Need help knowing what to do with a child who has high mathematical abilities...

[Hikin' Mama]

I am mainly a lurker here and have gleaned so much info from the veteran homeschool parents here!

 

Some background: my daughter (10th grade) is dyslexic and we have worked very hard on remediation and customizing her education in a way that she learns best. I very recently had her tested by a neuropsych with the main purpose being that she would be able to receive accomodations on the SAT and at college. The testing produced the unexpected finding that she scored very high on non-verbal reasoning and mathematical ability. The neuropsychs recommended that I do "gifted" math with her. What is that? :) They also said to focus on applied math.

 

My question: if you have a child with these strengths, how do you foster those strengths and challenge the child?

 

TIA!

[regentrude]

Check out Art of Problem Solving:

http://www.artofproblemsolving.com

 

 

The Art of Problem Solving mathematics curriculum is specifically designed for outstanding math students in grades 6-12, and presents a much broader and deeper exploration of challenging mathematics than a typical math curriculum. The Art of Problem Solving texts have been used by tens of thousands of high-performing students, including many winners of major national contests such as MATHCOUNTS and the AMC. 

 

I have been using this curriculum for my gifted math students since 6th grade and it is a perfect fit.

You may have to adapt it to accommodate your DD's dyslexia, as the books involve a lot of text; the online classes may work better for her.

[Julie of KY]

I read the Art of Problem Solving textbook to my dyslexic. He then does all the problems on his own.

 

I have no idea if AoPS is really what you need, but it caters to those talented math students.

[Hikin' Mama]

Thank you so much! I'm open to any and all suggestions. My middle child was very good at math, but went to ps for high school, where he fortunately had excellent teachers for his higher math and sciences. So this is new to me.

[Hunter]

My youngest had testing that showed very high math abilities. Right about the time I was reaching my limit of being able to keep up with him, he also lost his interest in WORKING at math. He didn't care that he had high abilities. He'd sit like a baby bird and let people drop tid bits in his mouth if they wanted to, but that was it. I was SO broke and SO sick at that time. I was SO full of guilt.

 

Not all parents can help a child reach their full potential in every area. And not all students want to reach their full potential in all areas. Are you reaching YOUR full potential in all areas? Or your husband? Do you want to?

 

Do follow up on leads that you can afford, and that interest you and your daughter, but don't stretch yourself too hard out of guilt and feelings of "should", without being sure that is the best thing for your family.

 

Many students with high math abilities don't have the supporting language and social abilities to support an advanced math education. When my son got to college, his social and language disabilities got in the way of him being able to pursue classes in his areas of strength. A family with lots if money could have hired someone to babysit and tutor him through, but that wasn't our situation. So all the stressing I did about math was such a waste.

 

Pursue this gift within YOUR family's comfort zone, and then just rest in that being good enough. Have FUN! Homeschooling is as much about the journey as the destination.