote and wrote. To the best of my knowledge it was the very first time he had ever written a sentence unaided!

 

He did a spelling check, and one of the girls helped him with spelling so...er...creative.... the spellchecker could not get it, and we sent it off.

 

He came 2nd in his age group in the country! :D

 

Now he had done grammar verbally and with cards (Winston grammar) and had the benefit of the girls education going on all around him, and had dictated stories for me or the girls to write out, but this was his very first attempt at independent writing. He had also (of course) played computer games so was conversant with the computer keyboard.

 

He still doesn't like to write, and is learning keyboarding instead. BTW he is an Aspie too.

[mama2cntrykids]

I don't have any btdt stories to share, but I wanted you to know that I'm saying a prayer for you and ds. :grouphug:

 

Thank you for the prayer! I do appreciate it.

 

I have one like this as well. He is almost 8 and has ADHD and some learning delays. I understand your pain. What I have done is implemented ways for him to get his wiggles out while he is working. I bought him an exercise ball to sit on while he does his work....math particularly. It allows him to move without getting up and stopping what he is doing. I also let him write on dry erase boards or chalkboards. He likes switching things up and it makes monotonous tasks more fun. We have game days each day of the week. One day we'll do phonics games, one we'll do math games, etc. So he has an incentive to finish his work in a timely manner.

 

What are you using curriculum wise? Does he struggle with it? I ask because my son tends to show those same behaviors when he's struggling with topics. Although it can be an obedience issue as well so you would have to make that call.

 

I would recommend trying to switch things up a bit and see if that helps. You're a great mom. You sacrifice a lot to homeschool your children. It does get better.

 

Have a Merry Christmas!

 

We are using MFW 1st grade. It really doesn't require much writing. Mostly, it's writing a proverb from the Bible once/week and a little daily writing of phonics words and/or writing a couple of sentances about the Bible story that he just read. He does that every other day, btw.

 

He was fine with it (usually--there have been bumpy spots in the past, I won't lie, lol) up until the beginning of last week. Then it was down hill.

 

He was telling me his hand hurts when he writes. At that point, he hadn't even written anything:001_huh:.

 

Thank you for your kind words! They mean sooo much right now:grouphug:.

 

I have a 7 year old boy too. Man, they are their own animal aren't they!?!?

 

I might throw a few things out - but since I don't have an aspie - please disregard anything useless. :)

 

1. I would define - for you and later for him - what you want written and what's unnecessary. For example - I require (and yours will be different) 2 sets of copywork 4x a week (bible verse and geography terms right now), and daily he writes his math and everything for his CLE writing workbook. I have friends that require more and friends that require less - it just depends on the kids. I would write it out for him:

Every day you must - copy one sentence (neatly, proper punctuation /capitalization, etc.) and write the answers for the first half of your math page. I will scribe the second half, IF the first half is done diligently and cheerfully.

The rest I would do orally. I would also set up a specific consequence for not getting work done timely and cheerfully. No video games, quiet time working on "homework" instead of tv or game time with the family at night/in the afternoon. Clear, simple, related consequences stated up front.

 

 

Get creative! I would look into notebooking and lapbooking. Let him draw or cut out pictures to recount stories or information. Have him narrate and video tape it to play for dad later. Act things out. Have him narrate with legos or stuffed animals. Play games. Drill with flashcards and work on memory work - there's no writing and kids are sponges!! Make sure he's learning but don't drive yourself nuts in the process. Not every kid learns with workbooks and lots of writing.

 

And take a break over the holidays. Set a start date and stick with it. Give him the run down and let him know what's expected. Stick with it!!

 

You can do it!!!!!!

 

Thank you so much for your ideas!! I will think of ways to implement some and see if they work. We were going to take a break starting on Thurs. continuing until Jan. 4th--but I think we'll just take it slowly until Thurs. only doing Math, Science and some un-schoolish type reading. Maybe he needs a break more than I thought. Afterall, he isn't even 7 yet. Maybe I should take it easy--it's almost Christmas for pete's sake;).

 

You know, I could not get my very bright boys to write much until 6th grade. Even then, it was like pulling teeth. It is still like that, but their skills have improved. My oldest had a paper accepted by Magnum Opus (but it wasn't published because the science magazine he quoted never responded when we asked for permission to use the quote. He got a 740 on the writing section of the SAT last spring, as a freshman.

 

Hang in there. I do think that TWTM recommendations for writing are beyond many kids. Some kids take longer to develop this area. Patience and baby steps.

 

He's not 7 yet, so don't panic. My youngest (now 13) wrote almost nothing until he was 11. It was like pulling teeth. As he was the youngest and I had teenagers going through HS high school, he got left alone, we did stuff verbally, I got one of the girls to write his responses etc.

 

Then when he was 11 the girls were entering a national writing contest. He wanted to enter. So I set him up with the laptop and he wrote and wrote. To the best of my knowledge it was the very first time he had ever written a sentence unaided!

 

He did a spelling check, and one of the girls helped him with spelling so...er...creative.... the spellchecker could not get it, and we sent it off.

 

He came 2nd in his age group in the country! :D

 

Now he had done grammar verbally and with cards (Winston grammar) and had the benefit of the girls education going on all around him, and had dictated stories for me or the girls to write out, but this was his very first attempt at independent writing. He had also (of course) played computer games so was conversant with the computer keyboard.

 

He still doesn't like to write, and is learning keyboarding instead. BTW he is an Aspie too.

 

Thank you BOTH so much!! It truly does help to have someone who has been down that road with a child who is older than mine speak of it working out!! I think I start to panic and dig in my heals. He really is so young--I need to keep that in mind.

 

The thing I need to becareful of with him specifically is if he thinks he can get away with NOT doing something once, he will buck me that much harder every.other.time. I'm going to take a good hard look at what we're doing over Christmas break and pray about what I may need to change up to help him. Like I said, ps just isn't the answer for us either. He still talks about how horrible it was last year, and that was only Kindergarten!

 

Thanks ladies!:grouphug: