DD started out very bright and it is gone... vaccines?

[Lolly]

Honestly, you will never know. you have to just move forward from where you are.

 

Yes, vaccines can cause problems even if the child is older than two. We noticed significant differences in one of my dc after the K vaccines. Of course, we were looking for them given the family history of problems we have with one particular vaccine. (We only allowed two vaccines for this dc at the K appt. We never went back for the rest because my healthy child was ALWAYS sick afterwards.) Now, many, many years later, I am seeing some of the behaviors subside somewhat. Of course, it may have always been there just waiting for a good opportunity to pop up. We will never know.

[Lovedtodeath]

Just referring to math. Have you used the same program the whole time? Is she struggling with 2nd grade math in the program she formerly did 4th grade work in? Or have you switched programs and perhaps there were gaps before or she's struggling learning a new system to solving problems. I know that when we hit 2nd grade math with Horizons, we hit a huge wall. All of a sudden I realized we'd been moving along and not mastering basics. So we moved into a different program (mastery rather than spiral and very traditional--Rod and Staff) and even moved back 1/2 a grade. Once we had the foundation solidly built, my now almost-4th grade took off.

Yes, that too... we switched from Abeka (spiral) because though she was doing well I felt like she wasn't truly understanding.

 

Honestly, you will never know. you have to just move forward from where you are.

 

Yes, vaccines can cause problems even if the child is older than two. We noticed significant differences in one of my dc after the K vaccines. Of course, we were looking for them given the family history of problems we have with one particular vaccine. (We only allowed two vaccines for this dc at the K appt. We never went back for the rest because my healthy child was ALWAYS sick afterwards.) Now, many, many years later, I am seeing some of the behaviors subside somewhat. Of course, it may have always been there just waiting for a good opportunity to pop up. We will never know.

My mom and I both had significant problems including hallucinations from the Tetnus vaccine. My DS cannot have vaccines due to extreme breathing difficulty. When we got the K vaccines my daughter was very traumatized and still talks about how betrayed she feels that we put her through it. I guess we won't know for sure what has caused all of her problems, but I do have something I can do about it.

 

So... basically she has anything and everything going on in her life that could cause this lack of progress.

 

Math went well today. I just supported her as a cheerleader and kept her on track without trying to explain anything. ;)

Edited May 11, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[mom31257]

Yes, vaccines can cause problems, even later in years. I know a girl at 19 that got shots for college one day and shots for a mission trip the next and now has seizures.

 

I did not have time to read everything, but I do think you need to look at her progress. Has she progressed any since the shots, or has it been a struggle since then? Does she struggle with all subjects, or just certain types of work? If you really think there is a problem, speak with your doctor. Just know that some will NEVER blame a vaccine for anything.

 

My children are not fully immunized now. I have a 16 yo nephew that started having seizures the day of his 4 month DPT. He is developmentally about 4-5, and they've never had complete control. Now they know he has celiac disease and mitochondrial disease. It is hard to know which came first.

[FO4UR]

 

 

This has been in the back of my mind the whole time. I used to wing it and as soon as I started following a curriculum we had these problems.

 

 

 

"Ding, ding, ding!!!"

 

This makes me think the greater issue is a disconnect between how she learns and how the curric is designed, and thus how you are teaching the content.

 

MM is a great math curric. I wish my ds7 would love it. The fact is MM has print that is too small, too much on one page, is too incremental, and is not visual and 3D enough for him. What is insanely difficult in MM is easy in Miquon. Is the difference rigor? Page layout? Pacing? A kinesthetic vs. visual learning style? idk! I do know that when I do MM orally, it's suddenly much easier. So, while I philisophically love MM...and would recommend it in a heartbeat to a workbook lovin' kind of kid, I know it isn't going to work with my ds7.

 

I have never used PR, but have read all the threads (so I'll talk about it anyway:lol:). I have used SWR, which is similar from what I gather. The pacing is WAY too fast for my ds7. We slowed things WAY down with spelling (still using the same dictation process as a core...adding in more explicit multi-sensory steps). Word Mastery has been a life saver for this...and I recently found Recipe for Reading which is a bare bones O-G program. I take it and do what I know will reach ds7 as far as the actual *teaching.*

 

Try pulling the content out of the curric and "feed it" to your dd in a different way. The thing is, when you "just wing it", what you are realy doing is intuitively teaching your dd in a way you know she will learn. It can't hurt to try it.

 

btw - my ds does have visual perception issues, and I suspect dyslexia as well. His reading ability is very dependent upon page layout and font.

[H.S. Burrow]

You know, I have been there & I'm not sure what the right way of handling it is, because I don't think I did it right.

 

I don't really want to disclose which kid it is so forgive the tortured sentence structure.

 

In our case, one kid was quite a natural in one of the 3R's (& very very behind in the others) in the early years. THEN, things got hard across the board, including in the previously 'easy' subject.

 

I've ended up with a kid who assumes that it shouldn't be hard to learn the easy subject. If it's hard, it means s/he is stupid & beat her/himself up for it.

 

Kid quits, gives up, won't work hard when things get hard. If I attempt to look back at things & say 'look, this was hard & then you got it after a lot of work', I get back 'THAT?? That's easy. THAT's nothing like THIS'

 

It's like this kid expects knowledge and learning to somehow appear in his/her brain with no effort. :confused:

 

Hello, I'm hornblower, & I've messed up my kid.

 

I don't know what I could have done to prevent it or what I could do now.

 

sorry, no help :) just a more btdt.....actually still there, still pulling hair out.....

 

 

Oh. my. word..........you have my daughter!!!

 

I, too, have no idea how this happened or words of advice for LovedtoDeath. I have watched my kids easily grasp a new, usually more difficult concept than we've previously studied, and then struggle with something that most people would consider a "basic" skill. In my kids, I think a lot of it is their personality. :grouphug:

[Corraleno]

DD started out a genious. Really. She was reading phonetically at 3. She was really doing first grade math at 4. She can't seem to understand anything ever since turning 5 and has made very little progress from that point. I know that part of it is that I went through a rough pregnancy and my health (emotional and physical) deteriorated during pregnancy and has only returned for short spurts, and is just now showing real signs of improvement. Could that be it? I am also wondering (it just occurred to me) if it might have anything to do with Kindergarten vaccines. :scared:

 

ETA: She will be 8 this summer! LOL I assumed her age was in my sig.

Carmen,

 

First of all: :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Secondly, the problems you mention are actually quite consistent with giftedness, rather than proof she's no longer bright. She also might be 2E. What looks like failure to progress may be related to several things:

 

(1) Anxiety. Gifted kids often have very high levels of anxiety, and recent circumstances (pregnancy, health issues) have probably elevated her anxiety levels to a point where most of her energy is just going into managing that. When DS is in flight-or-fight mode, he can barely remember his name let alone do math.

 

(2) The difference in the level and complexity of the material she's learning now, compared to when she was young. When she was 3, she was probably using lots of visual and hands-on materials, teaching herself one concept or skill at a time. Now she's having to learn ~ and process and retain ~ so many different things at once, using materials that may not suit her learning style as well.

 

(3) Perfectionism. Many gifted kids (and adults) really struggle with this. If they can't do something perfectly on the first try, they fall apart. They'd rather not even try, because failure is humiliating "proof" that they're really stupid. When she was little, there was no fear of failure, because no one expects a 3 yo to read. Perhaps being able to accomplish anything she set her mind to, and getting praise and attention for her skills, became a big part of her self-image, and now that everything is so much harder, she may feel she's lost her identity. Add that to the anxiety caused by family health issues, and you have the makings of a vicious spiral: anxiety makes it hard for her to learn, which maker her feel stupid, which makes her afraid to try for fear she'll look even stupider, which increases her anxiety levels, etc.

 

My DS has all these issues (and more, lol). His story is very similar to your DD. When he was 3 or 4 he could name all the moons of all the planets. He could rattle off the full species names of a hundred prehistoric critters and knew all the eras by heart from the Archaean to the Holocene. He started 1st grade (private school) ahead of grade level in math and reading, having learned both very easily just from using magnetic letters on the fridge a few minutes per day. However, we had just moved here from Europe, everything in his life was different, we were building a house (very stressful!), he wasn't used to a big school and tons of kids on the playground, etc. By the end of 3rd grade, he was a full year behind and the teacher wanted to hold him back! What happened to that gifted 1st grader???

 

Then I put him in PS, hoping he would at least get some diagnostic testing and remedial help. Yeah, right. :rolleyes: At the end of 4th, he was still a grade level behind and had barely progressed. At that point I did what I should have done years earlier: took him for diagnostic and IQ testing, which confirmed that he was highly gifted, but had trouble with processing speed and working memory (especially auditory). He also struggles with anxiety and is a perfectionist; if he doesn't instantly see how to solve something, he loses it. I started reading like crazy, especially about visual/spatial learners, and decided to homeschool him using materials that would be more suited to his needs. Two years later, waddya know, he's at or above (often waaaaay above) grade level in every subject except spelling (he's very dyslexic).

 

So, here's my advice to you:

 

(1) Get her tested, both for IQ and LDs. Even if she doesn't have any clear-cut LDs, you will almost certainly find that she has certain strengths and weaknesses that will help you tailor her curriculum better to her learning style. And the IQ test will give you a better idea of what to expect from her. Not that I think IQ tests are the be-all & end-all (and they tend to be less accurate for 2e kids), but knowing whether her IQ is 100 or 140 will at least give you an idea of whether you're pushing too hard or if she's capable of the work but "blocking" for some reason.

 

(2) Definitely look into whether she might be more of a visual/spatial learner. There's more to it than just learning better "visually." VSLs tend to be whole-to-part learners who are easily frustrated and turned off by drill & repetition. They need to understand the concept first, rather than trying to absorb ideas through repetition. There are lots of other traits and tendencies involved here. Poke around on this website.

 

(3) Personally, I would not set aside academics, or back up and put her in an easier program. I might lighten the load to a few key subjects, if she's still coping with high anxiety levels, but I think backing up into easier material will just reinforce the idea that she is "dumber" now. Worst thing you can do for a gifted perfectionist, IMHO. She needs to learn that it's normal to not instantly get something and to have to puzzle it out, and she needs the tools and the confidence to do that (to, as Kimber put it in another thread, "eat the elephant one bite at a time"). You're using MM, right? I'd just do one page/day ~ don't even worry about trying to "catch up." Just sit with her and walk her through it one step at a time, show her how smart she is and that she can understand these concepts. Use manipulatives if she wants, or let her draw her answers in pictures. Let her answer orally while you scribe, if that would help. Try using videos and documentaries for history and science, with good, meaty discussions afterwards ~ ask lots of questions that will get her to think, but as if it's part of a conversation, not a quiz, KWIM? My DS really needs challenging, stimulating material to keep him engaged (if he's bored, he just "checks out" and retains absolutely nothing), but unless the material is inherently very visual he also needs a lot of support ~ and continual reminders that not "getting it" instantly doesn't mean he's stupid!

 

(4) I think you have a nutritionist you work with? So I'm guessing you've already looked into possible foods that might make her anxious and/or spacey (wheat and dairy really impact DS; we use enzymes, which seem to help) and any vitamin/mineral supplements that might help (fish oil & vit D seem to help here).

 

(5) Don't worry too much! This is a puzzle, but you can find the answer. You just need to eat that big ol' pachyderm one bite at a time. :)

 

:grouphug:

Jackie

[Mommyfaithe]

You know, I have been there & I'm not sure what the right way of handling it is, because I don't think I did it right.

 

I don't really want to disclose which kid it is so forgive the tortured sentence structure.

 

In our case, one kid was quite a natural in one of the 3R's (& very very behind in the others) in the early years. THEN, things got hard across the board, including in the previously 'easy' subject.

 

I've ended up with a kid who assumes that it shouldn't be hard to learn the easy subject. If it's hard, it means s/he is stupid & beat her/himself up for it.

 

Kid quits, gives up, won't work hard when things get hard. If I attempt to look back at things & say 'look, this was hard & then you got it after a lot of work', I get back 'THAT?? That's easy. THAT's nothing like THIS'

 

It's like this kid expects knowledge and learning to somehow appear in his/her brain with no effort. :confused:

 

Hello, I'm hornblower, & I've messed up my kid.

 

I don't know what I could have done to prevent it or what I could do now.

 

sorry, no help :) just a more btdt.....actually still there, still pulling hair out.....

 

I think you have my kid at your house...this is why I look nearly bald....sigh

[Corraleno]

She does not have Asperger's, but she does have anxiety disorder, ADHD and SPD. :o

 

I am looking into Auditory Processing and vision issues just in case. Auditory Processing seems more likely.

 

Bingo. APD is part of the SPD spectrum and so is anxiety (DS has all three). I think they are often the real issue when kids are diagnosed as ADHD. How hyper is she, or is it mostly an attention issue? Is processing speed an issue (automatic recall of facts)?

 

Jackie

Edited May 11, 2010 by Corraleno

[LizzyBee]

I have wondered if it is this. It used to be so easy. She seems to balk when work or thinking is required at all.

 

You know, this might be at least partially a learning style/ personality thing. I was an early reader and a straight-A student. But I always preferred classes that just threw us lots of facts and used objective tests where we could just regurgitate those facts. I hated things like literary analysis or essay tests where we were actually expected to synthesize facts and form coherent thoughts and opinions. :tongue_smilie:

 

My oldest dd is the exact same way. She was reading at 3, and constantly begging me at 4 to do more school. But she likes information that is just black and white, doesn't like to think too hard, doesn't like to explain things back in her own words, etc. She will read a book and say that it was a great book, but yet she can't tell me one blessed thing about it. My middle dd read much later, and even though they're two years apart, it's more like a 4+ year gap academically. But my middle dd is the deep thinker in the family. She reads slowly, does everything slowly, but once she learns something, she never forgets it.

[Corraleno]

MM is a great math curric. I wish my ds7 would love it. The fact is MM has print that is too small, too much on one page, is too incremental, and is not visual and 3D enough for him. What is insanely difficult in MM is easy in Miquon. Is the difference rigor? Page layout? Pacing? A kinesthetic vs. visual learning style? idk! I do know that when I do MM orally, it's suddenly much easier. So, while I philisophically love MM...and would recommend it in a heartbeat to a workbook lovin' kind of kid, I know it isn't going to work with my ds7.

My DS12 is an extreme VSL, but MM worked wonders for him. The illustrations enable him to "see" the concept in his head, and the step by step explanations show him how to eat the elephant. I don't doubt your experience, and I'm sure it doesn't work for every kid, but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out for a V/S learner.

 

Try pulling the content out of the curric and "feed it" to your dd in a different way. The thing is, when you "just wing it", what you are realy doing is intuitively teaching your dd in a way you know she will learn. It can't hurt to try it.

:iagree:

Don't dumb it down or make it easy, but try to make it less "curriculummy" (LOL). Watch documentaries together, do experiments, ask lots of deep questions, etc., so you're getting the content in there without triggering any anxiety or fear of failure.

 

Jackie

[Mommy22alyns]

I have no wise words, but I wanted to add some :grouphug:.

[Lovedtodeath]

Carmen,

 

First of all: :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Secondly, the problems you mention are actually quite consistent with giftedness, rather than proof she's no longer bright. She also might be 2E.

Bingo. APD is part of the SPD spectrum and so is anxiety (DS has all three). I think they are often the real issue when kids are diagnosed as ADHD. How hyper is she, or is it mostly an attention issue? Is processing speed an issue (automatic recall of facts)?

 

Jackie

Everything you said makes so much sense!!! :grouphug: TY TY TY!

 

 

 

My DS12 is an extreme VSL, but MM worked wonders for him. The illustrations enable him to "see" the concept in his head, and the step by step explanations show him how to eat the elephant. I don't doubt your experience, and I'm sure it doesn't work for every kid, but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out for a V/S learner.

 

MM was working wonders when we used the blue books. Then I bought the curriculum saw where it was going, saw where we were grade level wise, started doing too many pages a day and explaining too much trying to get her to see connections ahead of time. It worked well today because I was patient.

Don't dumb it down or make it easy, but try to make it less "curriculummy" (LOL). Watch documentaries together, do experiments, ask lots of deep questions, etc., so you're getting the content in there without triggering any anxiety or fear of failure.

 

Jackie

She does very well with grammar, narration and content subjects and does get a lot out of encyclopedias and adult documentaries. She loved Elemental Science but not the writing. :D

[Lovedtodeath]

 

I have never used PR, but have read all the threads (so I'll talk about it anyway:lol:). I have used SWR, which is similar from what I gather. The pacing is WAY too fast for my ds7. We slowed things WAY down with spelling (still using the same dictation process as a core...adding in more explicit multi-sensory steps). Word Mastery has been a life saver for this...and I recently found Recipe for Reading which is a bare bones O-G program. I take it and do what I know will reach ds7 as far as the actual *teaching.*

Actually, using PR "as is" works well for DD. Better, in fact than AAS. The problems that I mentioned with phonics have to do with spelling words she is unfamiliar with when she is not doing her spelling program, sounding out words she is unfamiliar with while she is reading, or doing the reading reflex exercises together as a family to help both her and Jake with auditory processing. That is when we have problems.

[FO4UR]

Actually, using PR "as is" works well for DD. Better, in fact than AAS. The problems that I mentioned with phonics have to do with spelling words she is unfamiliar with when she is not doing her spelling program, sounding out words she is unfamiliar with while she is reading, or doing the reading reflex exercises together as a family to help both her and Jake with auditory processing. That is when we have problems.

 

Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it....with the PR and the MM...I just wanted to share my experience. I know how mileage varies among us HSers and all that.;) My ds7 has visual perception issues that require VT, so that plays a large role in my curric choices.

 

It sounds like you've pinpointed a weakness with auditory processing. She's blessed you take the time to care and work through it.

 

I TOTALLY get the feeling of being behind (you mentioned about MM) and wanting to accelerate and catch up...OH, MY...I feel that with spelling/reading many days. Patience does wonders! I need to remind myself of that daily!!!

[sbgrace]

Thank you. I am on a supplement that includes carnitine as the naturopath has prescribed it.

I'm sorry to bring this back up many pages beyond. Feel free to ignore me. But if your naturopath saw symptoms of (or signs in testing) mitochondrial issues you really should be on tischon corporation coq10 (epic4health is the supplier). It's a huge part of mito support. My boys and I take 200 mg per day. For me this made all the difference in my functioning/health but my coq10 levels were extremely low. Also, if you've got mito issues there is a significant chance she inherited something as well (not a given..but lots of moms pass it along to their kids as I did to mine).

[EKS]

Where did she level off in her reading? There are a few reading levels that seem to be sticky, in that kids seem to get stuck in them. One is in making the jump from phonetically controlled readers to regular books, another is going from second grade level Henry and Mudge/Little Bear/Frog and Toad type books to chapter books. And another seems to be in the 4th/5th grade range when the books get harder.

 

Depending on the program, first grade math isn't necessarily going to be a huge challenge. The jump comes in second grade math where they start dealing with regrouping. That's when you find out if the child really understands place value and how to break numbers apart and put them back together or not. Of course, a child can continue to learn math by rote, but somewhere it will break down and you'll have to back up to where the conceptual understanding went awry. It sounds like you discovered that something like this was happening because in one of your posts you made a reference to not really understanding the math with Abeka.

 

You also mentioned some issues: SPD and ADHD are the two I remember. Frequently, bright kids will be able to compensate for these issues while the material is easier but then they hit a wall because the material gets harder and their compensation strategies don't work anymore. Have you had her examined by a developmental optometrist? Kids with SPD can have visual processing problems that can be helped with vision therapy. A vision issue could explain a leveling off in reading. Also, the ADHD could be taking a toll. Is she on medication for that?

 

I hope something here makes sense.

[kmacnchs]

Gently now from me . . . Reading at age 3 does not denote "genius." Sometimes -- and of course I hope this is not the case for your dd ! -- it denotes the emergence of Asperger's. . . . Sometimes it denotes nothing other than an early reader.

 

okay - freaking me out! my dd1 started reading at age 2 and was fluent at age 3. dd2 is on the same track. I have never heard about the Asperger's thing? not to hijack, but where have you seen this info (article?)

[EKS]

okay - freaking me out! my dd1 started reading at age 2 and was fluent at age 3. dd2 is on the same track. I have never heard about the Asperger's thing? not to hijack, but where have you seen this info (article?)

 

It's called hyperlexia and is associated with autism spectrum disorders.

[Lovedtodeath]

I'm sorry to bring this back up many pages beyond. Feel free to ignore me. But if your naturopath saw symptoms of (or signs in testing) mitochondrial issues

TY. I appreciate it. I will send you a PM.

 

Where did she level off in her reading? There are a few reading levels that seem to be sticky, in that kids seem to get stuck in them. One is in making the jump from phonetically controlled readers to regular books, another is going from second grade level Henry and Mudge/Little Bear/Frog and Toad type books to chapter books. And another seems to be in the 4th/5th grade range when the books get harder.

 

Depending on the program, first grade math isn't necessarily going to be a huge challenge. The jump comes in second grade math where they start dealing with regrouping. That's when you find out if the child really understands place value and how to break numbers apart and put them back together or not. Of course, a child can continue to learn math by rote, but somewhere it will break down and you'll have to back up to where the conceptual understanding went awry. It sounds like you discovered that something like this was happening because in one of your posts you made a reference to not really understanding the math with Abeka.

 

You also mentioned some issues: SPD and ADHD are the two I remember. Frequently, bright kids will be able to compensate for these issues while the material is easier but then they hit a wall because the material gets harder and their compensation strategies don't work anymore. Have you had her examined by a developmental optometrist? Kids with SPD can have visual processing problems that can be helped with vision therapy. A vision issue could explain a leveling off in reading. Also, the ADHD could be taking a toll. Is she on medication for that?

 

I hope something here makes sense.

Thanks! I will be looking into the visual issues. She seems to have leveled off at 5th grade level for reading. She can add and subtract 3-4 digit numbers and has an understanding of multiplication, but she has shown that she doesn't really understand place value. I really think that she had another light bulb moment today though.:) Edited May 12, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[Cammie]

Excellent article. Thanks for posting it.

 

OP, have you read:

 

How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The inverse power of praise By Po Bronson

 

I highly recommend it.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

 

This article was probably one of the most important things I have read as a parent (right up there next to TWTM!) I have an intelligent child who was told she was smart by parents, grandparents and teachers her whole young life. As a result we have ALL the anxiety issues and the unwilliness to tackle anything that comes a little bit harder.

[coffeefreak]

Carmen,

 

I kept typing responses that seemed inadequate. We've walked a lot of what you've described, but I don't feel like I have answers. You've gotten a lot of GREAT advice so, here's a :grouphug: from me.

 

Blessings

and more :grouphug:

Dorinda

[Aggie]

Excellent article. Thanks for posting it.

 

OP, have you read:

 

How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The inverse power of praise By Po Bronson

 

I highly recommend it.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

 

This article was probably one of the most important things I have read as a parent (right up there next to TWTM!) I have an intelligent child who was told she was smart by parents, grandparents and teachers her whole young life. As a result we have ALL the anxiety issues and the unwilliness to tackle anything that comes a little bit harder.

 

I wish they passed this article out in the maternity wards and childbirth classes. Great article.

[wapiti]

Carmen,

 

First of all: :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Secondly, the problems you mention are actually quite consistent with giftedness, rather than proof she's no longer bright. She also might be 2E. What looks like failure to progress may be related to several things:

 

(1) Anxiety. Gifted kids often have very high levels of anxiety, and recent circumstances (pregnancy, health issues) have probably elevated her anxiety levels to a point where most of her energy is just going into managing that. When DS is in flight-or-fight mode, he can barely remember his name let alone do math.

 

(2) The difference in the level and complexity of the material she's learning now, compared to when she was young. When she was 3, she was probably using lots of visual and hands-on materials, teaching herself one concept or skill at a time. Now she's having to learn ~ and process and retain ~ so many different things at once, using materials that may not suit her learning style as well.

 

(3) Perfectionism. Many gifted kids (and adults) really struggle with this. If they can't do something perfectly on the first try, they fall apart. They'd rather not even try, because failure is humiliating "proof" that they're really stupid. When she was little, there was no fear of failure, because no one expects a 3 yo to read. Perhaps being able to accomplish anything she set her mind to, and getting praise and attention for her skills, became a big part of her self-image, and now that everything is so much harder, she may feel she's lost her identity. Add that to the anxiety caused by family health issues, and you have the makings of a vicious spiral: anxiety makes it hard for her to learn, which maker her feel stupid, which makes her afraid to try for fear she'll look even stupider, which increases her anxiety levels, etc.

 

My DS has all these issues (and more, lol). His story is very similar to your DD. When he was 3 or 4 he could name all the moons of all the planets. He could rattle off the full species names of a hundred prehistoric critters and knew all the eras by heart from the Archaean to the Holocene. He started 1st grade (private school) ahead of grade level in math and reading, having learned both very easily just from using magnetic letters on the fridge a few minutes per day. However, we had just moved here from Europe, everything in his life was different, we were building a house (very stressful!), he wasn't used to a big school and tons of kids on the playground, etc. By the end of 3rd grade, he was a full year behind and the teacher wanted to hold him back! What happened to that gifted 1st grader???

 

Then I put him in PS, hoping he would at least get some diagnostic testing and remedial help. Yeah, right. :rolleyes: At the end of 4th, he was still a grade level behind and had barely progressed. At that point I did what I should have done years earlier: took him for diagnostic and IQ testing, which confirmed that he was highly gifted, but had trouble with processing speed and working memory (especially auditory). He also struggles with anxiety and is a perfectionist; if he doesn't instantly see how to solve something, he loses it. I started reading like crazy, especially about visual/spatial learners, and decided to homeschool him using materials that would be more suited to his needs. Two years later, waddya know, he's at or above (often waaaaay above) grade level in every subject except spelling (he's very dyslexic).

 

So, here's my advice to you:

 

(1) Get her tested, both for IQ and LDs. Even if she doesn't have any clear-cut LDs, you will almost certainly find that she has certain strengths and weaknesses that will help you tailor her curriculum better to her learning style. And the IQ test will give you a better idea of what to expect from her. Not that I think IQ tests are the be-all & end-all (and they tend to be less accurate for 2e kids), but knowing whether her IQ is 100 or 140 will at least give you an idea of whether you're pushing too hard or if she's capable of the work but "blocking" for some reason.

 

(2) Definitely look into whether she might be more of a visual/spatial learner. There's more to it than just learning better "visually." VSLs tend to be whole-to-part learners who are easily frustrated and turned off by drill & repetition. They need to understand the concept first, rather than trying to absorb ideas through repetition. There are lots of other traits and tendencies involved here. Poke around on this website.

 

(3) Personally, I would not set aside academics, or back up and put her in an easier program. I might lighten the load to a few key subjects, if she's still coping with high anxiety levels, but I think backing up into easier material will just reinforce the idea that she is "dumber" now. Worst thing you can do for a gifted perfectionist, IMHO. She needs to learn that it's normal to not instantly get something and to have to puzzle it out, and she needs the tools and the confidence to do that (to, as Kimber put it in another thread, "eat the elephant one bite at a time"). You're using MM, right? I'd just do one page/day ~ don't even worry about trying to "catch up." Just sit with her and walk her through it one step at a time, show her how smart she is and that she can understand these concepts. Use manipulatives if she wants, or let her draw her answers in pictures. Let her answer orally while you scribe, if that would help. Try using videos and documentaries for history and science, with good, meaty discussions afterwards ~ ask lots of questions that will get her to think, but as if it's part of a conversation, not a quiz, KWIM? My DS really needs challenging, stimulating material to keep him engaged (if he's bored, he just "checks out" and retains absolutely nothing), but unless the material is inherently very visual he also needs a lot of support ~ and continual reminders that not "getting it" instantly doesn't mean he's stupid!

 

(4) I think you have a nutritionist you work with? So I'm guessing you've already looked into possible foods that might make her anxious and/or spacey (wheat and dairy really impact DS; we use enzymes, which seem to help) and any vitamin/mineral supplements that might help (fish oil & vit D seem to help here).

 

(5) Don't worry too much! This is a puzzle, but you can find the answer. You just need to eat that big ol' pachyderm one bite at a time. :)

 

:grouphug:

Jackie

 

:iagree: with all this! By the way, in addition to auditory processing issues, ocular motor issues are also a subset of SPD. It's not uncommon to see these types of issues in kids with SPD.

 

My advice is to get an eval with a good neuropsych who is experienced with 2E kids, and also to rule out vision issues (vision issues are cheaper and easier to rule out than auditory, or so it seems). I skimmed most of the posts, but I just wanted to throw out there that people with adhd are often visual learners (e.g. http://www.visualspatial.org/ ).

[kmacnchs]

It's called hyperlexia and is associated with autism spectrum disorders.

 

oh, but that's when they read but do not comprehend right? dd1 comprehends fully, so hopefully I shouldn't worry?

[EKS]

oh, but that's when they read but do not comprehend right? dd1 comprehends fully, so hopefully I shouldn't worry?

 

Many times they don't comprehend well.

 

If there are no other signs of being on the autism spectrum, I wouldn't worry. How are her social skills? How is her speech?

[prairiegirl]

Carmen, I haven't read all of the responses so forgive me if I am repeating someone else's thoughts.

 

My dd (who will soon be 11) was exactly like your dd. My dd started the reading process when she was 3, she was doing gr. 1 math when she was 4, etc. Then she started plateauing. This didn't really bother me as I had read that this sometimes happens to kids who do academic things early. But as she got older, things started to get harder for her. Math was especially hard for her. Math time was always accompanied with tears and gnashing of teeth (hers and mine :D.) Then she started saying that she was stupid and couldn't do anything right. It was as if things had always come so easy for her and now she didn't know how to handle it when things were harder. She didn't know how to work hard for things.

 

Two years ago, it came to my attention that my ds (9) was dyslexic. I read the characteristic list for dyslexia and tears started to stream down my face. This list was like reading about my dd. After reading more about dyslexia, I realized that she has dyslexia! I was flabbergasted! This kid could read and read very well. After really studying her reading skill, it came to me that she learned to read by memorizing all of the words, even though I taught her to read phonetically, she bypassed that and memorized everything. As she got older and had to do more difficult things, her brain mutinied because she wasn't able to handle this. Dd's dyslexia comes out more in math. This is why there is always tears.

 

I am not saying to you that your dd has dyslexia but I am saying that there is probably more to this. Take the time to read about the various learning challenges and see if anything tweaks at your heart.

 

:grouphug: to you!

[kmacnchs]

Many times they don't comprehend well.

 

If there are no other signs of being on the autism spectrum, I wouldn't worry. How are her social skills? How is her speech?

 

her speech is and has always been fine. her 'r's become 'w's a lot but I thought that may be normal for a 3yo. social skills? bossy as anything but she is the first child... not bossy with non-siblings. Doesn't talk to strangers AT ALL but I figured she was just shy.