Decided to try Cogmed

[lizatola]

Well, after lots of hemming and hawing and sitting on the fence, I jumped into Cogmed for my 14 year old ds.  He was doing Lumosity for a year but I wasn't seeing any progress with thinking skills, etc.  

 

I believe I need to have him further tested for reading comp or auditory problems because he has trouble expressing himself when speaking and while writing.  After we finish Cogmed, which will take 5 weeks I am going to use a reading comp. program called IdeaChain and I hope this will help us see some results.  I had him take notes (fill in the blank) at church this past weekend and I was amazed at how lost he was in doing this process, too.  He'd space out, not pay attention to the sermon, and then write the answer in the wrong blank on the page, etc.  I don't know if that's careless on his part or disinterest or what but I realized we have a long way to go anyway and I feel so far behind because I'm finally addressing these things and he's 14!

I am also having him work with a tutor at some point for math.  I am so tired of trying to navigate all our issues and as he's gotten older, these issues just seem to become more obvious.  He did well up to 6th grade(5th in math) and then things started to fall apart.  The reading instructor at our neuropsychologist's office told me that my son is complicated.  That his scores probably don't reflect his intelligence and that he may possibly be gifted especially since he tested at college level for spelling skills and has done so on multiple tests.  He is also a very gifted athlete and competes for tennis all over the country, and tennis a sport that requires thinking skills as well as motor skills.

 

My ds seems pencil phobic but has excellent hand/eye coordination.  I have been doing the Dianne Craft figure 8 exercises with him and he does them quickly and without problem from the first time trying.  What's that saying?  "He's an enigma wrapped up in a riddle", LOL.  

 

Anyway, we are holding him back this year for 9th grade.  We're basically doing a 'gap' year where we will use this time to catch up on skills, work on reading comprehension, writing skills, etc and I will be trying to find other methods for helping him study for his co-op classes, etc.

[PeterPan]

So he's on meds or something natural like omega 3 for attention?  And have you worked on working memory?  Cogmed was recommended to us too, so I'm sure it's fine.  Neurofeedback is the one that interests me.  Similar pricepoint, but permanent results and as effective as meds. 

 

Well definitely keep us posted on how it goes!  That's neat about his tennis.  

[geodob]

Cogmed is really helpful to develop the ability to organize thinking.

Where if you look at each of his difficulties that you noted, and consider how a difficulty with organizing his thinking would relate to each of them?

Where paying attention to the sermon, and comprehension. Involves taking in information and then organizing it our mind.

With math, you might consider the difference between doing an arithmetic problem, and doing a math word problem?

Where the major difference, is that the math word problem involves organizing the problem in our mind, and then applying arithmetic to it.

 

But in regard to testing him for auditory problems,  because he has trouble with expressing himself when speaking and while writing?

You might consider how important organizing our thoughts are, to speaking and writing?

Where as we prepare to make a statement. We aren't just thinking of the first sentence?  But also thinking of the conclusion, and all of the points that will lead up to it, and what order they will come in.

Along with how all of the points relate and support each other?  

Though Cogmed is very effective in developing organizational thinking.

So that it is very possible that it will have an effect on all of his current difficulties.

Which you can also use as a measure of its effectiveness.

[Mom0012]

Well, after lots of hemming and hawing and sitting on the fence, I jumped into Cogmed for my 14 year old ds. He was doing Lumosity for a year but I wasn't seeing any progress with thinking skills, etc.

 

I believe I need to have him further tested for reading comp or auditory problems because he has trouble expressing himself when speaking and while writing. After we finish Cogmed, which will take 5 weeks I am going to use a reading comp. program called IdeaChain and I hope this will help us see some results. I had him take notes (fill in the blank) at church this past weekend and I was amazed at how lost he was in doing this process, too. He'd space out, not pay attention to the sermon, and then write the answer in the wrong blank on the page, etc. I don't know if that's careless on his part or disinterest or what but I realized we have a long way to go anyway and I feel so far behind because I'm finally addressing these things and he's 14!

 

I am also having him work with a tutor at some point for math. I am so tired of trying to navigate all our issues and as he's gotten older, these issues just seem to become more obvious. He did well up to 6th grade(5th in math) and then things started to fall apart. The reading instructor at our neuropsychologist's office told me that my son is complicated. That his scores probably don't reflect his intelligence and that he may possibly be gifted especially since he tested at college level for spelling skills and has done so on multiple tests. He is also a very gifted athlete and competes for tennis all over the country, and tennis a sport that requires thinking skills as well as motor skills.

 

My ds seems pencil phobic but has excellent hand/eye coordination. I have been doing the Dianne Craft figure 8 exercises with him and he does them quickly and without problem from the first time trying. What's that saying? "He's an enigma wrapped up in a riddle", LOL.

 

Anyway, we are holding him back this year for 9th grade. We're basically doing a 'gap' year where we will use this time to catch up on skills, work on reading comprehension, writing skills, etc and I will be trying to find other methods for helping him study for his co-op classes, etc.

Please let us know how it goes. Your son's struggles sound very similar to my ds's. How great that he has tennis as a strength! My son has terrible gross motor skills.

[lizatola]

No, no meds.  He has Tourette's and the meds and even Omegas make him tic even more and then I'd be caught giving him meds for ADHD and for the tics and then I just feel that I'd be struggling with a over medicated child.  The doc told me that the meds for the TS would definitely affect his function on the tennis court, too, and that was unacceptable as well as all the side effects to worry about too.

 

We are actually going to be trying acupuncture for his tics later this month.

 

I hadn't thought about neurofeedback.  I do remember one of his therapists suggesting it to me years ago for his anxiety and ADHD.  I'll have to keep that in mind.  

I will update his progress after the 5 weeks is up.  Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support!

[PeterPan]

On the omega 3 that makes him tic more, is it fish or flax oil?  If he's only done fish, you might try flax and see what happens.  He might not be digesting the fish oil well.  My ds gets very fussy on fish oil but does ok on flax.  

 

There's also a supplement, Brain Nourisher, by a company Food Form, that I have had my dd taking.  She used it while she was doing her history project this spring (very intense, required a lot more focus than usual), and it made a HUGE difference.  They were talking about changing it over to capsules and running a new batch.  I hope they did, because I want some before school starts.  Again, a product that's carefully made and is not fish, meaning it might digest better on him.  

[lizatola]

Elizabeth, I will look into that supplement.  He eats salmon about 1-2 times a week but I'm not sure if it helps.  He hates flaxseeds, even ground, as I've tried to get him to try a few meals with ground flax added to it.  He says he burps it up like fish oil, LOL!

 

Anyway, we are in our second week of Cogmed. It's taking ds about 1.5 hrs a day to do it because they want him to take longer breaks as he does the exercises.  He hates it.  Only time will tell if it gets us anywhere.

[PeterPan]

Can't go by much that he hates it.  Probably just means it's hard work.  

 

On the flax, get him the gel caps.   Spectrum Essentials Flax Oil, Omega 3, 1000 mg, 250 Softgels Bottle 

[aanj]

Please do keep us posted on the progress with Cogmed. I am also considering this for my 14 yr old son.

 

I know what you mean, I also feel we are late in addressing these issues.