Math for child with visual processing issues?

[mumkins]

I was just told by a resource teacher that my 6yo likely has a visual processing disorder. I have been HSing her, but she may go in the fall. If she does not, I'm not sure what math will work best. She can do math the can count out on her fingers. But she has a major problem with teen numbers. She'll often say 15 as 50. Or when asked to write '16', she'll write '61'. I can't seem to get her to understand that 37 is 3 tens and 7 ones. She can read 147, but she doesn't understand that it is 1 hundred 4 tens 7 ones. IDK what to use...

[Superfly]

I would recommend Miquon with cuisenaire rods and a base ten set. The visual demonstrations help the right-brain kids link the math concepts to the left-brain language abilities. This has worked wonders for my 8yr old with dyslexia/ADHD and tracking issues. I love

education unboxed. She has put together amazing video explaining how to use the manipulatives.

http://www.educationunboxed.com

[Pen]

I think it depends a lot on exactly what sort of visual processing disorders there are. My son used MUS which seemed to work well in his case of dyslexia-ish problems. We are now using Miquon for some review and I think it is a good program, but the pages are done in, say, all blue, or all orange, etc., and he finds that somewhat hard to cope with, even now as a review. I think for him it would have been too much visual "chaos" as a first program. I also found that Spectrum was a good back up supplement during the early math level, with a pretty visually clear format.

 

Graph paper can be helpful. My son had reversals problems which we sort of just gradually worked through with reminders and practice.

 

ETA: LOF elementary could also be a helpful supplement.

[ZeldaRules]

Is your 6YO ready to learn hundreds? Maybe developmentally, she is not ready for that yet. My 6YO is developmentally delayed and I would not attempt to teach him hundred's place value yet. I think it is important to have pre-numbers math experience before numbers math. This is where Cuisenaire Rods come in (white rod + red rod = green rod). Cuisenaire rods can be used all the way up to complex math in the elementary years. Cuisenaire rods and an abacus can teach a lot of math.

 

Does your daughter have a good concept of money value? You can use money to help teach the place value of one hundred (1 dollar), tens (dimes) and ones (pennies). If she doesn't have that concept down, I would try teaching place value of hundreds later.

 

Math U See may be good. They use the same concept of cuisenaire rods. For K work, I use cuisenaire rods, an abacus, and other manipulatives. My 6YO is frustrated by cuisenaire rods though. My 4YO gets it and loves them. He can count just fine, but adding and such, not there yet. He may get it, he just doesn't show it...I think he has a lot of knowledge, he just doesn't know how to always spit it out. :)

[AngieW in Texas]

MUS is the program that is working for my dyslexic dd with visual processing issues. I think Miquon could have possibly worked for her if I had realized what a big deal color was for her. If I had photocopied the pages so that she could have black print on white paper, she probably could have worked through it. Unlike many dyslexics, my dd does best with black print on stark white paper and she needs the lines to be very crisp and clear.

[sweetpea3829]

Math-U-See is really good.

 

Have you had your DD's vision tested yet? Look into having a developmental vision assessment done by a licensed developmental optometrist. It's a different kind of vision assessment and most regular eye doctors don't do it.

 

Also...confusing 15 with 50 is still pretty common at 6 yrs old. My math-acclerated 5 yr old is still doing it occasionally.

[mumkins]

Thank you everyone!

 

I've talked to a few people. I do think I was expecting too much from her.

 

She is going to have her vision checked on Monday and hearing in July. She tells me she can't hear the difference between 13 and 30 and one ear hears better than the other.