Homeschooling6 Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I can't seem to find a website that focuses on memory processing. When I google I get lots of Auditory Processing Disorders. My oldest son 7th grade has a hard time processing information to make it stick. I don't even know where to begin. I'm having a hard time figuring things out because he does read well. At first it was hard for him. Phonics had too many rules and my son had a hard time. Now though, he can read very well. Math is what's hard for him and spelling. He is getting better with spelling. Math, he has a hard time remembering steps. For instance today, he asked what an improper fraction is. He learned this yesterday and has been introduced to improper fractions before. I explained it and he said, "Oh, yeah, I remember now, I just forgot." He does this with double digit sub. & add. Although he is finally getting it. Now it's long division, multiplications and fractions. He is getting better with the mult. & div. though. Just yesterday, he got all but four problems correct in math. Anyway, I don't know where to start. I've read so much and nothing fits this child because he does know how to read, he can comprehend what he reads and what I read, he can retell really good, he can write letters, etc. Oh, he forgets steps with diagramming too. When I had him take an online assessment it confirmed that he needs things in order. This is why textbooks work so well with him. SL, WP etc. scatter his brain. The test also mentioned that he is low on logic skills. It's not that I want to label Josh, but I want/need to know how to help him. Any thoughts, advice:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 I've also tried googline memory processing etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 what if he has weaknesses in active working memory. He has the information in memory but can't always pull it out when needed or can't hold on to it long enough to actually work with the information. If this is his problem, then the strategy would be to overteach/overlearn so that he doesn't have to think about what he is doing as the steps are more automatic. I'll keep thinking and see if something else comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 (edited) Thanks Janice, hmmm...... What about visual memory, but again, he can comprehend and read. It's math and spelling right now. Things have to be orderly too. Not only with school work but the way he makes things or how his room looks. When he was little, too much noise affected him. I remember being at the mall, we were having lunch and he had his hands over his ears, because it was too loud, but this doesn't seem to bother him anymore. It was never extreme. He could handle the sound of household appliances (blender etc.). Vacuuming noise doesn't bother him and playing guns and robbers with his friends doesn't bother him, so I don't think he has any sensory issues. I can't remember an incident right now but he has to do things in a certain way, but it's not everything, just random stuff. One time a was giving him a spoon to stir something, but he didn't take it because it wasn't the right color, he chose another stirring spoon. Things like that.:001_huh: Edited May 19, 2011 by Homeschooling6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 One of my kids has a hard time getting things into long term memory and then retrieving them when needed, although her working memory is fine. One of her recommended accomodations is to have procedures written out and available during school time. You can buy flip charts that have procedures for various math problems, grammar, etc. But it seems to be more effective to have the student write their own charts and procedures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Thanks Janice, hmmm...... What about visual memory, but again, he can comprehend and read. It's math and spelling right now.>>>> Reading may be more automatic for him so he doesn't have to actively pull from memory. Math and spelling aren't so he's constantly trying to use information in his memory and can't do that correctly. (I'm tossing things out to you but I really don't know what I'm talking about most of the time :lol: :lol: :lol: ) >>>>>Things have to be orderly too. Not only with school work but the way he makes things or how his room looks. When he was little, too much noise affected him. I remember being at the mall, we were having lunch and he had his hands over his ears, because it was too loud, but this doesn't seem to bother him anymore. It was never extreme. He could handle the sound of household appliances (blender etc.). Vacuuming noise doesn't bother him and playing guns and robbers with his friends doesn't bother him, so I don't think he has any sensory issues. I can't remember an incident right now but he has to do things in a certain way, but it's not everything, just random stuff. One time a was giving him a spoon to stir something, but he didn't take it because it wasn't the right color, he chose another stirring spoon. Things like that.:001_huh:>>>>> This mostly sounds like sensory issues which because many of these issues are co-morbid maybe part of the memory problems or they both together might be a symptom of something else. Has he ever been tested or evaluated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 Thanks Janice, hmmm...... What about visual memory, but again, he can comprehend and read. It's math and spelling right now.>>>> Reading may be more automatic for him so he doesn't have to actively pull from memory. Math and spelling aren't so he's constantly trying to use information in his memory and can't do that correctly. (I'm tossing things out to you but I really don't know what I'm talking about most of the time :lol: :lol: :lol: ) This makes sense, thanks! Things have to be orderly too. Not only with school work but the way he makes things or how his room looks. When he was little, too much noise affected him. I remember being at the mall, we were having lunch and he had his hands over his ears, because it was too loud, but this doesn't seem to bother him anymore. It was never extreme. He could handle the sound of household appliances (blender etc.). Vacuuming noise doesn't bother him and playing guns and robbers with his friends doesn't bother him, so I don't think he has any sensory issues. I can't remember an incident right now but he has to do things in a certain way, but it's not everything, just random stuff. One time a was giving him a spoon to stir something, but he didn't take it because it wasn't the right color, he chose another stirring spoon. Things like that.:001_huh:>>>>> This mostly sounds like sensory issues which because many of these issues are co-morbid maybe part of the memory problems or they both together might be a symptom of something else. Has he ever been tested or evaluated? He hasn't been tested. I want to test but am not sure where to start. Also, I don't want Josh, to feel like something is wrong with him. What if there are no 'labels'? Will he feel like he's just dumb? Even though he struggles, he is not depressed or down about it. He understands that things take longer for him to learn and is fine with that. I want it more for me. I want to understand what's going on in my son's brain:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacefully Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) . Edited November 20, 2012 by yllek typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 In your case, an ed psych or neuropsych evaluation would probably jumpstart the process a bit. Yes, an OT eval from someone who does a lot of sensory would be good. Like Yllek said, he probably has a combination of things. That ed psych or neuropsych (these are psychologists) will sort out each component. There indeed may be some therapy things they can do to help him. Working memory is something you can improve. Sensory issues affect working memory. He may need some vision therapy. But beyond that, it's time to start figuring out the issues so you can figure out what the best accommodations are. Like Lizzy said, you have accommodations now (learning how to live with himself and how to do the things he wants to do) AND he may qualify for accommodations later with college or standardized testing. We waited a long time to pursue any evaluations, and in hindsite it was just unnecessary to fear like that. It's not about labels. These people are about SOLUTIONS. The evaluations we've had, every time, have been life-altering as we start to realize what we can DO about it, why things are happening, rather than just being frustrated. And my dd has enjoyed them, because the practitioners could give voice to the things she was frustrated by. Your ds might appreciate it more than you anticipate, simply because someone will be validating what he's experiencing and putting words to it. As far as where to start, there should be a shelf of books at your library. The Mislabled Child, The Out of Sync Child, there are lots of good ones. Just get in that section of your library and start reading. Then talk with friends with SN kids to see where they went for their evals. And yes, you can read and still be dyslexic or have visual processing problems. It will show up in other ways. You can google stealth dyslexia and read at the COVD website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Someone recommended this the other day, and I have only looked at it briefly, but you might want to check it out: http://www.diannecraft.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6kids2luv Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 My ds (14) would forget lots of things. I couldn't tell him a list of things to do, he would forget steps when playing a game, steps in Math processes, etc. When getting ready to go to camp I had to say "go get 5 shirts"(very specific, single step instructions), he would head to his room & sometimes still come back wondering what it was he was supposed to get. Last year at our homeschool convention we felt prompted to sit in a workshop by a company called LearningRX. As they talked spoke, what they were describing fit my son. We decided to try it. They test cognitive skills, and he was very low in the area of executive processing skills, which includes working memory, attention, & processing speed. They set up brain training exercises specific to each persons needs. Then you work with a trainer and do exercises at home, for 12 weeks. He made very noticeable progress. It was a huge help! It was an extremely intense program for both of us, but so worth it. I too was very against giving him a label, and they really stressed to him and us that while weak cognitive skills are a learning disability, they are not an intelligence indicator. I like how Dianne Craft puts it, she says they are "smart kids with a learning glitch". Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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