Need help w/reading comprehension, language, Aspie, PACE & NeuroNet (m)

[Sandra in FL]

Ds, was diagnosed last year (at age 8 - grade 2), with mild Asperger's. His IOWA scores were fine (reading - stanine 8, language - stanine 8 and math stanine 9). His processing speed and working memory was poor (relative to 121 IQ). Memory for Names (37th %), Memory for Faces (25th %) and Imitating Hands (16th %), Processing Speed - Coding (25th %).

 

We started NeuroNet last July, and he's doing well in the gross motor stuff (jumping jacks, candlesticks, ball toss). He's not doing well in the fine motor/processing speed stuff such as hearing a letter and writing both the letter and the letter after in boxes.

 

Fast forward a year, his IOWA scores came in this week. Math is still stanine 9, reading has dropped to stanine 5 and language to stanine 6. I expected a drop in the reading scores (maybe just not so soon :-) as the test moved from phonics/decoding to reading comprehension/inference. Is this something he (Asperger's) will always struggle with or is there something/program I can use to help him with reading comprehension?

 

We have been using Rod & Staff 3 and doing well but have hit a major snag with past participle. He just does not get begin/began/begun or swim/swam/swum (uses "has began" and "has swam" instead of "has begun" and "has swum." We've listened to a lot of books on tape (Ramona, E.B. White, Narnia, Harry Potter and now Lord of the Rings series) so it's not from not having heard proper English all his life. He did have serious speech issues when he was younger. Short of drilling (like a foreign language) all the forms of verbs, would you suggest anything else?

 

Lastly, since summer is here, and I have more time on my hands, my thoughts have crossed to having ds do PACE. Last year, I had originally been thinking of doing PACE but realized that he had sensory issues that needed work and eventually ended up going with NeuroNet. I am pleased with NeuroNet and plan to continue. Do you think that he should do PACE this year (turning 10 on August 30 and rising 4th grader)? I don't think there would be a conflict with NeuroNet (which only takes about 15 mins). Or should I wait until next summer?

 

Thanks for any and all comments/suggestions.

 

Blessings,

Sandra

[asta]

Ds, was diagnosed last year (at age 8 - grade 2), with mild Asperger's. His IOWA scores were fine (reading - stanine 8, language - stanine 8 and math stanine 9). His processing speed and working memory was poor (relative to 121 IQ). Memory for Names (37th %), Memory for Faces (25th %) and Imitating Hands (16th %), Processing Speed - Coding (25th %).

 

Ok, I'm responding as an Aspie who has spectrum friends and a quirky kid (in other words, I have no professional cred).

 

All of the stuff you just wrote is just "standard aspiness". Nothing weird going on there.

 

We started NeuroNet last July, and he's doing well in the gross motor stuff (jumping jacks, candlesticks, ball toss). He's not doing well in the fine motor/processing speed stuff such as hearing a letter and writing both the letter and the letter after in boxes.

 

Again, standard Aspie. It is incredibly difficult for some Aspies to hear something and then translate the auditory into the written. Painfully difficult. Think of it this way: have you ever had a really bad head cold? When your sinuses are all sloshy and your nasal passages are swollen? Then someone says something to you. You can see their lips moving, you can hear something... but your brain can't wrap around what it is they are saying. That is a pretty good analogy for what happens with the Aspie auditory/writing conflict.

 

Fast forward a year, his IOWA scores came in this week. Math is still stanine 9, reading has dropped to stanine 5 and language to stanine 6. I expected a drop in the reading scores (maybe just not so soon :-) as the test moved from phonics/decoding to reading comprehension/inference. Is this something he (Asperger's) will always struggle with or is there something/program I can use to help him with reading comprehension?

 

By and large, phonics suck in Aspie-land. truk is not Truck. Especially not with an IQ of 121 - words simply appear misspelled at that high of intelligence level - reading tends to be more sight driven. The Aspie mantra is "change is bad", ergo switching from phonics to, um ANYTHING else will cause the change you've noticed. (dang - sorry, that sounded really harsh. You understand all of this though, I know.)

 

I suspect that, as your kid has more access to real words (instead of the combo of truk and truck), this will even itself out. Additionally, he will start in on his aspie-obsessions (if he hasn't already) and want books on them. After that, the comprehension just kind of comes along (seeing as interest has to come before anything else, it seems...)

 

We have been using Rod & Staff 3 and doing well but have hit a major snag with past participle. He just does not get begin/began/begun or swim/swam/swum (uses "has began" and "has swam" instead of "has begun" and "has swum." We've listened to a lot of books on tape (Ramona, E.B. White, Narnia, Harry Potter and now Lord of the Rings series) so it's not from not having heard proper English all his life. He did have serious speech issues when he was younger. Short of drilling (like a foreign language) all the forms of verbs, would you suggest anything else?

 

Gently repeat the proper form following the improper form without harping:

 

"Mommy I has begun!"

 

"Yes honey, I have begun, also!"

 

Simple parroting will imprint the proper pattern over time. Drilling will bore him to tears, make him feel like a failure, and overload him.

 

Lastly, since summer is here, and I have more time on my hands, my thoughts have crossed to having ds do PACE. Last year, I had originally been thinking of doing PACE but realized that he had sensory issues that needed work and eventually ended up going with NeuroNet. I am pleased with NeuroNet and plan to continue. Do you think that he should do PACE this year (turning 10 on August 30 and rising 4th grader)? I don't think there would be a conflict with NeuroNet (which only takes about 15 mins). Or should I wait until next summer?

 

Thanks for any and all comments/suggestions.

 

Blessings,

Sandra

 

I'm not familiar with PACE, and only know of NeuroNet from their website. I tend to lean towards "what works for me and my kid and shows positive results" rather than "they say this will work".

 

I don't know if any of this helps. Take care.

 

 

asta

[...................]

1.My ds needs sight and phonics, because umm...phonics has been good for his spelling but nearly completely useless for reading. Really. This after 2 years of intensive phonics...soo...that is what it is for us.

 

2. I think ACE would be great for most Aspies- except that you might get more headway letting him read what he's interested in. For instance space is on the major obsession list with my guy right now and we found "First graders from Mars" level 2 reader. It was a little too hard, but boy was that a find. I hope he can read it before he moves onto the next obsession.

 

3. As far as reading comprehension- If you've dropped sight word approach, then your son's reading level probably dropped because of that. I think maybe you can pick up some sight word flashcards again. I put mine on a ring, and put a green dot whenever he gets the word *immediately*...five dots and the card is removed and replaced. He loves it. Of course we are still doing phonics, but really, to me the phonics is for spelling, not reading. For my son they really are separate things, and I suspect spelling will be a bit of a struggle at times.

 

Those are my only thoughts. He sounds normal, for an aspie. :)