cseitter Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Background: MY DS is 16 and was in PS with an IEP (diagnosis ADHD) until 7th grade. He came home for 8th and has stayed. He says he never wants to go to PS again. He did well in PS with A's, B's and a few C's here and there but since coming home its like he can't get it.... I thought it was his ADD so I had him retested. Well long story short.... He doesn't have ADD (and YES I will have to get over the fact that I have medicated him for a disorder he does not have!) but a pretty significant LD. He has cognitive processing weakness in verbal reasoning, visual-spatial reasoning, processing speed, and visual-auditory learning. He was diagnoised with a Reading Disorder, Math Disorder and a Disorder of Written Expression. What does all this mean? We had the meeting today and my head is spinning. The doctor suggested a private school that specializes in LD's but its $25k a year and he doesn't want to go to high school. How can I help him learn? I have been struggling for the last 3 years and felt like I have been getting no where and now I know why at least. How do you homeschool a child when you don't even know where to begin? And he will be 17 next month so I am VERY limited on time here! Thanks for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Hugs to you. You child is diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Mine too... I guess the first thing to discover is where has he progressed to. What are his current achievement levels? What can he do with math? Where is he with reading? You need a starting point to establish a workable plan.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cseitter Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 So how do I figure his levels out? He is currently taking his second year of algebra I and have a really tough time. Reading comprehension levels were very low on the testing. He can not narrate anything he reads nor can he understand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neeko Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Have you looked at Lindamood Bell stuff, particularly Visualizing and Verbalizing? (You can get the kit to do the program at home for much less than it costs at one of their centers.) I'm reading through it all right now, and not being able to understand or narrate what is read is mentioned quite a bit so your last sentence really jumped out at me. Can you ask him if he is able to create images in his head for things he hears? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 My son has been seeing a reading specialist because he struggles with reading comprehension. We think it is due to his ADD. I have doubts about how much help he's really getting but one thing the specialist said was that my son should make word webs instead of trying to visualize, simply because he is a verbal learner rather than a visual learner, in spite of the fact that he is struggling with reading. So to her there were two ways to handle this, either by visualizing what one reads or, as she instructed my son, to make word webs so that he understands how everything going on in the story is connected. I wish I could give the OP advice! Just some half thought out ideas, as I am floundering about much the same sort of thing with my 14 yo, have you looked into getting his eyes checked by a vision therapist? Also called a developmental optometrist. If his eyes aren't working well that would effect everything else. The other thing I'm wondering about is occupational therapy. My now 20 yo son did a year of this when he was 12 and diagnosed dysgraphic. It vastly improved his ability to do academics. Not only could he write legibly (pretty much!) afterwards but he was able to tackle learning in a more organized way. He just thought clearer afterwards. Also when your son does math, does he use graph paper to keep all his problems neat and lined up? This is a very simple thing but it has been a godsend! Since your son is 17 he probably isn't on the college track right now (maybe later, once he gets this all under control and has definite aspirations) so I think I would focus on finding him something that he can do well or is interested in that could earn him a living. For now I'd go more vocational (not giving up on academics but just not making them the main thrust. I'd make therapy and finding suitable employment my main target, if I were in your shoes.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Consider a covd.org VT visit. DS had preliminary vision test and required no therapy. How do I determine achievement? Well, it depends on what the np has to say and whether the student can complete their current level of work. For math, I've had to step back to the last portions of math that he knew well and build upon that. It's been a slow step forwards ever since. MUS seems to be working. I'm familiar with my local dyslexia school and know about 5 O-G tutors. The local dyslexia school's founder came out with a guideline concerning what a tutored dyslexic should master, alongside a stems and affixes type review and mastery. In spite of the fact that we didn't enroll our son at the school, the headmaster sat down with me and reviewed all of my son's np scores. She offered to do this after I came to see the school. We chose not to place DS in the school for a myriad of reasons. The school is awesome though,. I have found among LD educators a strong love and determination to help these students due to the struggles these educators have faced with their own children and see on a daily basis. Sometimes, these LDs feel like a silent epidemic and it makes me sad that the average school teacher seems so unprepared... The local dyslexia school provides periodic lectures that are free to educators and parents. Contact your local school and discover if they offer any sort of helps or LD support groups. Develop a local network of moms teaching their SN children too. Here's a smattering of books for you to read...The Dyslexic Advantage, Overcoming Dyslexia, The Mislabeled Child, and How the Brain Learns Mathematics... Slow, systematic,multisensory instruction works best with these kiddos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Just a question on timing of stuff. Was he on meds for ADD while in school? Did you take him off the meds once he came home? Just wondering if that is the case if the meds were really helping him do better while in school and now without them he is struggling more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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