HELP! Does she even hear me??

[Xuzi]

Something keeps coming up during my history lessons with DD that is starting to concern me. She's always had trouble focusing and staying on task, but when it comes to listening to history it's as if she completely checks out. She'll be sitting there, looking like she's listening (and I try to engage her by having her repeat back the names of important places and people mentioned in the reading, and showing/drawing pictures of what it is we're talking about, and reading in as dramatic a voice as I can) but when it comes time to ask her questions, or have her give her oral narration of what we just read, it's as if she hadn't heard a single world. She very rarely can answer a question without my having to go back to the paragraph that has the answer in it, and having her listen for it.

 

I've tried letting her color or play with a quiet toy while listening, since I myself often "listen" better when I have something physical to do while I listen, but it doesn't seem to help. I'm at a loss as to what to do with her.

 

She HAS had a hearing test done, and even had an IEP for a few years (went to Early Intervention Pre-school) because she was such a late talker. She doesn't always struggle with answer questions though, and if I ask her questions about what happened in a bedtime story I just finished reading to her, she can answer them just fine (and often when the history chapter includes a story, she can answer questions about the story). It seems to be the more fact-driven reading that she has a hard time processing.

 

Anybody have any clue on what I can do to help her?

[PeterPan]

Interestingly, we have a thread going on this very thing on the special needs board. You should head on over. Apraxia (motor control cause of late speech) is rarely the only thing going on.

[JudoMom]

I think this is fairly normal. She probably just doesn't find it interesting, so she checks out. At least, this has been my experience at different times with all of my boys (and they were all early talkers). They're looking at me, paying attention, I finish and ask them a question about it and they look at me like I've got an extra head. I wouldn't be concerned, especially since she's able to narrate fictional stories.

 

I would just keep plugging along. She'll improve over time. Stop after every paragraph or couple of sentences and ask her a question. Before you start reading, let her know that you'll be asking her the name of the king, or some other detail, so she's listening for that.

[PeterPan]

Try having her narrate or visualize something she *is* interested in, and see if the problem is still there. (retell a favorite movie) See how she narrates what she reads vs. what she hears. You can tease it out a bit. The same language issues she had earlier can continue to show up as initiation and processing and output problems later. It's not your imagination.

[Chris in VA]

I agree with OhE--

 

One thing that helped my dd was letting her read over my shoulder. Seeing the words helped her retain them.

[QumaCote]

I think both Elizabeth and JudoMom have great ideas, and I will do what JudoMom does. However, one thing I have done that helped both of my children tremendously is to play the CDs. We listen to the CD in the car, and I have them listen in their room while playing. Generally they have already listened to the chapter 2 - 3 times before I read it to them and ask them questions. This has also seemed to help with long-term retention. I do not do the entire chapter in one day. I read a section (after they have heard it on CD), and then we do the questions and narration. I usally read the entire chapter again after we have finished the map work, questions, and narrations. I highly recommend all the wonderful book sections in the Activity Guide to aid in retention.

 

Good Luck!

[Dolphin]

We just got the SOTW3 on audio and I am wishing that I had not waited so long. My ds is older so what he is doing is listening to it, and reading along at the same time. Then he listens to it again while he is doing the coloring page.

 

I think it is helping for 2 reasons.

1. we loaded it on his ipod, so that automatically makes it cool.

2. It is not my voice. I wonder if he needs a break from me, the same voice teaching him everything. He loves it, it is some variety.

 

Nicole

[boscopup]

My first grade boy (who was in the normal range for talking - started talking at 2, but was easily understandable by 3) also does this with history and really any passage where the text is just a bit over his head, I think. If I read him a passage that's more first-grade friendly, he'll remember every little detail. If I read out of SOTW, he will remember a tiny bit, but not nearly as much. And as I mentioned in a WWE thread yesterday, when we hit Rumpelstiltzken in WWE1 and the language used was way above his head, he just totally checked out and could not even answer the question when I read the sentence over again, emphasizing the word he was looking for. :banghead: I also had this issue today when I read the first case of Encyclopedia Brown to him, and he just could NOT answer some of the questions I was asking (not to mention that the logic of how the case was solved was just not clicking... I had to explain it a gazillion times before he finally sort of looked like he might understand...maybe. I'm putting that book away and giving him another year or two to mature).

 

Really, this whole week, it has been :banghead::banghead::banghead:, and it has all been cases where I think the language used was just a bit more than he was ready for. I think SOTW is fine for him, but I just need to hold his hand a LOT more and do a lot of what JudoMom suggested to help him along. I think part of my problem is that my son reads at a 4th grade level, but he still thinks like a first grader. I just have to remember that. :tongue_smilie:

[PeterPan]

BTW, I meant those suggestions as interesting ways to see the nuances of comprehension and processing, not as accomodations. To me it's still an issue if a dc doesn't visualize or comprehend properly auditorily.

[rwilliams]

Have her do some type of movement/gross motor activity right before history. Transition with a calming story of high interest that is short. Then proceed with history. Stop periodically and summarize to her what you just read in your own words having her fill in the blanks or act out sometype of action to jog her memory. Help her to develop "pegs" to hand the info on. During your summarizing part have her stop coloring and look at you. Try to add some type of movement to your summary. Then when you are trying to narrate or recall at the very end you can use your action movement to help her remember the parts of the story. Bascially the way to store memory is to make it meaningful and link it to the sensory system or an emotion. If you can do this with history, recall will be better.

[AnnaM]

As a PP said maybe she is just bored? Mine are 6 and 7 this year and we dont do much for formal history. Even what we do they find tedious. What about trying some lapbooks where she is engaged and doing the work hands on? Or even consider skipping formal lessons in history an just take an occassional field trip or something?

[ondreeuh]

It's not necessarily a big concern - some people just aren't auditory learners. I can't stand to listen to long stories because I can't keep focused. I am very much a visual learner though. If she's reading, you could let her follow along while you read aloud.

[MrsMe]

If dd is 6 as specified on your siggy line, I really don't think a 6 year old really gets it or can apply history, therefore tunes out. I wouldn't worry about it. History is only topping at this point.