telling time.....

[lauranc]

My 14 yr old DD has mild-ID and has a very difficult time with understanding the passage of time. I've been unsuccessfully trying to teach her to tell time on an analog clock for years.

 

Anyone have great method of teaching this? Would love to be pointed in direction of something that has worked for others!

 

TIA

Laura

[kbutton]

Math-u-see has a great method for teaching time on an analog clock, and it can be done with cuisinaire rods as well. They teach it in Primer, and I assume they revisit it again at another level. If you can find someone with that curriculum, perhaps you can borrow the videos. I could probably describe it if you cannot find a source IRL.

 

I'm not sure how to reinforce how she perceives the passage of time except with visual schedules or timers. Perhaps others will be able to comment on that. I did start early with my kids, saying things like "this car ride will take as long as watching two episodes of Clifford" and things like that.

[OneStepAtATime]

As another parent of a child who has no sense of the passage of time, I fully understand your concerns and frustration.  My DD is 13 and until we brought her home to homeschool I didn't realize just how much of how I function each day is based on an unconscious sense of the passage of time.  When you don't have that, the world is a harder place to live within.  How is your DD with basic computation or reading calendars?

 

One thing we have been doing is looking at the clock when she starts something, marking it on her paper, then looking at the clock again when she is done and marking that, then discussing how much time passed between start and finish.  She can't sense it, but I am hoping this will help her judge externally how much time she needs to complete tasks.  We also do that when we are driving to and from places or when we are doing chores, etc.  Still working on reading calendars and clocks and understanding seasons, etc., but she isn't too bad at reading the clock now.  She just doesn't seem to grasp what those numbers mean. 

 

You might read "My 13th Winter" by Samantha Abeel. She is dyscalculic and has no sense of the passage of time.  It makes for an interesting read to see her perspective.

http://www.amazon.com/My-Thirteenth-Winter-A-Memoir/dp/0439339057

 

What SEEMS to be helping some, actually, is going back to subitization skills in math.  It is helping her to see patterns in math, which actually govern, to some extent, our sense of time apparently.  Read the Ronit Bird books, look at material from Brian Butterworth, maybe read up on dyscalculia in general.

 

I wish I had something more positive and concrete to tell you, but we are still searching ourselves.  This has affected DD's self esteem.  She is afraid she won't be able to function on her own in the real world without a lot of help since she also struggle with personal finances (tried introducing this with their allowances since she didn't seem to see any value in money, she just gives it all to her brother).

 

Anyway, best wishes.  I will try to think of anything else we are doing and post it later.

[Incognito]

I can chime in on ways to help a person who has a terrible sense of the passage of time - I am awful about that.  Having a watch with an easily set countdown timer has been VERY helpful for me.  I would assume a phone could do the same thing.

 

I haven't done much with it, but should, but in a book I read (Unicorns are Real, I think), they had kids learning to tell time by pointing their arms as the hour and minute hands.  Very full-body learning.

[geodob]

Perhaps you could try modifying a clock?

By cutting the minute and second hand off of it.

Functionally, most time of our use time, is defined as the hour, quarter, half, three quarter.

 

So that a blank clock just with the hour numbers on it.

With perhaps a red dash marked at the half hour.

As well a green dash to mark the quarter and three quarter.

 

So that minutes are discarded, and time is read as being closer to one hour or the other?

Or close to the point between them.

 

Though a second clock could also be used that only has the minute hand, and no numbers on it for the hours.

Only marked with 5,10,15,20, etc.

Which could be used when doing school work?

 

 

[lauranc]

Thanks all.  I am going to check out the book rec from OneStep---   and the Unicorns are Real book that Incognito suggested...   I've got one of the Ronnit books, but need to bring it out again.

 

Also, good idea about having her note what time something started and what time it was finished.  I hadn't thought of that.  It is just innate for me.. it's difficult for me to think how to teach it.    Will also see about getting or making a better clock too.  

 

I've got and use Math U See for her----  unfortunately, even though I thought the way Math U See approaches teaching time would work for her... it hasn't.  )-:

 

Thanks everyone!  I appreciate the ideas...

Laura

[OneStepAtATime]

Thanks all.  I am going to check out the book rec from OneStep---   and the Unicorns are Real book that Incognito suggested...   I've got one of the Ronnit books, but need to bring it out again.

 

Also, good idea about having her note what time something started and what time it was finished.  I hadn't thought of that.  It is just innate for me.. it's difficult for me to think how to teach it.    Will also see about getting or making a better clock too.  

 

I've got and use Math U See for her----  unfortunately, even though I thought the way Math U See approaches teaching time would work for her... it hasn't.  )-:

 

Thanks everyone!  I appreciate the ideas...

Laura

For years I did not realize how little sense of time DD had.  Since she was in a brick and mortar school, she just followed the school schedule and whatever I instructed her to do.  I knew she seemed to need more supervision for staying on task or judging how long a task would take but I didn't make the connection to a lack of the sense of time passing until I got her home full-time.  A sense of the passage of time is so innate in most people.  It just never occurred to me.  Now I look back and things make more sense.  I know that timed tests made her extremely anxious, even when we started homeschooling and I was giving her a TON of time.  She couldn't look at the timer and see she had 5 minutes left to complete the problems then look at the problems and have ANY idea how long it might take her to finish.  When she would get money at birthdays and Christmas, it was nice to have, but if someone else needed money, she just gave it away, like it had no long term value.  It just didn't interest her that much.  Now I realize she doesn't have a concept of time, so she doesn't have a strong concept of planning for the future.  We are working on that and it is helping. She had a hard time potty training, too, and I believe now that it was in part because of the lack of a sense of time.  She doesn't seem to see much meaning in studying History either, although that is getting somewhat better over time.  DD lives in the moment.  Things are now or not now.

 

DS is the polar opposite and it was always a struggle to get him to stop worrying about which college to go to, which career would fit best and which type of personality he wanted in a wife (and he started these concerns at 4), and get him to just focus on the task at hand.  DS LOVES history, by the way.... 

 

I hope you find some resources that help.  Keep us up to date.  It may help others and we can at least commiserate.  Best wishes.

[wapiti]

I don't know how to communicate that sense of time.  My ds10 drives me nuts (um, we have to leave for school in 10 minutes and you aren't dressed and haven't eaten breakfast and you are slow to complete those tasks as it is!!!  why don't you move!)

 

There are visual timers you can buy, but typically they just increase the panic and stress my ds out.  You can try free visual timers on-line such as at this site http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-clock/

 

[lauranc]

When she would get money at birthdays and Christmas, it was nice to have, but if someone else needed money, she just gave it away, like it had no long term value. It just didn't interest her that much. Now I realize she doesn't have a concept of time, so she doesn't have a strong concept of planning for the future. We are working on that and it is helping. She had a hard time potty training, too, and I believe now that it was in part because of the lack of a sense of time. She doesn't seem to see much meaning in studying History either, although that is getting somewhat better over time. DD lives in the moment. Things are now or not now.

 

.

Yes...same as my daughter. No concept of money that could be used for something in the future. No concept of 'that happened a long time ago' .... One thing I love about her is that she does live very much in the moment. She holds no grudges, there is very little worrying about 'what will happen next'.

 

But the flip side of that is, of course, no concept of when to start getting ready for something, how long something is going to last etc.

 

Will keep people posted about what I find!

[Heathermomster]

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life is a good book that discusses time management strategies.  

 

For a very long time, DS wore an analog/digital watch.  He has finally mastered telling time and insists on wearing an analog watch.

[OneStepAtATime]

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life is a good book that discusses time management strategies.  

 

For a very long time, DS wore an analog/digital watch.  He has finally mastered telling time and insists on wearing an analog watch.

I have ordered the book.  It looks interesting.

 

DD bought an analog watch designed and built by a local merchant when we went to the local Dia de los Muertos celebration this past year and wears it quite a bit.  She loves it for the artistic and mechanical skill that went into making it.  So far she does not use it to actually tell time with (even though she can read it fairly well) but she does have a cell phone and uses that for the digital display clock.  

 

Unfortunately, reading her cell phone time doesn't actually tell her anything about how much time she has left or when she needs to get ready to go somewhere, etc.  She still comes and asks me.  What it HAS helped her do is to recognize that "Oh, my phone says it is after 3pm and I know that I need to be at Drama at 3:30.  I better check with Mom to see if I have enough time to finish whatever it is I am doing right now."  Before, she wouldn't associate it being after 3pm with needing to be at Drama at 3:30.  No planning at all.  Now, she IS starting to sense a need to plan for future events.  

And she HATES being late anywhere, so that motivates her to check in with me often if we are leaving the house.  

 

I really like the idea of a watch that has both the analog time and the digital time on it.  I haven't gone watch hunting in a long time.  I know you mentioned that watch in a previous post.  Do you know what brand it is?  Something to think about for a birthday or Christmas gift if DD ever gives up her Dia de los Muertos watch.

[Heathermomster]

My son wore a Casio, and I purchased it from Amazon.  He's owned two, and they are not very girlie.  For some reason, he likes analog watches now with a white face, and he's very specific about that.

 

Does Smart but Scattered offer any time management strategies?  I know for certain the book I mentioned does because I own that one.

[OneStepAtATime]

My son wore a Casio, and I purchased it from Amazon.  He's owned two, and they are not very girlie.  For some reason, he likes analog watches now with a white face, and he's very specific about that.

 

Does Smart but Scattered offer any time management strategies?  I know for certain the book I mentioned does because I own that one.

Thanks for the specifics on the watch.

 

And yes, Smart But Scattered has some time management strategies, but I would really like another perspective (and I lent out my copy of SBS and may never get it back :) so I thought I would branch out).

[Jennifer-72]

Sara Ward of Cognitive Connections has excellent ideas for teaching sweep of time. There are a few powerpoints of her presentations online. I use to have them bookmarked, but can't seem to find them, hopefully a search will bring them up for you. Here is blog that talks about some of Sara Ward's time ideas http://abbypediatric...apsed-time.html I made my own tracnets that the posts talks about and have found it very useful. I am quite surprised at how well ds is doing with estimating time these days. It took us about a year of daily practice though.... I always pick two things for the day that we use with the tracnets.

 

One of the first things i did was keep a big chart listing a whole bunch of our different routines on it and have ds do time estimates on each of them. Then over a course of a week we kept track of the actual time it took him to do those things. I had him logged the time he started and the time he ended so it was lots of telling time practice as well.

[LaughingCat]

The PP link takes me to a WTM forum thread instead of a blog - but I searched it out.  Very interesting idea of visual timer AND clock.

[Jennifer-72]

Thanks laughing cat! I was posting from my phone, as I am right now, and clearly did something wrong.

 

I really found that changing to using the clock instead of a timer very helpful.

 

I see that Jill Kuzma just did a couple of blog posts about introducing time management to kids. A little more then what the OP was asking for, but thought some others may find it helpful. I would link them, but clearly that isn't a good idea!

[OneStepAtATime]

Hey, had a bit of a "time" breakthrough here, and thought I would share.  SIL had a friend pass away recently.  He was only in his 40's.  DD asked her how he died and she responded that he led a very sedentary lifestyle, ate terribly and just generally didn't take care of himself.  He had a heart attack.  DD told me later that day that she wanted to work harder at eating well, exercising, etc. so that she could life a long, healthy life.  First time she has really kind of planned ahead for anything...