Why are people so afraid of being "behind"? Vent.

[SuperDad]

<snip>

As to what "behind" means, it's disingenuous to pretend we don't know that there is an accepted range at which a typically developing child is able to acquire certain skills with care and instruction. Yes, there are "late bloomers," but delays are often indicative of a problem and problems are best treated early.

The bolded is exactly what I am trying to say is not necessarily true.

[Spy Car]

The bolded is exactly what I am trying to say is not necessarily true.

 

Right. Most often being "behind" is due to educational neglect.

 

Sometimes it is because of learning disabilities that are either overlooked, or are just going to lead to learning difficulties in the best case scenario. When learning difficulties are the cause it is better to act early.

 

Sometimes it is a matter of the type of learning approach not being a good one for the child (and/or teacher/parent).

 

And most rarely it is a developmental stage a child will grow out of. Unfortunately the homeschool world seems to "bank" on this outlier option all too often as a reasonable explanation. It is a bad bet.

 

Bill

Edited May 14, 2012 by Spy Car
Missing an O

[Jean in Newcastle]

Right. Most often being "behind" is due to educational neglect.

 

Sometimes it is because of learning disabilities that are either overlooked, or are just going to lead to learning difficulties in the best case scenario.

 

Sometimes it is a matter of the type of learning approach not being a good one for the child (and/or teacher/parent).

 

And most rarely it is a developmental stage a child will grow out of. Unfortunately the homeschool world seems to "bank" on this outlier option all to often as a reasonable explanation. It is a bad bet.

 

Bill

 

:iagree:

[Kathryn]

The bolded is exactly what I am trying to say is not necessarily true.

 

I beg to differ. I didn't say always. I said often. Delays are often indicative of a problem, whether that problem be with the child or the environment. I agree with Bill here, I think it's a rare situation where significant delays are just a developmental stage to be outgrown. I think it's a bad bet as well, and a dangerous one.

[laundrycrisis]

Right. Most often being "behind" is due to educational neglect.

 

Sometimes it is because of learning disabilities that are either overlooked, or are just going to lead to learning difficulties in the best case scenario. When learning difficulties are the cause it is better to act early.

 

Sometimes it is a matter of the type of learning approach not being a good one for the child (and/or teacher/parent).

 

And most rarely it is a developmental stage a child will grow out of. Unfortunately the homeschool world seems to "bank" on this outlier option all too often as a reasonable explanation. It is a bad bet.

 

Bill

 

I beg to differ. I didn't say always. I said often. Delays are often indicative of a problem, whether that problem be with the child or the environment. I agree with Bill here, I think it's a rare situation where significant delays are just a developmental stage to be outgrown. I think it's a bad bet as well, and a dangerous one.

 

:iagree:

 

I have at times seen people who I think do jump the gun, panicking about their 4 yo not reading or their 6 yo not yet writing paragraphs. It can get a little silly. But when a child is well into the typical age range for a specific grade, and not able to grasp concepts and make progress in specific skills that a child in that grade would normally be expected to have, or whose progress only comes very slowly and with a lot of struggle, it needs to be looked into carefully. I think it is reckless to wait for "readiness" for very long after a child has reached the typical age for developing certain skills.

Edited May 14, 2012 by laundrycrisis

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've said this before on other threads but my situation with my dd10 was a combination of late-bloomer and educational neglect on my part. I really do think she is a late bloomer legitimately in some respects. But - for a number of reasons she was falling through the cracks in her math. I had to bring everything to a full stop and address my responsibility there head on before she started to progress. The problem was that she was getting frustrated with her own lack of understanding to the point where she was developing math phobia. I needed to put a stop to that. I don't know if what I did was considered "remedial" in the somewhat derogatory way it seems to be used in this thread, since I used Singapore Math. But I did back up in level, stepped up the use of manipulatives and slowed things down to a pace that did not progress until she did. She's still behind but I'm not concerned now because I know that she is being taught and challenged at the level that is most appropriate for her at this point. I will continue to help her to progress though and will not just throw up my hands and say that she's a late bloomer if she starts to stall.

[2_girls_mommy]

Oh but SuperDad, my experiences have been the exact opposite. I have not come across many homeschoolers who even care much about academics. There are those in the extreme opposite direction too.

 

ditto this in my RL experiences here...