Seems like it's time for a roll call . . .

[Mergath]

We just have our 3.5 yo dd. She has 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome. None of the expected intellectual disabilities as of yet, thankfully, but she has gross motor delays and her anxiety is getting progressively worse. She also either has epilepsy or shudder attacks- we have an appointment with a pediatric neurologist later this month to figure out which. She has trouble articulating words and is still in speech therapy, though she doesn't have an actual delay at this point.

 

We're just doing standard preschool stuff. :001_smile:

[cjshima]

DD 11 - dyslexia

 

Math - Teaching Textbooks 6

 

Barton Level 6

Winston Grammar

Word Roots Vocabulary

 

Goes to school 2 days a week for History and Science

 

Other activities: Awana, Taekwondo, Horseback riding

[Hikin' Mama]

14yo dyslexic daughter

 

We will begin high school next year, and that is currently causing me a great deal of anxiety!

[nitascool]

11 ds- oldest - Gifted, processing delays, and some anger issues not bad enough to be considered for a dx

10 ds- second - at age 5 SPD, ADHD Combined, Developmental Delays and Low Muscle Tone, at age 10 PDD-NOS

7 ds- third - dxed as neurotypical with some minor SPD behaviors

4 dd- forth - dxed as neurotypical with some minor SPD behaviors, and social awkwardness

 

The products we've used with most success are:

 

Phonics Pathways, Math U See, MCT's Grammar Series and Italics Handwriting by Barbara Getty & Inga Dubay

[ElizabethB]

I have been a volunteer phonics tutor since 1994, and many of my students have dyslexia or speech problems or ADHD or a combination of these things. While most of my students are children, I have also tutored a few adults. I use nonsense words, Webster's Speller, Blend Phonics, Marcia Henry's Words, School Phonics, and Recipe for Reading with my remedial students. I have dozens more phonics and spelling resources that I will occasionally use depending on the student's needs and preferences.

Edited February 4, 2012 by ElizabethB

[mom2jjka]

My middle daughter (age 9) has global apraxia. She has speech issues and tremors - as well as a bunch of other 'quirks.'

 

HOD is working well for her, as is R&S and ACE (she does best with mastery-based programs.)

She does work about a year behind grade level in all subjects, however.

[freeindeed]

Needs & age: Visual impairment & developmental delays; dd will be 4 in March

 

Methods: Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Waldorf mix

 

Other thoughts: The above methods work better than anything else, but she still struggles. Most of what she does is hand-over-hand. She is semi-verbal, but we are seeing some communication improvement. We adopted her from China two years ago, at which time she was on the developemental level of a three-month-old b/c they had done NOTHING to work with her. She is now like an average two-year-old, which makes sense b/c she's been with us for a little over two years. She is such a blessing to us, but some days I really struggle. I want so much for her, and sometimes I get scared that she won't achieve the things I long for her to be able to do.

[Renee in NC]

18yo - in college. Calls me multiple times a day. Alternately makes me laugh and shake my head, because he is a nut with no impulse control. His professors either love him or hate him. Severe testing issues (probably related to his ADHD) have placed him in remedial math, even though he did well in Pre-Calculus. HATES English, which he texts me about every M, W, and F.:001_huh::tongue_smilie:

 

almost 14yo - easily the most difficult child I have. I love him dearly, but that doesn't keep me from wanting to strangle him on a regular basis. He has anxiety, hyperfocus, sensory, and a total inability to handle change. Diagnosed "probable Asperger's" but he most likely won't qualify under the DSM V. My future mechanic, he already does things mechanically that most adults would never dream of (like taking the valve covers off of dh's truck and replacing the wiring harnesses on the fuel injectors.)

 

What is he using? ACE PACES and his new passion...Khan Academy. That last one was totally unexpected, but I am HAPPY about it. His obsession with earning points and badges has him spending 2+ hours a day on math. I won't complain, because all of a sudden the child who thought 5th grade math was too hard is doing just fine in Pre-Algebra topics.

 

almost 11yo - severe ADHD (that mostly affects cognitive abilities) and dyslexia. He is my artist and the sweetest one; he has a special affinity for old people.:D He plans to customize cars (body work) when he is older. His dry wit is legendary (and often quoted on FB by family members.)

 

He is using time4learning, but really gets into hands-on projects. Most recently a simple "how does bread mold" demonstration turned into a major study of how different breads mold (he was disturbed that even the damp white bread in the dark took almost a WEEK to mold!) We were using Barton, but are taking a break because it was SOOOO tedious for him.

 

9yo - APD and low working memory (does one cause the other? we don't know for sure.) My musical child who loves the violin and wants to read so badly! He isn't there yet, but after some intensive speech therapy, he can finally handle Earobics. A step in the right direction. All academics are so very hard for him. He plans to operate heavy equipment when he is older; for now he spends hours in the dirt pile.

 

Currently he is using Verbalizing and Visualizing, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and ACE PACES math. He has a speech therapist and an OT (and a violin teacher!)

 

7yo - She has never met a workbook that she didn't like.;) Extremely intelligent and academically focused, she struggles with the pure noise of her brothers! She loves to write and draw pictures of dresses. Plans to be a "hair cutter and cake baker" when she is grown...I doubt it, but we'll see.

 

She is currently using CLE, but we're on the search for something better for her.

 

5yo - tornado. Highly verbal and a smart aleck. She is possibly the funniest child I have met. She has been dubbed "most likely to come home with tattoos and a belly button ring."

 

She is using Rod and Staff workbooks, All About Reading Pre-Level 1, and whatever else she can find. She HATES drill, so the whole phonics thing isn't going well.:tongue_smilie:

 

2yo - attends preschool 2 days a week and has a speech therapist come to the house. Loves playing in the dirt with the 9yo (or sitting in my lap when I am teaching someone else.)

 

Welcome to my zoo!

[Guest]

I am relatively new to the SN forum and came on here trying to figure out certain things about my boys, mostly my oldest. I am not very comfortable posting certain things (behaviors etc. in our case), feeling I may be invading my boys' privacy by doing so, but have learned a lot from reading what others post here, and researching mostly through books but through the Internet as well.

 

Both my boys appear to have some SPD'S (from my side of the family at least, that I know of) but to my inexperienced mind they appear to be mild (I have them also). I have been researching Autism and ADHD for the most part and feel I may be seeing some traits at least, likely Aspergers. I am also looking into 2E and VSL, among other things.

 

I have not sought an evaluation because I can see clearly that given our system I will very likely just get the labels without any benefit to my boys and I am not prepared for the labels just yet, until I know how these may impact their future where we live, especially if the labels will give me no help in figuring out how to approach and address issues. So I am on my own for now, researching how to meet their needs and unique abilities, and hoping that perhaps some time in the near future we may afford a neuropsych eval.

 

We have not had any major issues with curricula we have used but I have made changes to some of our choices in order to best meet Adrian's learning style. Our curriculum choices are listed in our blog.

 

I am very eclectic in my approach to homeschooling and feel that there is benefit to be gained researching and learning about the various philosophies and educational approaches and then adapting them to our own family's needs. I am also not opposed to reading and following approaches used in the school system if I find that they make sense to me and so I have been reading books in order to make our homeschool space friendly and fun and not just geared towards academics. We are a very visual and tactile family, so I try to incorporate a lot of hands-on stuff for my boys and have been even more focused on that lately. OK, I am finished with my rambling now :tongue_smilie: and back to my lurking...

Edited February 2, 2012 by Guest

[Gisel_le]

What special needs and ages are you home educating?

 

What methods and materials are working?

 

Anything else you'd like to share?

 

My dd13 has mild CP with moderate brain damage. Mostly we just go r.e.a.l. slow, and she works below "grade level". We keep it basic, no frills.

 

My ds9 has Down syndrome. We use McRuffy K for math. We used 100EZ lessons for reading until he couldn't do it anymore, and we have just recently switched over to CLE's Learn to Read. We practice handwriting every day. We also hired a part-time tutor this semester to give me a break.

 

I also have 3 "typical" kids...9,3, and almost 2.

[Sharpie]

My ds, 6yo, was recently diagnosed with APD. He has been receiving speech therapy since he was 2. I'm currently researching all I can on APD, and mostly a lurker.

[WeeBeaks]

I lurk mainly but my oldest is 9-1/2 with ADHD and bipolar. He also tests gifted.

 

I don't have to modify his curricula much, just the methods under which I use it. His moods fluctuate wildly.

[prairiewindmomma]

I'm hesitant to share too many details because of crazy extended family who appear to have recently discovered the internet....but so far all of my children but my youngest have sn. My youngest is probably gifted like two of his or her siblings, but has not been evaluated.

[LenasMommy07]

I have a daughter who is 5 years old and is special needs. She is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, Dyspraxia (motor planning disorder), sensory integration disorder, mild expressive and articulation disorder and low muscle tone. She tests as gifted though.

 

We currently use Nancy Larson's homeschool science kit kindergarten, Earlybird Mathematics Kindergarten, Handwriting without Tears, Sarah & David Hebrew and Click'n reading looney tunes phonics. My daughter loves everything we are using this year. She loves school.

 

She also gets occupational therapy 3x times a week, speech 1x a week, physical therapy 2x a week, play therapy 1x a week, and gymnastics 1x a time.

[Quiver0f10]

12 yo Ds: Low IQ, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, poor working memory/recall, fine & gross motor delays and a seizure disorder.

 

 

• Barton Reading and Spelling
  
• WWE/IEW ( We just started IEW)
  
• FLL
  
• HWT
  
• MUS
  
• Real Science 4 Kids Physics
  
• TOG Year 4 UG
  
• OT and PT weekly. He had 6 years of ST a year of VT.
  

7 yo Ds: He has not been formally diagnosed yet, but I am pretty confident he has dyslexia and ADHD

 

 

• Barton Reading and Spelling ( Just starting)
  
• WWE
  
• FLL
  
• HWT
  
• CLE Math
  
• Real Science 4 Kids Physics
  
• TOG Year 4 LG
  

 

Edited February 3, 2012 by Quiver0f10

[RockstarMom]

8yo son adopted as a toddler, mild attachment issues, ADHD.

 

5yo son currently in public preK though we do a lot of K work at home. We suspect he is 2E, dx ADHD with impulse control issues, emotional developmental delays, probably other stuff going on. Super, super smart, huge vocab. Not an early reader.

 

Planning grade three now. Going to use as much tech, screen and gadgets as I can because he responds well to that! The iPad app threads in this forum have changed my life ;) Thank you!!!

 

Also, 24mo daughter who is picking up on all this stuff quickly. I love that!!

[westcoastmom]

10 year old, DCD, SPD, strabismus, possible Aspergers

 

8.5 yr old, PDD-NOS (Autistic Spectrum Disorder)

 

7 yr old likely gifted

[dtsmamtj]

My learning challenged children are:

 

14 - CAPD/PDD-NOS - spectrum /language delayed

12 - language delay issues/memory issues

8 - Down Syndrome

 

My other 4 are typical learners - we use a wide variety of things depending on weakness and strengths.

[RamonaQ]

12 yo ds--Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, 2E

 

What has worked in the past:

-vision therapy with combined Lexia/ sight word training

- Reading remediation working with a tutor who used a version of LIPS/ Wilson

-Verticy

 

Now, ds pretty much does a traditional work load with accomodations (reduced math, typing and Text-to-Speech).

= Calvert Math 7

= Pandia Press History Odyssey Level 2

= Engineering/ Robotics class at Homeschool Resource Center

= HS level ASL 101 at Homeschool Resource Center

=Lightening Literature 7

=Verticy Writing/Grammar Red (pretty much completed). We are transitioning into IEW.

[EKS]

I homeschooled my older son for almost 9 years, from about 3/4 of the way through 1st grade to halfway through 10th grade. He just started attending a private IB school in January.

 

We started homeschooling because he had trouble learning just about everything. He received many diagnoses before we finally received the one diagnosis that explains everything: dyslexia. The other diagnoses were: CAPD, SPD, Asperger's (later undiagnosed), visual issues requiring VT, and ADHD. He is also highly gifted, but that wasn't confirmed until he was in 7th grade.

 

Things that helped: one-on-one instruction (this is by far the most important), OT, VT, Audiblox, REWARDS.

[Heathermomster]

I homeschooled my older son for almost 9 years, from about 3/4 of the way through 1st grade to halfway through 10th grade. He just started attending a private IB school in January.

 

We started homeschooling because he had trouble learning just about everything. He received many diagnoses before we finally received the one diagnosis that explains everything: dyslexia. The other diagnoses were: CAPD, SPD, Asperger's (later undiagnosed), visual issues requiring VT, and ADHD. He is also highly gifted, but that wasn't confirmed until he was in 7th grade.

 

Things that helped: one-on-one instruction (this is by far the most important), OT, VT, Audiblox, REWARDS.

 

Good job Mom!!

 

Would you please share what writing and grammar programs that you used with your DS? Also, what was your approach to math?

 

Blessings, Heather

[peacefully]

.

[Tiramisu]

Ds (7) has Developmental Coordination Disorder (dyspraxia), Sensory Processing Disorder, Expressive Language Disorder, working memory deficits (largely remediated), visual-motor and visual-processing deficits (mostly remediated), hypotonia, slow processing, food and environmental allergies. He's probably 2E and VSL, and he also fits many of the descriptors for stealth dyslexia.

 

 

What has worked for us:

 

• occupational therapy

• vision therapy

• speech and language therapy (which addressed auditory processing, working memory, articulation, expressive language, and motor planning)

• physical therapy

• AAS (modified with Words Their Way activities)

• heavy use of math manipulatives and Singapore Primary Math (Standards ed.)

• MCT Grammar, Grammarland, grammar picture books

• Brave Writer Foundations in Writing online class (for copywork and dictation)

• Games for Writing by Peggy Kaye

• K12 history

• physical activities including martial arts, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, horse riding, hiking

• educational technology—audiobooks, iPad apps, documentaries

• interest-led science

• weekly field trips and bi-monthly nature class

• nutritional support—GAPS diet, omega-3 supplements (we use cod liver oil), therapeutic doses of probiotics, juicing, supplements, homeopathy

   

   

 

 

Long time, no see, Kelly. I hope you and yours are doing well. :grouphug:

[peacefully]

.

[Finnella]

My DS is about to turn 13; we started homeschooling a little over a year ago.

 

He's an Aspie with ADD, and he's 2E. When I pulled him out of school, I discovered he hadn't progressed much beyond his third grade curriculum. I had expected that in math, but it was an unpleasant shock in other areas.

 

We're working through MUS (almost finished with Gamma), R&S5, SOTW 3, HWT cursive, and Apples & Pears Book 2. We're also doing science and logic, but the curricula listed seem to be working particularly well. It's a big improvement over last year, as we stumbled around trying to find things that worked and discovering additional things he hadn't learned.

 

His older brother is in 10th grade and still in public school. He's straight up gifted and wanted to stay in ps. He does envy his brother some days though.

[huntchaos]

My oldest is high functioning autistic with ADHD and OCD in there as well. Technically, our Ed psych said that autism does not come with other diagnosis but, in reality, most of them do... I don't really get the diagnostic stuff. But, it is nice having it as a problem solving place to start with our son and other people who work with him.

 

He loves independent, workbooky curricula. Very different than what I did before - but I am getting better at doing that with him. He does well with all language arts. We found he needed a mastery math program and are back to using math mammoth after a flirtation with TT.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Lisa with a 16yo Aspie (I'm sticking to calling it that) and a 10 yo with vision / memory issues. I don't post here too often. 16 yo goes to PS. He's exceptionally academically bright but is socially very awkward. My 10 yo is behind in writing. We're just starting IEW very slowly and doing basic memory card games.

[funnygirl]

He's an Aspie with ADD, and he's 2E. When I pulled him out of school, I discovered he hadn't progressed much beyond his third grade curriculum. I had expected that in math, but it was an unpleasant shock in other areas.

 

Isn't this frustrating?? We are going through the same thing with my dd13 and her writing. As I think back, we were so overwhelmed by her behavioral issues that we didn't pay much attention to academics unless a teacher brought it up, which they rarely did. Now I'm finding that she has limited skills and I'm wondering how in the world she passed her writing classes for the past two years?? UGH.

[Finnella]

Isn't this frustrating?? We are going through the same thing with my dd13 and her writing. As I think back, we were so overwhelmed by her behavioral issues that we didn't pay much attention to academics unless a teacher brought it up, which they rarely did. Now I'm finding that she has limited skills and I'm wondering how in the world she passed her writing classes for the past two years?? UGH.

 

I've often wondered how my DS did so well in school. He even did well on the standardized tests. We didn't hear much about the academic issues (beyond his poor organizational skills) until he hit 6th grade. I wish I knew what had been going on all that time.