Math facts for VPD

[cajunrose]

My daughter has Convergence insufficiency and a few other things with her eyes that have been fixed. She still has a ton of trouble with memorizing things...spelling, math facts, etc. We have been working on the 2's, 9's and 5's this week and she still looks at them blankly. I get so aggravated because she can have them memorized one day and then forget the next.

 

Would be completely off base to give her a chart with the answers so that math can go faster? I don't know what else to do. We drill all the time!!!

[fiddle]

Does your daughter have any other issues (LDS, etc.) other than her vision issues? We have a lot of issues with the memorizing of math facts and lack of retention of concepts from one day to the next, but my daughter has dyslexia and we know it's part of her what will be an ongoing issue and struggle for her. She also has terrible issues with spelling and writing and has dysgraphia. Her retention on spelling is not good and she can't memorize the spelling rules with most programs, so we're using Sequential Spelling for now.

 

FYI: We pulled our daughter out of ps this last Fall and is our 1st year homeschooling, but we put her back a year in math because she just did not retain addition/subtraction, etc. We're using MUS (b/c it's kinesthetic), those triangle math fact cards (b/c they appeal to her visually and also for her to see the patterns), and xtramath online. It's going slowly, but we're coming along making progress.

 

Paula

[PeterPan]

Like Paula, I'm going to suggest that it's your clue phone ringing that she's probably going to need further evals, sorry. When the eyes are fixed, they're fixed. What you're left with are LDs, learning differences, however you want to think of 'em. We didn't get our eval till this year (age 12), and honestly that was about the stupidest thing I ever did, waiting so long. The answers were there with some simple testing. Took a month to get into the psych, 2 days of testing, two weeks to get the results back. Tons of answers.

 

Yes give her the charts, but go ahead and get the testing too. When things aren't sticking and you're wanting answers, the neuropsychologist is how you get to the bottom of it. Her eyes are fixed, so that doesn't explain what's going on. There are lots of books you can read too (No Mind Left Behind, Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World, Dyslexic Advantage, etc.), but the main thing is to get the testing done. You can guess all day and be wrong. They can look at processing speed and break down all sorts of facets that you're only guessing at right now.

[cajunrose]

She has not been diagnosed with dyslexia. Her eyes are fine now but she is almost 9 and has the reading comprehension of a 1st grader...makes it VERY frustrating for her.

 

We are using horizons math and she does VERY well with it...she just needs to memorize math facts...her not knowing is making the fractions hard and the division, etc. Makes me want to pull my hair out.

 

Is sequential spelling working well for you? When I look at it, it scares me...I don't think my dd would do wel with it at all.

Edited May 15, 2012 by cajunrose

[cajunrose]

I am on the fence on further testing. When is enough enough and it's just a maturity thing? When do you put your foot down and say 'we fixed one problem, maybe there is another?' I am REALLY torn. We spent thousands and thousands on VT and are still at square one. It's a battle I face daily...further testing vs letting her grown into it.

 

One thing is...isn't this why we homeschool? To give them wings to fly when they need them (my daughter is VERY good at conceptual math, science and history) and stepping stones when they need them instead? BUT the other reason we homeschool is to catch problems when they arise. This is a problem. Finding my daughter crying on the floor of barnes and nobel because she is heartbroken she can't read the 7 and up books is a problem. I just have no idea what to do. I know that math facts is just one part of the problem.

 

From my understanding, math facts, spelling and reading comp. are all part of visual memory. I need to work on improving that I think but don't know where to start. *sigh*

Edited May 15, 2012 by cajunrose

[PeterPan]

Did you go back and redo phonics using an OG-style curriculum after her VT? You may need to for that reading. SWR, AAS, LOE, WRTR, any of them would work. I see you asking about sequential spelling. That won't help the reading problem. If you go to an OG-style program, you're going to improve the spelling and reading with *one* program.

 

Give her the math table and let her use it. Her visual memory will kick in, and that will be fine. I'd be much more worried about the reading, personally. Those math facts have taken YEARS to get solid and faster for us. It might be your expectations on that are going to be unrealistic for her. And yes, a dc can be THAT bright that the concepts are easy but struggle THAT much with 5+8. My dd has almost a 60% spread between her IQ and processing speed. She takes a long time to crunch through stuff and requires a LOT of repetition with a LOT of modalities for anything to stic. And then recalling it quickly, especially if stressed, is even less likely to happen. The processing speed just isn't there. Inadequate processor and way too small RAM. But the way she thinks is very mathematical and bright, and her problem-solving is fabulous. She's just infuriating to watch the whole way there. You're only just starting into this, lol. Add some hormones and puberty in. There's a reason I gave up and put her into TT. ;)

 

Get her evaluated by a neuropsych. You have good reason to, and it will help you sort this out.

[PeterPan]

Your model is incomplete. Learning uses visual memory, but it's not the ONLY thing it uses. Read Dyslexic Advantage where the Eides explain about the brain structure and the mini-columns and WHY it takes so long to make connections and pathways. The flipside is that when these kids make the connections, they are so much more creative and spread among all their learning. Sometimes when kids math the pathways quickly, they just pigeonhole the information. Our kids make connections while they meander trying to get it to stick. It means they are very, very creative with the information and applications and seeing how things connect.

 

I know you're weary. Get over it. No she's not going to outgrow this. If you wait, I can promise you you'll only KICK yourself. You want to know what's really going on. The one thing you could do now that would make a difference is some OG. You really need to go back and do that and see what you can improve on that reading. But no, it's time to get the testing. When you're this frustrated, it's time to get the answers, and I can guarantee you the tester, if he's a good one, will have them. Take your time, find someone you feel really confident in. It was a cathartic experience for us. I got to go in and lay out my long litany of things that were going wrong and things I BETTER HAVE EXPLAINED by the end of this, and the man just sat their like Freud, calmly noting it all. Sometimes there's a lot of frustration for a mom to get off her chest, kwim? There's absolutely no reason to go through that alone and wonder and think it's you and be pulling her hair out or yours. 6 hours of testing, some money down the drain, and 2 week wait, and you'll have your answers.

[FairProspects]

From my understanding, math facts, spelling and reading comp. are all part of visual memory. I need to work on improving that I think but don't know where to start. *sigh*

 

These can also be part of dyslexia, or NVLD. Our neuropyschs said I could drill math facts all day long with ds and he still might not get them until algebra. You have to address the problem in the right manner to see results. We're now using mnemonics and charts for facts while moving on conceptually and math is going so, so much better. You really need the evals to know how to help and what direction to pursue. Otherwise you might as well be banging your head into the wall of the LD over and over.

[PeterPan]

Or add to FP's list ADHD. That's why you get the testing, because you're beating against *something* and need to know *what*. How you approach them is different, and there are *interventions* for some of them that you'd like to know about now rather than later.

[cajunrose]

Did you go back and redo phonics using an OG-style curriculum after her VT? You may need to for that reading. SWR, AAS, LOE, WRTR, any of them would work. I see you asking about sequential spelling. That won't help the reading problem. If you go to an OG-style program, you're going to improve the spelling and reading with *one* program.

 

We used AAS but only got past level 2. There was no retention in it. She could pass the tests but would spell the same words wrong 3 hours later while writing her book (yes, she writes books and does quite well with the storyline but spelling/grammar are a whole different ballgame).

[FairProspects]

Trust me, I have been where you are with the VT & OT saying ds was ready to graduate and the problems were fixed, and him still having issues learning. That is the moment you realize the physical problems are gone, but there is still an LD that will need to be accommodated.

[cajunrose]

Or add to FP's list ADHD. That's why you get the testing, because you're beating against *something* and need to know *what*. How you approach them is different, and there are *interventions* for some of them that you'd like to know about now rather than later.

 

See, that's what I thought we were doing when we went through VT. Was all of that time and money spent for nothing? Did I chase the wrong rabbit hole? Yes, I'm kicking myself. I just don't know where to turn. I have a daughter that LOVES the idea of reading..loves being read to and her favorite place to be is in a library or bookstore. I don't want to kill that. I'm so scared of killing that want to read by chasing another diagnosis. Will she hate me for all of this testing and stuff later on? Can you see the internal battle I'm having?

[Heathermomster]

My daughter has Convergence insufficiency and a few other things with her eyes that have been fixed. She still has a ton of trouble with memorizing things...spelling, math facts, etc. We have been working on the 2's, 9's and 5's this week and she still looks at them blankly. I get so aggravated because she can have them memorized one day and then forget the next.

 

Would be completely off base to give her a chart with the answers so that math can go faster? I don't know what else to do. We drill all the time!!!

 

How the Brain Learns Mathematics by Sousa and Overcoming Dyslexia by Shaywitz are both excellent books.

 

For free dyslexia screening, call your local Scottish Rite Center and make an appointment.

 

Since your DD has been struggling with her vision, it is unrealistic to expect her to read and do math problems quickly. For the math, you will need to slow down, limiting the review to one number fact per lesson. There are a certain number of pre-skills that should be in place before even considering multiplication, division, or fractions. The author Ronit Bird discusses this.

 

As your DD learns to read, she needs to also be read aloud to or have access to audio books. Ultimately, your DD needs extra time without pressure to perform quickly. Give lots of hugs. Make the process as pleasurable as possible. Use multisensory techniques. Incorporate clapping and singing when doing memory work or use pictures. Scribe for

her.

 

One-Michelle recently posted about a $3 learning styles test over at the Homeschool Coop. Perhaps you may want to consider having your DD take the test. It's just a thought.

 

Blessings, Heather

[PeterPan]

Yeah, we won't even go into the joys of spelling, lol. Ok, we will. When my dd was those ages I did 3-4 programs or methods, every single day. We would do a spelling workbook, and SWR, and the Calvert spelling on computer, and a 1/2 page or full page of dictation. Every. Single. Day. And can she spelling today? Hehe, well if she's in mode, she can turn it on. When she's out of mode, it can be really terrible. And she tests pretty close to grade level, up or down a bit. Haven't tested her in a while, but I imagine that score has gone down this year frankly.

 

So I totally get what you're talking about. At this age it's a battle worth fighting, because you're doing something else in the process which is showing them the *value* of it, helping them discover that they *can* know when it's right or wrong (turning that on and off when they want to). And it's normal not to have it carry over. But that "not carrying over" is probably not absolute. If her carrying over is below her focused spelling knowledge by 50%, then every bit you move her forward is still more she can apply more naturally when she's *not* focused. It's still worth the effort.

 

As far as getting the carryover, dictation was it for us. Alas it really aggravated the handwriting and hand pain thing, a catch 22. Teach her to type, lol. Seriously, I read something recently saying that typing was the best thing for LD kids' spelling (in a foreign or native language) because it adds the *kinesthetic* memory to the spelling.

 

Keep working on it, but no you're not going to find one magical thing. SWB calls it "nibbled to death by ducks." You just keep working at it gently and taking little bites, lots of ways, lots of situations. Make it a team effort and make it easy for her to ask for help. I decided I'd much rather my dd had her brain turned on and was asking for help rather than dig into some position where she better get it right or use a dictionary (too tedious, too slow). I did get her a spelling dictionary, which is fine too. They're faster than regular dictionaries.

 

That's so sweet that she enjoys writing! Have you thought about doing a useful twist with your spelling words? She might respond well to the word lists in Logic of English, SWR, or the Spelling Dictation Resource book by Susan Anthony. Go over the words then challenge her to see how many of them she can use in a story. That would be fun and turn on her brain to carrying over. Fill a bowl with m&ms and reward her with one every time she asks how to spell a word. You're turning on her brain to the idea that she can self-analyze whether she knows it or not. Also, for some really different methods of working on spelling via visualization, get that Freed book. Your library should have it.

[Heathermomster]

See, that's what I thought we were doing when we went through VT. Was all of that time and money spent for nothing? Did I chase the wrong rabbit hole? Yes, I'm kicking myself. I just don't know where to turn. I have a daughter that LOVES the idea of reading..loves being read to and her favorite place to be is in a library or bookstore. I don't want to kill that. I'm so scared of killing that want to read by chasing another diagnosis. Will she hate me for all of this testing and stuff later on? Can you see the internal battle I'm having?

 

:grouphug:

Correcting the vision problems has been a huge blessing to your child. You are not going to kill your DD's love of learning or reading. You have not chased the the wrong rabbit hole. Take a breather Mom. You are doing a great job. There are many, many ways to accommodate your child's learning during this interim time.

[PeterPan]

See, that's what I thought we were doing when we went through VT. Was all of that time and money spent for nothing? Did I chase the wrong rabbit hole? Yes, I'm kicking myself. I just don't know where to turn. I have a daughter that LOVES the idea of reading..loves being read to and her favorite place to be is in a library or bookstore. I don't want to kill that. I'm so scared of killing that want to read by chasing another diagnosis. Will she hate me for all of this testing and stuff later on? Can you see the internal battle I'm having?

 

My lands, does it have to be ONE problem??? Of course she needed the VT. You weren't on a rabbit trail there. But that was the eyes and those pathways. Now you've got overall brain stuff. It's both, not one or the other, mercy, lol.

 

How she responds to it is dependent on you and what you do with it. My dd didn't enjoy VT, but she's really glad for it now. Kids want to feel whole, happy, and loved. They want to be successful. They want to be able to do the work we give them. When they can't do the work, they get frustrated. These evaluations put *words* to the things that are frustrating him, and so a good eval can make the dc feel much BETTER. Finally someone gets what the child couldn't put into words.

 

You aren't even close to making your dc feel like a therapied and doctored scientific guinea pig yet, mercy. It could happen, but you're not even close. Get the evals and don't sweat it. Maybe your thing is you haven't met the adults yet who are FRUSTRATED from years of problems. Those are the ones I know. That's why I got the evals for my dd, because I felt she deserved answers and explanations. The kid has to know why these things are happening and what to do about it. They have their whole lives to deal with this, not just the few years they're sheltered in our homes. We can't keep them from reality forever. The testing gives you the information they NEED to successfully deal with reality. It's not going away. College is coming, careers, home budgeting, it's all looming.

[cajunrose]

I asked my daughter what she wanted to do...try to wait and see if she picks it up someday or get more help now so that she can read with more understanding. Hands down she said she wanted help and if that took a doctor to do that, she wants to go.

[Lecka]

So she is motivated! Yay! She sounds like a strong child.

 

I have read in The Mislabeled Child that 80% of kids with dyslexia also have vision issues needing VT. So -- I really doubt you did VT for nothing. (Even if she does not have dyslexia.)

 

Some advice -- keep a reading time separate from reading practice or learning to read. Then she can have a time where she just enjoys being read to.

 

I am doing this now, but for a while I was trying to incorporate learning into bedtime reading, and it did not do us any favors.

 

He still loves his bedtime reading. I would say bedtime stories but he likes me to read him non-fiction a lot of the time, lol.

 

My son inherits his reading issues from my husband, so I am very guided by my husband's feelings. He is all for teaching him.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Lecka

[fiddle]

yes, she writes books and does quite well with the storyline but spelling/grammar are a whole different ballgame).

 

Yep, this is my dyslexic girl, too! To answer your question about spelling, we did an O-G program (Barton) that handled reading and spelling. But my dd could not retain the spelling rules, so we switched to Sequential Spelling. My dd does well with seeing patterns, so this seems like a good fit. But long term retention- well, this will continue to be a battle with her dyslexia. I echo the other poster's thoughts, though- you keep working bit by bit and your dc is *still* better off than where you would have been without working on these things. Once you have a diagnosis, you will know where to push and where to back off. For example, once we knew my dd has dysgraphia- we stopped beating the Handwriting Without Tears to death. It was torture. We backed off on her writing for now- but we're moving her forward in the writing process through IEW- just me acting as her scribe. In other words, we're still working on handwriting and learning to type, but we don't want that to hold her back intellectually. Same with spelling and some of the other things- we'll work on them- yes. But we know when to ease up and where to move her along based on her specific LDs. This year is our first year homeschooling, and we took time out of handwriting to do the Writing 8 exercise via Dianne Craft. It has made a big difference! We've moved onto doing cursive and it is going great- my daughter is motivated and she sees her own progress. Spelling, math facts and grammar- well, that's going to just take a lot longer. Sigh.

 

The wonderful thing is that you are right about homeschooling- it will give you the opportunity to tailor your dc's curriculum to learning style. It gives you the opportunity to have the child go more at their own pace without the peer pressure of "keeping up"- This was one of our main reasons we started homeschooling. My dd was getting to where it was more noticeable that she was learning different- and I did NOT want her self-esteem to suffer or kill her love to learn. She still dislikes many aspects of "school" but we do have less tears and we are constantly working on praising her and building her up for her accomplishments.

 

Susan Barton has a checklist for dyslexia- Honestly, we went the route of getting our dd tested b/c we wanted a record and school accomodations. But we knew when she was in preschool that she was dyslexic- my sister is, it runs in families, and it was obvious to us. I kick myself for letting the ps K-2 teachers telling us that she just needed "time" - wish I'd started her services earlier, then maybe we wouldn't have to retain her a grade in elementary. Who knows. But, on the flip side- I'm SO glad we didn't wait any longer and that we DO have time to address these things in her younger years. I echo everyone else in encouraging you to get an assessment so you know what you're dealing with. In the long run, it may save you money (not curriculum hopping on ones that don't work, etc.)

 

Hugs to you. :grouphug:

Paula

[sixpence1978]

I asked my daughter what she wanted to do...try to wait and see if she picks it up someday or get more help now so that she can read with more understanding. Hands down she said she wanted help and if that took a doctor to do that, she wants to go.

 

 

Our DD's sound so much alike. We also went through VT. It did help what it was supposed to help, but that's it. There are still other problems. We are in the process of trying to find a neuropsych for testing and haggling with the insurance company for coverage. She has an unofficial diagnosis of dyslexia currently (from a learning center).

 

I think that testing, while stressful, does help a child to see that there might be more going on. A great relief to them after feeling "stupid" (as my DD puts it) for so long. My DD is very excited to look into speech therapy. We've been waiting for so long for her speech to catch up to her age, and it just isn't.

 

Anyway, we all have those days where all the difficulty seems to just pile up and bury us. A new day and a new outlook will come. I was lamenting about multiplication facts on here just a few days ago. My DD uses Touch Math for her +/- facts, and now a table for her X facts. We will also be starting Times Tales over the summer. Time and patience.

 

AAS also didn't work well for my DD. We have moved on to Dancing Bears and Apples & Pears. These are working so much better for her.

 

Don't give up! It's frustrating to see money basically fly out the window constantly, but I believe you will be rewarded in the end.

[laundrycrisis]

From my understanding, math facts, spelling and reading comp. are all part of visual memory. I need to work on improving that I think but don't know where to start. *sigh*

 

Your DD sounds very similar to our 9 yo son. He had visual processing issues that were addressed in vision therapy. The first COVD optometrist he went to did not test or treat for visual processing issues, but the second one did. His worst problem was visual sequential memory. The VT work for that was hard, but the results have been big. It made a huge difference !! He was finally able to remember things he had been working on for three years ! I am also planning to tackle his auditory sequential memory. He is in OT now and she works on it with him some, and I also bought the workbooks from Achieve Publications. The visual sequential memory was the only one tested, and that was done through VT. The other evaluations would cost us a lot of money and we don't have coverage for the testing, but I know the problem is there so I am doing my best to address it.

 

If the practice you are using for VT does not test and provide therapy for visual processing problems, after you finish VT there, I would get an evaluation at another practice that does do it, even if it's a long drive.

 

It irritates me beyond reason that some doctors who do vision therapy do not get into the visual processing area. Parents think their child has finished VT and reaped all the benefits they can from it, but they don't even know about the visual processing part of it. Visual processing is more like digging into the LD issues that involve the visual system and rewiring everything. It was the visual processing part of VT that made it really worthwhile for our son. That was when he finally took off on reading, became able to write a sentence, remember how to spell anything, etc. Before the visual processing VT was done, he was really very disabled. His brain would not interpret and organize visual information. How can someone learn to read, write, spell etc. with all that going wrong ? That is the visual part of dyslexia. The right kind of therapy can make a difference.

 

After reading started to work, I had to revisit math facts because they just never would stick. I am using Mastering Mathematics, and it's working. Finally, something is working !!! It builds a library of facts, very slowly, in small methodical sets, with lots of practice for each new set. I'm not sure it would have worked without completing the visual processing VT first though.

Edited May 15, 2012 by laundrycrisis

[peacefully]

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[cajunrose]

I don't recall any visual processing work. What would that have entailed? She can read most any wOrd she wants. Just doesn't understand it in context.

[cajunrose]

At any rate, this doctor was my only option. I guess the nest next step is finding a neuropsychologist.

[MomatHWTK]

I'd look into processing disorders. My son knows lots of information but he can't always pull it up into RAM (short term memory in us humans) when he needs it.

[PeterPan]

Yllek, at our place the visual processing side was more the fun stuff (tanagrams, visualization, games like SET, working memory along with a visual task, etc. etc.).

[sixpence1978]

Our VT place also did visual processing work mainly with games like SET, visual spelling strategies, visual mnemonics, and some spatial activities.

 

I don't think my DD's visual processing problems have been completely remediated despite "graduating" from VT. We hit the visual processing exercises at the end of our 9 month course of VT. My DD was burnt out. We still did the exercises, but I don't think they had the desired result. We do still try to do a lot of things here at home. Namely we still play SET, do tangrams, make designs on the geoboard, play Make n' Break, among others, but these skills are much slower in coming for my DD.

[laundrycrisis]

What they would do for visual processing depends on the specific problems they are treating. Our son did exercises with developing mental imagery for phrases he read (he was like the polar opposite of a visual-spatial learner - there was no imagery going on at all, none). He did I Spy books with a minus lens. He had to assemble 2-3 puzzles at the same time, leaving the pieces as they fell (he could not pick them up and play with them to figure out where they went or which puzzle they belonged to - he had to figure it out mentally before he picked up a piece). He would walk through obstacle courses made of pillows and boxes without looking down (using his peripheral vision) while reading aloud from a book, while I distracted him by throwing a ball at him. He had to go through a printed paragraph and tell me just the first or the first and last letter of each word (this helped him to notice the spacing between words). He also did sequences - usually useful spelling words - written in ink with alternating colors, and had to memorize them visually so he could recite them forward and backward, from any point in the word, or remember the third letter, or the sixth letter, etc. When we started this, he could not keep the numbers 1-10 in his head in order - really. They were a jumble. He could recite them all at once, but writing them down in order or remembering what came before what or starting in the middle of the sequence and going either forward or backward was really very hard.

 

I don't know if neuropsychs or OTs do the testing for visual processing problems. If there is no other developmental optometrist to go to, you might be able to ask about this testing through another discipline.

[FairProspects]

Yllek, at our place the visual processing side was more the fun stuff (tanagrams, visualization, games like SET, working memory along with a visual task, etc. etc.).

 

Our VT place also did visual processing work mainly with games like SET, visual spelling strategies, visual mnemonics, and some spatial activities.

 

 

 

What they would do for visual processing depends on the specific problems they are treating. Our son did exercises with developing mental imagery for phrases he read (he was like the polar opposite of a visual-spatial learner - there was no imagery going on at all, none).

 

 

Ok, this is very helpful. This is not ds at all. His struggles are definitely based in the dyslexia and word retrieval. He has very strong imagery going.

[PeterPan]

What they would do for visual processing depends on the specific problems they are treating. Our son did exercises with developing mental imagery for phrases he read (he was like the polar opposite of a visual-spatial learner - there was no imagery going on at all, none). He did I Spy books with a minus lens. He had to assemble 2-3 puzzles at the same time, leaving the pieces as they fell (he could not pick them up and play with them to figure out where they went or which puzzle they belonged to - he had to figure it out mentally before he picked up a piece). He would walk through obstacle courses made of pillows and boxes without looking down (using his peripheral vision) while reading aloud from a book, while I distracted him by throwing a ball at him. He had to go through a printed paragraph and tell me just the first or the first and last letter of each word (this helped him to notice the spacing between words). He also did sequences - usually useful spelling words - written in ink with alternating colors, and had to memorize them visually so he could recite them forward and backward, from any point in the word, or remember the third letter, or the sixth letter, etc. When we started this, he could not keep the numbers 1-10 in his head in order - really. They were a jumble. He could recite them all at once, but writing them down in order or remembering what came before what or starting in the middle of the sequence and going either forward or backward was really very hard.

 

I don't know if neuropsychs or OTs do the testing for visual processing problems. If there is no other developmental optometrist to go to, you might be able to ask about this testing through another discipline.

 

Sounds like they did an AWESOME job!! Wow!!! :D

[peacefully]

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[MomatHWTK]

Here's a math freebie that you might want to get and save for later:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=381199&highlight=division+multiplication+free

[laundrycrisis]

Sounds like they did an AWESOME job!! Wow!!! :D

 

LOL, that was the homework. The stuff he did in the office was even "worse" (his word). :lol:

[PeterPan]

Yllek, you don't have to guess on how his visual processing is doing. They have tests and norms for it. Our VT place did the tests, so if you're won't do the tests then find someone who will? Sorry, I tried to pull the copy of the test results for what they did, and I can't find it. You know me, never the right names for stuff, lol. Anyways, you don't have to be in the dark wondering. They can administer the test and tell you exactly where his visual memory, spatial, form completion, etc. are. They don't do therapy for the exact things on the test. The test is more generic and life skills. Like you say, some kids bounce back and some don't. That's why our place gives the tests before and then after the regular portion of the VT, to see if the kids will need the processing work or not.

[laundrycrisis]

Yllek, you don't have to guess on how his visual processing is doing. They have tests and norms for it. Our VT place did the tests, so if you're won't do the tests then find someone who will? Sorry, I tried to pull the copy of the test results for what they did, and I can't find it. You know me, never the right names for stuff, lol. Anyways, you don't have to be in the dark wondering. They can administer the test and tell you exactly where his visual memory, spatial, form completion, etc. are. They don't do therapy for the exact things on the test. The test is more generic and life skills. Like you say, some kids bounce back and some don't. That's why our place gives the tests before and then after the regular portion of the VT, to see if the kids will need the processing work or not.

 

When our son was in VT, the therapist would work mini-evaluations for each specific skill area into the sessions to track his progress, so she would know if he was getting stuck or his progress was slowing down, and then she would put more emphasis on those areas. At the end of the block of 18 session they retested all of the areas that he had initially had problems in.

[peacefully]

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[laundrycrisis]

Totally OT - laundrycrisis, your handle cracks me up every time I see it. Without fail! I am always in a laundry crisis. On the basis on this alone, you are so my people!

 

:D

[Geo]

These can also be part of dyslexia, or NVLD. Our neuropyschs said I could drill math facts all day long with ds and he still might not get them until algebra. You have to address the problem in the right manner to see results. We're now using mnemonics and charts for facts while moving on conceptually and math is going so, so much better. You really need the evals to know how to help and what direction to pursue. Otherwise you might as well be banging your head into the wall of the LD over and over.

 

After 5 years of working, medicating, and 3 prior incomplete diagnostic evaluations (ADHD, anxiety disorder, SPD)...my son was just dx'd with NLD/NVLD. I have a much better picture now of what he/we are dealing with and how to proceed. Ya' know, I really wish ALL evalutions were full-team and full-spectrum. One can waste years just gathering a complete perspective of what is really going on inside our kids brains....but we can't really help as much as we'd like or need (and the child deserves) until all the info is there. Please, don't unwittingly penalize the child for an inefficient & chaotic diagnostic system. Lives are in the balance (see my NLD post). From one weary mom to another: Pull yourself up by the bootstraps and start kicking down those doors! :D (all this said with a spirit of acidic humor..and a hug, and a bit o' cheerleader thrown in) :grouphug:

 

 

Man, I'm feelin' pretty on-fire today!

[TippyCanoe]

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