Had the meeting with the school psychologist for DD12's testing results. Not sure where to go now.

[AimeeM]

The results were somewhat unexpected.

The school psych team does NOT believe that Autumn is dyslexic. They believe she was misdiagnosed as such because her "rather significant ADHD" doesn't present typically in terms of behaviour problems (as in, she has no behaviour problems, she isn't bouncy or defiant, she doesn't spurt off at the mouth impulsively, etc). She said that Autumn's ADHD, combined with a well below average level of self confidence, and a very high fear of failure, caused academic problems that mimic a learning disability.

 

In short, her cognitive abilities are above average, effort is below average. They said that they do not give standard IQ tests with ranges, and that they simply classify results as "above average, average, and below average".

 

On the math test, for example, her ability was HIGH to solve visual problems, that relate to real life, with things like decimals and fractions (using words or visuals for pizza, or money), but when given the same questions on paper, she panicked and "couldn't do it". The psychologist said that she only gave Autumn these tests after testing to make sure she was cognitively able to perform.

 

She gave test 1, which Autumn branded as "too hard" immediately, and subsequently bombed.

She gave test 2, which was different altogether.

Then she went back and gave an almost identical in content test as Test 1, which because Autumn, subconsciously realized she had seen, thus no longer deeming "too hard", and she aced it. This was the same test she had bombed earlier in the day. The psych said this was a confidence issue more than anything.

 

I'm not sure what to do now for next year. We've been told for many years now that Autumn is dyslexic and to approach it as though she's always going to have a difficult time with written expression and language based anything. The psychologist thinks differently - Autumn aced everything to do with reading, did struggle somewhat with skill based in writing (mechanics), but nothing terrible (unlike the private school's assessment)... and, the kicker, she did very well with phonics.

 

The positive of living where I live - it's homeschool friendly. They didn't beat around the bush that Autumn thrives in a one-on-one environment and were very friendly about telling me what she qualified for at her zoned school, in terms of services (not much). They even suggested looking to whether or not she could take a class or two at the zoned school to help her get over some performance anxiety.

 

I'm just not sure where to go now.

 

 

[Wilma]

Wow, that rocks the boat, doesn't it?

 

I haven't any advice, just a :grouphug: .

[MomatHWTK]

There may be something to those results.  My DS is able to do worksheets now that he is on a non-stimulant ADHD med plus and anti-anxiety. 

[AimeeM]

There may be something to those results.  My DS is able to do worksheets now that he is on a non-stimulant ADHD med plus and anti-anxiety. 

 

The non-stimulants were nightmare for her. We are going to talk to the doctor about actually re-figuring her dosage on her Adderall now that she's hit a growth spurt. We aren't sure where to go with this... :(

 

Her test results appeared to impress them even more when I told them that her previous (nightmare) private school had instructed her at a 6th grade level last year, not a 7th grade level (which we didn't know until the end of the school year - they sincerely had no clue that she was in 7th grade, apparently, because she "didn't act like a 7th grader", lol). She scored above average to average for her age, therefore her actual grade (not instructional grade).

 

When I told the psych that she "couldn't" do x, y, z, I got a very quick "oh yes, she can do it - she just doesn't believe she can do it".

 

It's making me re-think my entire set up for next year.

[AimeeM]

Wow, that rocks the boat, doesn't it?

 

I haven't any advice, just a :grouphug: .

 

Seriously rocks the boat :(

[EKS]

Is the evaluator an expert in how dyslexia can present in 2E kids?  Because they can do well on reading tests and phonics tests and still have dyslexia.  Google "stealth dyslexia."

[AimeeM]

Is the evaluator an expert in how dyslexia can present in 2E kids?  Because they can do well on reading tests and phonics tests and still have dyslexia.  Google "stealth dyslexia."

 

No. She isn't.

*sigh*

I have no clue. None. Nada. Zilch.

[AimeeM]

ETA: I just read the Davidson link on stealth dyslexia.

 

Autumn presented as average to above average on auditory processing, visual discrimination and processing, and processing speed. She tested very well on word processing. The only area in the language arena she tested weak on, was mechanics in writing (punctuation, etc, which wasn't really covered at the school last year, and I admittedly hadn't covered well). Is it possible she has stealth dyslexia even considering the above results?

[Reefgazer]

I think the bolded is a pretty common problem with kids, disabled or not.

 

Is it possible for you to get a third evaluation, from someone experienced with these issues?

ETA: I just read the Davidson link on stealth dyslexia.

 

Autumn presented as average to above average on auditory processing, visual discrimination and processing, and processing speed. She tested very well on word processing. The only area in the language arena she tested weak on, was mechanics in writing (punctuation, etc, which wasn't really covered at the school last year, and I admittedly hadn't covered well). Is it possible she has stealth dyslexia even considering the above results?

 

[prairiewindmomma]

We had attention issues causing a variety of learning issues. I wouldn't discount what was shared....I'm  not saying that's all of it, but I was hugely surprised by it as well.

[EKS]

Here is my advice (take it with however many grains of salt you wish...).

 

Use materials and techniques that you think will help her, regardless of what diagnosis underlies this whole thing.  Target skills that you actually observe to be deficient and only believe test results if they correspond with what you see day to day.  Determine what is holding her back, be it punctuation or whatever, and focus on that.

 

My son had many diagnoses: ADHD, APD, SPD, Asperger's, vision issues, "just slow," and I'm sure I'm forgetting some, before he was diagnosed with dyslexia, which seems to be the one that makes the most sense in that it explains all of his issues (and his strengths).  We remediated a lot before he ever had an accurate diagnosis, and I did it the way I described above.  I didn't use his diagnoses to guide my work with him, but, rather, I let his needs, the needs I saw day to day, determine what to do and how to do it.

 

I know it's frustrating.  And scary.  Big hugs to you.

[AimeeM]

I think the bolded is a pretty common problem with kids, disabled or not.

 

Is it possible for you to get a third evaluation, from someone experienced with these issues?

 

It will take months. We just paid out thousands for DS5's dental, and he has some more medical coming up. A private psych ed eval will run us around $1500. I'm not trying to say that DD's issues are less important... but, well, maybe I am. I guess serious medical just trumps academic right now :(

[AimeeM]

That's kind of the issue, though. And it is so confusing!

 

Her test results and academic progress have always been very... chaotic. Very inconsistent. She will ace a test, showing mastery one minute, and then the minute it's presented on a different test, she bombs... and the same is true in reverse and has been for a long time - she'll bomb something, and then two days later she aces it. The psychologist was dead on there.

 

The second she is intimidated by something, she folds. I don't know that this is something that can be remediated. 

 

Her standardized test scores from school this past year were fantastic.

 

Her report card is insane. Math - A first semester, C second semester, A third semester. The school psych feels that Autumn's grades are dependent upon how much distraction she has at that time in her life, which actually does resonate with us.

 

Her spelling is actually good. This doesn't translate into her written work at the school last year. She spelled poorly. She aced spelling with the psych ed - at least average for her age, when compared to others her age.

 

Honestly, part of me wonders if she has become comfortable, so much so, with the dyslexia dx, that she isn't willing to break lose and try. I hear, at least several times a week, "I'm dyslexic, I can't...". It's maddening. I looked at the words she aced with the school psych (she listed the words she could spell well on the eval sheet), and look at the Apples and Pears B book we're working through and I want to pull my hair out.

 

Do I think Autumn is doing it intentionally? No. I think she was broken last year at the school, and has become comfortable with the idea that she "can't"... perhaps subconsciously.

 

If I'm honest with myself, what the school psych is saying is what my husband has been trying to say - but I didn't want to hear it. I thought the heads and tutors at DD's private school last year were the Gods of all things learning, and didn't want to hear it. And now I feel like.. crap.

Here is my advice (take it with however many grains of salt you wish...).

 

Use materials and techniques that you think will help her, regardless of what diagnosis underlies this whole thing.  Target skills that you actually observe to be deficient and only believe test results if they correspond with what you see day to day.  Determine what is holding her back, be it punctuation or whatever, and focus on that.

 

My son had many diagnoses: ADHD, APD, SPD, Asperger's, vision issues, "just slow," and I'm sure I'm forgetting some, before he was diagnosed with dyslexia, which seems to be the one that makes the most sense in that it explains all of his issues (and his strengths).  We remediated a lot before he ever had an accurate diagnosis, and I did it the way I described above.  I didn't use his diagnoses to guide my work with him, but, rather, I let his needs, the needs I saw day to day, determine what to do and how to do it.

 

I know it's frustrating.  And scary.  Big hugs to you.

 

[FairProspects]

The results were somewhat unexpected.

The school psych team does NOT believe that Autumn is dyslexic. They believe she was misdiagnosed as such because her "rather significant ADHD" doesn't present typically in terms of behaviour problems (as in, she has no behaviour problems, she isn't bouncy or defiant, she doesn't spurt off at the mouth impulsively, etc). She said that Autumn's ADHD, combined with a well below average level of self confidence, and a very high fear of failure, caused academic problems that mimic a learning disability.

 

In short, her cognitive abilities are above average, effort is below average. They said that they do not give standard IQ tests with ranges, and that they simply classify results as "above average, average, and below average".

 

On the math test, for example, her ability was HIGH to solve visual problems, that relate to real life, with things like decimals and fractions (using words or visuals for pizza, or money), but when given the same questions on paper, she panicked and "couldn't do it". The psychologist said that she only gave Autumn these tests after testing to make sure she was cognitively able to perform.

 

She gave test 1, which Autumn branded as "too hard" immediately, and subsequently bombed.

She gave test 2, which was different altogether.

Then she went back and gave an almost identical in content test as Test 1, which because Autumn, subconsciously realized she had seen, thus no longer deeming "too hard", and she aced it. This was the same test she had bombed earlier in the day. The psych said this was a confidence issue more than anything.

 

I'm not sure what to do now for next year. We've been told for many years now that Autumn is dyslexic and to approach it as though she's always going to have a difficult time with written expression and language based anything. The psychologist thinks differently - Autumn aced everything to do with reading, did struggle somewhat with skill based in writing (mechanics), but nothing terrible (unlike the private school's assessment)... and, the kicker, she did very well with phonics.

 

The positive of living where I live - it's homeschool friendly. They didn't beat around the bush that Autumn thrives in a one-on-one environment and were very friendly about telling me what she qualified for at her zoned school, in terms of services (not much). They even suggested looking to whether or not she could take a class or two at the zoned school to help her get over some performance anxiety.

 

I'm just not sure where to go now.

 

Um sorry, I'm not buying it. The bolded is the classic response of someone who doesn't have enough experience with 2E kids to give an accurate diagnosis. Kids always try to do well if they can. No one likes failure.

 

Is the evaluator an expert in how dyslexia can present in 2E kids?  Because they can do well on reading tests and phonics tests and still have dyslexia.  Google "stealth dyslexia."

 

:iagree: This gal missed the boat. You need a neuropsych with significant experience in testing 2E kids.

[AimeeM]

Um sorry, I'm not buying it. The bolded is the classic response of someone who doesn't have enough experience with 2E kids to give an accurate diagnosis.

 

 

:iagree: This gal missed the boat. You need a neuropsych with significant experience in testing 2E kids.

 

Can I be honest? I am buying it. To elaborate, the psych didn't just leave it at "low effort", she went on to say that Autumn sincerely felt that she couldn't do it, and is afraid (seriously afraid) of failure. She didn't mean that she is lazy. She feels that Autumn's self confidence is low. As her parents, we know that much is very true, and always has been. Not just in academics. She said she tested this by giving her the same test twice, but at different times - the first one she said was "too hard" immediately, and bombed, the second time it was given (without DD's knowledge) she aced it, with only 15 minutes or so in between.

By "low effort" she means that Autumn isn't willing to try something she thinks she will fail out. That isn't news to us, honestly, so that was the least of my concerns with the testing - this is something we've known since she was a tot.

 

RE your edit... no, she doesn't always try her best. She admits that. She has "better things to do", lol :P

 

[FairProspects]

Can I be honest? I am buying it. To elaborate, the psych didn't just leave it at "low effort", she went on to say that Autumn sincerely felt that she couldn't do it, and is afraid (seriously afraid) of failure. She didn't mean that she is lazy. She feels that Autumn's self confidence is low. As her parents, we know that much is very true, and always has been. Not just in academics. She said she tested this by giving her the same test twice, but at different times - the first one she said was "too hard" immediately, and bombed, the second time it was given (without DD's knowledge) she aced it, with only 15 minutes or so in between.

By "low effort" she means that Autumn isn't willing to try something she thinks she will fail out. That isn't news to us, honestly, so that was the least of my concerns with the testing - this is something we've known since she was a tot.

 

RE your edit... no, she doesn't always try her best. She admits that. She has "better things to do", lol :p

 

 

Well, you obviously know her much better. :)

 

But doesn't perfectionism play into the whole 2E package too? Is it that? Or anxiety? There are just so many factors that could be at play. Maybe you could take the test results and get a second opinion or maybe you just want to let them sit and see how you feel in a few weeks and go from there.

[EKS]

Acing a test one time and then bombing the next one is a very 2Eish thing to do.  Her lack of confidence/anxiety about her abilities likely exacerbates the problem.

[FairProspects]

Yes, fwiw my older ds did the exact same thing during his testing.

[AimeeM]

Well, you obviously know her much better. :)

 

But doesn't perfectionism play into the whole 2E package too? Is it that? Or anxiety? There are just so many factors that could be at play. Maybe you could take the test results and get a second opinion or maybe you just want to let them sit and see how you feel in a few weeks and go from there.

 

Well, she actually didn't dispute 2E. "Highly Capable/Above Average, uninterested, ADHD"

Perfectionism is a huge deal with Autumn. Big. Major big. We've struggled with that for... forever. She would rather not do something, than do it and fail.

 

[Hunter]

2E people are very hard to test. Giving motives is even trickier, if the tester is only choosing from motives of non 2E people.

 

I have been through evals as a mom of a 2E child.

 

And now that my boys are grown, I have developed PTSD, a dissociative disorder, and a seizure disorder that was so out of control at one point that I suffered some permanent brain damage. I cannot tell you the RIDICULOUS and unfounded things that are in my medical records as motives.

 

I had an appointment 2 days ago that made me very nervous. By mid way through I didn't even know what year it was or what city I was in. Thankfully I had a friend with me that is familiar with my symptoms and how I react to certain kinds of situations.

 

You have two widely different sets of test results. Your kid is hard to test, or at least one of the testers is just awful. I'm going to assume both testers are just your average type of testers, doing their best, but possibly doing more harm than good. A third test might do nothing but add more confusion and cost you dearly.

 

I'm not against testing, but I am also not pro testing, because the reality is often as bad or worse than what you are describing.

 

I'd be careful of adopting motives that are shaming of your daughter, and offer a quick fix. They can be enticing to adopt, and seem more hopeful...at first. Behaviors that look like moral inferiority are often deep disabilities, rather than surface ones, and very difficult to identify and address. They often are not something an adult, never mind a child, can describe.

[AimeeM]

The first testing was long, long ago. Dyslexia was not in the mix at that point. Only "gifted and should later evaluate for ADHD". We couldn't get in for a psych ed eval before she went to the private school she went to last year, so I allowed THEM to "evaluate" her, and we based our assumptions upon their "results" :(

 

I have NO intention of shaming her! This isn't her fault! She had a completely chaotic year last year, wherein she was made to feel STUPID and was repeatedly told that "you do not need to do your best, as long as you're good enough" (the head's mantra). The broken child who came home, is the reason she is home again this year. We would never, never make her feel that this is her fault.

 

I feel like I'm not explaining the consult well :( Everybody seems to have the impression that the psychologist inferred, or said, that Autumn is "lazy", or that her lack of motivation is her fault, and that isn't what happened at all. She did say that she's lacking motivation - but she doesn't feel that this is her fault; she feels that the ADHD, and what has happened in the past, combined with her perfectionism, has led Autumn to believe that if she can't do it perfectly, there's no point in trying... which would lead anybody to not try, if they had that as "fact" running through their mind.

 

On the contrary, the psychologist laughed when she saw that the former headmaster had Autumn listed as "aggressive, violent, and defiant" - between the time she spent with her, and my absolutely horrified look, she reassured me that she didn't find an aggressive or violent bone in Autumn's body - that she is pleasant, cooperative, talkative, animated, and very intelligent...

 

Never, never would we shame her. Her lack of "oomph" is not her fault. She needs encouragement, to be reminded that she is smart, and capable, and that failure is the only way she will learn - and that she isn't in trouble for it, that it's part of life, and that she can do anything she sets her mind to.

2E people are very hard to test. Giving motives is even trickier, if the tester is only choosing from motives of non 2E people.

I have been through evals as a mom of a 2E child.

And now that my boys are grown, I have developed PTSD, a dissociative disorder, and a seizure disorder that was so out of control at one point that I suffered some permanent brain damage. I cannot tell you the RIDICULOUS and unfounded things that are in my medical records as motives.

I had an appointment 2 days ago that made me very nervous. By mid way through I didn't even know what year it was or what city I was in. Thankfully I had a friend with me that is familiar with my symptoms and how I react to certain kinds of situations.

You have two widely different sets of test results. Your kid is hard to test, or at least one of the testers is just awful. I'm going to assume both testers are just your average type of testers, doing their best, but possibly doing more harm than good. A third test might do nothing but add more confusion and cost you dearly.

I'm not against testing, but I am also not pro testing, because the reality is often as bad or worse than what you are describing.

I'd be careful of adopting motives that are shaming of your daughter, and offer a quick fix. They can be enticing to adopt, and seem more hopeful...at first. Behaviors that look like moral inferiority are often deep disabilities, rather than surface ones, and very difficult to identify and address. They often are not something an adult, never mind a child, can describe.

 

 

[Hunter]

I wish I'd said things a bit differently. I'm writing more….

[Hunter]

I see testers assign motives of what I call "moral inferiority" and sometimes that might be an overly strong term, but it gets to the ROOT of a reoccurring theme, I see, in my own medical records and tutoring students and friends.

 

Even if  a tester says it's not the student's fault she is giving up too quickly, giving up too quickly is something that is thought to be fixed quite easily by the student trying harder. Sometimes a parent isn't latching onto that motive to shame their child, but because it sounds more HOPEFUL and more easily fixed. Sometimes it will even feel more hopeful to a student, AFTER THE FACT,  who will say, "Yes, I do think I can try harder", rather than, "I don't know what happened and I get really scared when my brain doesn't work the way the grownup wants it to."

 

I still feel like I'm not saying this right.

 

I'm not just responding directly to what you wrote. I'm talking partly in general, about reoccurring testing situations LIKE yours, so we can talk about and explore what happened in your case in CONTEXT of similar cases.

 

I, and a couple other posters are giving been-there-done-that stories and advice, that is a bit wider than JUST responding to EXACTLY what you WROTE. It must be frustrating for you, though, to think we are not understand what you WROTE and are saying invalidating and unsupportive things to YOU.

 

I hope I'm not making things even worse. I do that sometimes. :grouphug:

[Trilliums]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

I really feel for you and hope you all find a good path for her.

 

FWIW, my son was dx dyslexic in grade 1.  By the time he was 14 he no longer displayed the same issues.  I wonder if he was tested now if he would show being dyslexic?  I doubt he would.  He definitely had/has some kind of LD issues/is a 2e kind of kid, but he has coped with them well over time.  Perhaps she is somehow presenting differently now compared to when she was younger.

 

Have you ever read the book The Gift of Dyslexia?  I thought the descriptions of the way dyslexics process info was crazy...but when I read parts out loud to my son, he said that it described him exactly.  You could see if she relates to the ideas in the book as a kind of litmus test.

 

Maybe she just cannot be pigeon holed so easily by all the tests.  On the confidence issue, DS came out of 1st grade mid way through and felt like a complete academic failure.  I couldn't believe what a negative impact the school room had on his self esteem.  He really could not fathom why these tasks that all the other kids could do were beyond his abilities.

 

Can you focus on a highly visual study?  This is what we did when the kids were younger and I did worry a lot about their writing mechanics, but it has all worked out well for them.

 

[Mandy in TN]

I would be highly suspicious of an evalution at the ps where the evaluator gave a diagnosis with very limited services, but then suggested that the child take some classes at the public school. If they can get her in there, do they receive funding and then not have to offer much in the way of assistance? Likewise, at the private school last year, if they said XYZ was wrong, could they slap her in lower level work and then not have to mess with her? I just question the motives of evaluations tied to a school.

 

In TN, a ps evaluator will not give a diagnosis of dyslexia. Dyslexia is considered a medical condition, so the diagnosis from the school may say something about processing or attention.

 

Also, I will reiterate what others have said. 2e children are difficult to test, and perfectionist tendencies are common. If you can't do testing right now with someone who works with 2e kids and who is not attached to a school, then, right now, use products that address, work with, or work around those issues you see.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[PeterPan]

Did the ps psych suggest some counseling for the anxiety?  You might consider putting your money into counseling rather than another eval.  It would give you some time to let the results of this eval sink in.  You don't need to do another eval just to be told the same thing.  If you put some of that money into counseling, you might decide to redo the evals in a year privately to get more concrete numbers and confirm the diagnosis.  

 

:grouphug:   

[Reefgazer]

Yes, you have to triage.  Good luck with everything.  It seems a PP's suggestion of teaching DD what she needs, regardless of diagnosis, is your best bet at this point.  Maybe just the best bet, period.

It will take months. We just paid out thousands for DS5's dental, and he has some more medical coming up. A private psych ed eval will run us around $1500. I'm not trying to say that DD's issues are less important... but, well, maybe I am. I guess serious medical just trumps academic right now :(

 

[Crimson Wife]

I would be highly suspicious of an evalution at the ps where the evaluator gave a diagnosis with very limited services, but then suggested that the child take some classes at the public school. If they can get her in there, do they receive funding and then not have to offer much in the way of assistance?

 

Bingo. Never forget that the PS evaluators serve the district and while they typically are genuinely interested in helping kids, their goal is to give the least amount of services they think they can get away with. If I were you, I would formally dispute the assessment and request an independent evaluation paid for by the district with the evaluator of your choice. You may have to go to due process to get the IEE, but sometimes they will back down just as a result of the mere threat of having to go through due process.

 

[AimeeM]

Actually they said that one-on-one worked best for her... homeschooling. They said that if, in the future, I wanted a class or two, they thought something had passed quietly allowing for that, but that she wouldn't be eligible for special services in those classes.

 

They cannot dx dyslexia, but they dx a learning disability. The official paperwork right now states that it isn't believed she has a learning disability, but that her medical dx of ADHD (which is from a different doctor - she's been with an ADHD dx now for many years) is seriously impacting her ability to learn.

I would be highly suspicious of an evalution at the ps where the evaluator gave a diagnosis with very limited services, but then suggested that the child take some classes at the public school. If they can get her in there, do they receive funding and then not have to offer much in the way of assistance? Likewise, at the private school last year, if they said XYZ was wrong, could they slap her in lower level work and then not have to mess with her? I just question the motives of evaluations tied to a school.

In TN, a ps evaluator will not give a diagnosis of dyslexia. Dyslexia is considered a medical condition, so the diagnosis from the school may say something about processing or attention.

Also, I will reiterate what others have said. 2e children are difficult to test, and perfectionist tendencies are common. If you can't do testing right now with someone who works with 2e kids and who is not attached to a school, then, right now, use products that address, work with, or work around those issues you see.

HTH-
Mandy

 

[AimeeM]

Bingo. Never forget that the PS evaluators serve the district and while they typically are genuinely interested in helping kids, their goal is to give the least amount of services they think they can get away with. If I were you, I would formally dispute the assessment and request an independent evaluation paid for by the district with the evaluator of your choice. You may have to go to due process to get the IEE, but sometimes they will back down just as a result of the mere threat of having to go through due process.

 

But I'm not looking for services and they know that... so why would they do that?

[AimeeM]

Did the ps psych suggest some counseling for the anxiety?  You might consider putting your money into counseling rather than another eval.  It would give you some time to let the results of this eval sink in.  You don't need to do another eval just to be told the same thing.  If you put some of that money into counseling, you might decide to redo the evals in a year privately to get more concrete numbers and confirm the diagnosis.  

 

:grouphug:   

 

We aren't really interested in counseling at the moment, honestly. It's something we'll consider later if need be, but not ATM.

[Alessandra]

The results were somewhat unexpected.

The school psych team does NOT believe that Autumn is dyslexic. They believe she was misdiagnosed as such because her "rather significant ADHD" doesn't present typically in terms of behaviour problems (as in, she has no behaviour problems, she isn't bouncy or defiant, she doesn't spurt off at the mouth impulsively, etc). She said that Autumn's ADHD, combined with a well below average level of self confidence, and a very high fear of failure, caused academic problems that mimic a learning disability.

 

In short, her cognitive abilities are above average, effort is below average. They said that they do not give standard IQ tests with ranges, and that they simply classify results as "above average, average, and below average".

 

On the math test, for example, her ability was HIGH to solve visual problems, that relate to real life, with things like decimals and fractions (using words or visuals for pizza, or money), but when given the same questions on paper, she panicked and "couldn't do it". The psychologist said that she only gave Autumn these tests after testing to make sure she was cognitively able to perform.

 

She gave test 1, which Autumn branded as "too hard" immediately, and subsequently bombed.

She gave test 2, which was different altogether.

Then she went back and gave an almost identical in content test as Test 1, which because Autumn, subconsciously realized she had seen, thus no longer deeming "too hard", and she aced it. This was the same test she had bombed earlier in the day. The psych said this was a confidence issue more than anything.

 

I'm not sure what to do now for next year. We've been told for many years now that Autumn is dyslexic and to approach it as though she's always going to have a difficult time with written expression and language based anything. The psychologist thinks differently - Autumn aced everything to do with reading, did struggle somewhat with skill based in writing (mechanics), but nothing terrible (unlike the private school's assessment)... and, the kicker, she did very well with phonics.

 

The positive of living where I live - it's homeschool friendly. They didn't beat around the bush that Autumn thrives in a one-on-one environment and were very friendly about telling me what she qualified for at her zoned school, in terms of services (not much). They even suggested looking to whether or not she could take a class or two at the zoned school to help her get over some performance anxiety.

 

I'm just not sure where to go now.

What a confounding situation! Dd was in a school for dyslexia and may not have dyslexia? I can't begin to imagine how disturbing.

 

I wanted to make a comment on the testing. You said the evaluator does not give standard IQ tests, gives ranges, not numbers, etc.

 

On any testing my dc have had, I get the name of the tests and subtests and a whole slew of numbers -- raw scores, standard scores, percentiles, etc. A parent is not expected to understand all the numbers, but they can be valuable for subsequent testers. Did you get anything like this, or did you just get the interpretative section of the test report?

 

If details like the names of the tests and numeric results are available, you might want to request these, if you did not get them. But, if a tester said (as yours apparently did), that they only evaluate as average, above average, and so on, my personal confidence on the test results would be less than if I had a more precise eval.

 

Also giving the same test twice (even in a different format) could make the second test invalid. But that would depend on the test protocol. And I don't mean to imply that the evaluator did anything wrong. Evaluators may do something like that, but they would make an effort to be very clear as to the validity of the results.

 

No advice, but wishing you the best.

[AimeeM]

There are some numbers on there, for the eval sections, but then there's the interpretation.

There are no numbers with the IQ results, just an interpretation.

What a confounding situation! Dd was in a school for dyslexia and may not have dyslexia? I can't begin to imagine how disturbing.

I wanted to make a comment on the testing. You said the evaluator does not give standard IQ tests, gives ranges, not numbers, etc.

On any testing my dc have had, I get the name of the tests and subtests and a whole slew of numbers -- raw scores, standard scores, percentiles, etc. A parent is not expected to understand all the numbers, but they can be valuable for subsequent testers. Did you get anything like this, or did you just get the interpretative section of the test report?

If details like the names of the tests and numeric results are available, you might want to request these. If you did not get them. But, if a tester said (as yours apparently did), that they only evaluate as average, above average, and so on, my personal confidence on the test results would be less than if I had a more precise eval.

Also giving the same test twice (even in a different format) could make the second test invalid. But that would depend on the test protocol. And I don't mean to imply that the evaluator did anything wrong. Evaluators may do something like that, but they would make an effort to be very clear as to the validity of the results.

No advice, but wishing you the best.

 

[Alessandra]

There are some numbers on there, for the eval sections, but then there's the interpretation.

There are no numbers with the IQ results, just an interpretation.

Other people have mentioned the difficulties of 2E testing, which I don't know enough to comment about. But based on your comment -- no numbers for the IQ -- I would be cautious about how much trust I placed in this evaluation.

 

At some point (and I know it it not now), you might want to get a standard IQ test, like a WISC. Sometimes (not saying you do this, just speaking generally), parents can consider kids gifted when in fact the kids are simply bright, articulate, personable, whatever. It can set up unrealistic expectations, even if the kids do not know the diagnosis. On the other hand, if a kid truly tests off the charts, it is valuable info for education planning.

[AimeeM]

Other people have mentioned the difficulties of 2E testing, which I don't know enough to comment about. But based on your comment -- no numbers for the IQ -- I would be cautious about how much trust I placed in this evaluation.

 

At some point (and I know it it not now), you might want to get a standard IQ test, like a WISC. Sometimes (not saying you do this, just speaking generally), parents can consider kids gifted when in fact the kids are simply bright, articulate, personable, whatever. It can set up unrealistic expectations, even if the kids do not know the diagnosis. On the other hand, if a kid truly tests off the charts, it is valuable info for education planning.

 

We've never really educated her as "gifted"... but her first (now considered "old") eval did place her as highly gifted. <----- that was a private eval. She's never functioned as gifted (maybe slightly "above average" in math, but not gifted), so while it's on papers, we've definitely never assumed it or pushed - she's simply struggled too much to even consider upping expectations.

[AimeeM]

I'm going to ramble for a minute, but there's a point to it. I'm sincerely trying to decide where to go with this. To give some educational and personality background on Autumn, in the hopes that you ladies can help me decide how to best educate her at home - regardless of the testing:

 

I'm not sure EXACTLY how old she was for her first eval. I would need to dig out the papers. It was done privately. She spent the day with the child psychologist and then a couple weeks later I met with her for results. In a nutshell, she found that Autumn was "highly gifted", "socially and emotionally immature", "at risk", and should later be evaluted for ADHD/ADD.

 

At age 4 we enrolled her in a private school. Due to testing there, she was placed in kindergarten a year early. She had only turned 4 a week before she started kindergarten in that school - with 5 and 6 year olds. It was a disaster. I was called daily with complaints that Autumn couldn't sit still, didn't share as well as the other children, etc. I was blown away that they didn't realize this is pretty typical for a BARELY 4 year old. It didn't take long for me to pull her out and put her in pre-k at a different private school.

 

She immediately struggled with reading and writing in kindergarten. Catholic school with no real resources. She was moved to a public school where she fared much better. Homeschooling was never on my scope at this point.

 

We moved. She was placed in another Catholic school - this time, blessedly, with a lovely teacher who had formerly taught both special needs and gifted needs. She worked with Autumn and she made a ton of progress. She suggested, gently, that we have her evaluated for ADHD, and that she believed Autumn may be dyslexic - but she didn't know if Autumn was too young to test appropriately for dyslexia. We medicated the ADHD and she made huge progress. The next year she had a less than stellar teacher who insisted Autumn was "lazy" and not incredibly bright - we found out later that she had said the same to every parent of the 50% of her class that was failing or not doing well; we then found out that she had never before taught elementary school, and had only before taught middle school math. We, along with several others, pulled our respective kiddos out of the school entirely, after it was covered up by the principle (he only backed up his teacher, despite that SO MANY students, who had never struggled before, were floundering in her class.

 

Autumn entered grade 4 at a public school. She struggled again. She was able to verbally answer any question given to her, but her homework was haphazard. The teacher admitted that he couldn't help her, didn't have the time to dedicate, and gently suggested again that she was dyslexic. This time we took heed, and pulled her to homeschool - treating it as thought it were dyslexia. We were not well versed on where to look for testing for dyslexia - we knew nothing about psych eds and neuropsychs.

 

Autumn homeschooled, and did well, for about 1.5 years, when her and I started butting heads. Preteen years had hit! I found an ad for a new school for dyslexics and called. Around August of that year, she was offered a spot. No private neuropsych was able to get her in for months. The head told us not to worry about it - that she had been "thoroughly evaluated" during the shadowing process. Autumn's education at that school last year was insane. Half of the teachers weren't qualified to teach what they did, and some were fond of berating the students to get "results". If you've read my posts about the school, you know what I mean.

 

Autumn's entire educational career has been one step forward, two steps back. Last year, at the private dyslexia school, she consistently blew away on diagnostic and placement tests (in the positive sense - she did exceptionally well on them) - she would ace them, with little effort, be placed, struggle, and... well... yeah - one step forward, two steps back.

 

Her personality is such that she does the bare minimum required - ever. She doesn't like not being perfect. She helped teach the chess team at her school last year... but when she taught the boys so well that they could eventually give her a run for her money, she decided chess was "stupid" and "boring", and didn't want to participate. This is true for everything she does. The minute something gets difficult, she shuts down completely. She does NOT like work. Period. If it requires effort, she'd simply rather not. In everything, not just school work. She isn't LAZY, per se, in the sense that she DOES enjoy being active... but she doesn't care to exert much effort, even in things she enjoys. If it comes easily to her, she blows it away, and this happens frequently.

 

The positive about Autumn (because I feel I've written only negative) - she is the most kind, compassionate, justice oriented child I've ever met. She is amazing with younger children, a doting big sister, understanding, never greedy, talkative (I never have to *wonder* what is going on in her life, lol!), happy, and playful.  She has a beautiful sarcastic wit about her (sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes it's not, lol). God help the person that tries to pick on another because that person looks different, learns different, or acts different, if Autumn is around - the few times I have seen her verbally aggressive, it has been in defense of some perceived injustice towards another.

 

She's a good girl. I don't know what to do with her (lol), but she's a GOOD girl.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I'm going to ramble for a minute, but there's a point to it. I'm sincerely trying to decide where to go with this. To give some educational and personality background on Autumn, in the hopes that you ladies can help me decide how to best educate her at home - regardless of the testing:

 

I'm not sure EXACTLY how old she was for her first eval. I would need to dig out the papers. It was done privately. She spent the day with the child psychologist and then a couple weeks later I met with her for results. In a nutshell, she found that Autumn was "highly gifted", "socially and emotionally immature", "at risk", and should later be evaluted for ADHD/ADD.

 

At age 4 we enrolled her in a private school. Due to testing there, she was placed in kindergarten a year early. She had only turned 4 a week before she started kindergarten in that school - with 5 and 6 year olds. It was a disaster. I was called daily with complaints that Autumn couldn't sit still, didn't share as well as the other children, etc. I was blown away that they didn't realize this is pretty typical for a BARELY 4 year old. It didn't take long for me to pull her out and put her in pre-k at a different private school.

 

She immediately struggled with reading and writing in kindergarten. Catholic school with no real resources. She was moved to a public school where she fared much better. Homeschooling was never on my scope at this point.

 

We moved. She was placed in another Catholic school - this time, blessedly, with a lovely teacher who had formerly taught both special needs and gifted needs. She worked with Autumn and she made a ton of progress. She suggested, gently, that we have her evaluated for ADHD, and that she believed Autumn may be dyslexic - but she didn't know if Autumn was too young to test appropriately for dyslexia. We medicated the ADHD and she made huge progress. The next year she had a less than stellar teacher who insisted Autumn was "lazy" and not incredibly bright - we found out later that she had said the same to every parent of the 50% of her class that was failing or not doing well; we then found out that she had never before taught elementary school, and had only before taught middle school math. We, along with several others, pulled our respective kiddos out of the school entirely, after it was covered up by the principle (he only backed up his teacher, despite that SO MANY students, who had never struggled before, were floundering in her class.

 

Autumn entered grade 4 at a public school. She struggled again. She was able to verbally answer any question given to her, but her homework was haphazard. The teacher admitted that he couldn't help her, didn't have the time to dedicate, and gently suggested again that she was dyslexic. This time we took heed, and pulled her to homeschool - treating it as thought it were dyslexia. We were not well versed on where to look for testing for dyslexia - we knew nothing about psych eds and neuropsychs.

 

Autumn homeschooled, and did well, for about 1.5 years, when her and I started butting heads. Preteen years had hit! I found an ad for a new school for dyslexics and called. Around August of that year, she was offered a spot. No private neuropsych was able to get her in for months. The head told us not to worry about it - that she had been "thoroughly evaluated" during the shadowing process. Autumn's education at that school last year was insane. Half of the teachers weren't qualified to teach what they did, and some were fond of berating the students to get "results". If you've read my posts about the school, you know what I mean.

 

Autumn's entire educational career has been one step forward, two steps back. Last year, at the private dyslexia school, she consistently blew away on diagnostic and placement tests (in the positive sense - she did exceptionally well on them) - she would ace them, with little effort, be placed, struggle, and... well... yeah - one step forward, two steps back.

 

Her personality is such that she does the bare minimum required - ever. She doesn't like not being perfect. She helped teach the chess team at her school last year... but when she taught the boys so well that they could eventually give her a run for her money, she decided chess was "stupid" and "boring", and didn't want to participate. This is true for everything she does. The minute something gets difficult, she shuts down completely. She does NOT like work. Period. If it requires effort, she'd simply rather not. In everything, not just school work. She isn't LAZY, per se, in the sense that she DOES enjoy being active... but she doesn't care to exert much effort, even in things she enjoys. If it comes easily to her, she blows it away, and this happens frequently.

 

The positive about Autumn (because I feel I've written only negative) - she is the most kind, compassionate, justice oriented child I've ever met. She is amazing with younger children, a doting big sister, understanding, never greedy, talkative (I never have to *wonder* what is going on in her life, lol!), happy, and playful.  She has a beautiful sarcastic wit about her (sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes it's not, lol). God help the person that tries to pick on another because that person looks different, learns different, or acts different, if Autumn is around - the few times I have seen her verbally aggressive, it has been in defense of some perceived injustice towards another.

 

She's a good girl. I don't know what to do with her (lol), but she's a GOOD girl.

 

Thank you for sharing more about your precious dd! I've been following your journey with this past year's school but I don't think I ever heard the big picture. She sounds delightful, Aimee. I don't know much about dyslexia or testing, but I know as a parent that I'd do what you've been doing -- whatever it takes for the last paragraph to continue to be true.

 

[Mandy in TN]

You have said a lot about her timeline and not very much about her learning style, her academic strengths, or the things she enjoys that could also be used in her academics.

 

There is no doubt that she has been jerked around, and yet, despite this, she has continued to make progress. She is a sharp child. She obviously has perfectionist tendencies, as she doesn't want to be in a situation or perform in a situation where she isn't the best or feels that her performance or score will be less than she wants. This is what I get from your posts.

 

Meet her where she is and move her forward as she is able. I would look at products designed for gifted students. Products that require her to go further than repetition and memorization. Look at programs like MCT LA and Shelagh Gallagher's Problem Solving for One. At the same time, maybe go in a different direction with spelling. Look at something like Sequential Spelling that will look at patterns in English rather than straight phonics or sight words just in case there is some underlying language processing issue. Is there anything to do with science or history that interests her? If so, I would be inclined to let those be interest led, and y'all discuss out of the box output like posters, flyers, oral narrations, journal entries, presentations to the family, teaching a sibling, etc. While AOPS is often the go to suggestion for gifted kiddos, its discovery method may frustrate your perfectionist. You may want to try some sort of combo of Life of Fred and Zacarro books, look at TabletClass, or maybe Jousting with Armadillos.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Mandy in TN]

Actually they said that one-on-one worked best for her... homeschooling. They said that if, in the future, I wanted a class or two, they thought something had passed quietly allowing for that, but that she wouldn't be eligible for special services in those classes.

 

They cannot dx dyslexia, but they dx a learning disability. The official paperwork right now states that it isn't believed she has a learning disability, but that her medical dx of ADHD (which is from a different doctor - she's been with an ADHD dx now for many years) is seriously impacting her ability to learn.

Because they can't diagnose dyslexia, I certainly wouldn't take their diagnosis that they don't feel she is very seriously. OTOH- all you can do is meet her where she is. I know it is frustrating, but even if you had received a diagnosis of a specific LD, a lot of what you decided to use at home would be trial and error. Think of homeschool products as being like her ADHD meds. You try something to see if it might work. If it doesn't, you try something else. If it does, you go with it knowing that it will need to be tweaked and maybe even changed down the road.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[AimeeM]

She is strong in most areas of academics, with the exception of writing (struggles VERY much), but her real strength is with numbers. With that said, while she used to love math, she hasn't since she landed her last teach mid-year last school year. She now claims that she doesn't remember anything about math (despite doing fantastic on the conceptual and reasoning areas of every test she's had in the past several years).

She has no real interests in academics. She enjoys Harry Potter, Greek mythology (we are planning on helping her study for the NME), and that's about it. She does want to dissect things this year (Ruth helped us big time with an amazing science plan for her). She used to enjoy science. I can't really tell you want she enjoys, academics-wise, any more, because all bets are off after last year. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she's a bit "broken" (in spirit) after last year. She no longer believes she is good at anything.

 

I'm not sure if I'll regret it later for whatever reason, but I let her look at her psych ed eval. Her eyes lit up. "She thinks I'm smart"

 

I keep teetering with the AOPS. I'm not sure if it would break her more, or stretch her. I think we'll take a year off spelling in isolation, and move to vocabulary (not sure where). I'm thinking about grabbing Lightning Lit 8 (we will team read if she's overwhelmed, but she already read part of the LL7 list, and they were NOT favorites of hers, lol).

 

I keep considering MCT, but I have no clue where to place her there. Any ideas? I've never noticed a placement test on RFWP site. I do think it would be stimulating for her.

 

She is a visual learner. She likes to move around a lot. She is easily bored. She used to enjoy very much being read to, but I'm not sure if she still does.

 

Ideally, she would sit down with me and help me pick out some things. I'm not sure it would get me anywhere, though, because she seems quite sure that this school year will be just as terrible as last (at the private school).

You have said a lot about her timeline and not very much about her learning style, her academic strengths, or the things she enjoys that could also be used in her academics.

There is no doubt that she has been jerked around, and yet, despite this, she has continued to make progress. She is a sharp child. She obviously has perfectionist tendencies, as she doesn't want to be in a situation or perform in a situation where she isn't the best or feels that her performance or score will be less than she wants. This is what I get from your posts.

Meet her where she is and move her forward as she is able. I would look at products designed for gifted students. Products that require her to go further than repetition and memorization. Look at programs like MCT LA and Shelagh Gallagher's Problem Solving for One. At the same time, maybe go in a different direction with spelling. Look at something like Sequential Spelling that will look at patterns in English rather than straight phonics or sight words just in case there is some underlying language processing issue. Is there anything to do with science or history that interests her? If so, I would be inclined to let those be interest led, and y'all discuss out of the box output like posters, flyers, oral narrations, journal entries, presentations to the family, teaching a sibling, etc. While AOPS is often the go to suggestion for gifted kiddos, its discovery method may frustrate your perfectionist. You may want to try some sort of combo of Life of Fred and Zacarro books, look at TabletClass, or maybe Jousting with Armadillos.

HTH-
Mandy

 

[RootAnn]

Aimee - I'm not sure the testing changes anything for your plans this year. Why should it? I think you should meet your daughter where she's at -- get her love of science back, get her interest in learning back, help her to feel comfortable with math again, etc.

 

I think AOPS "cold" would be a bad idea - it would just reinforce her idea that she's "bad" at something. If you want to try it after completing another algebra program, it might be a good fit.

 

I have a perfectionist (dd#3) who thinks she should be just as good at everything as her older sister. (The trouble is, right now she almost is. If older sis eventually "takes off", where will that put the perfectionist? In the dumps!) My dd#2, personality-wise, sounds similar to your daughter. I haven't figured out how to get her to put out more "oomph" if she isn't interested in something.

 

The thing I haven't heard yet is if Autumn has a passion. Something to get her to "go beyond" and risk the perfectionism because she just really, really loves it.

 

For dd#2, it is art stuff. We found someone to teach her oil painting that she clicks with (at least for now). It isn't always smooth, but she's willing to make mistakes to learn. She resists learning a new technique because she is comfortable with an old one. But she allows this tutor to push her. She continues to work on her drawing -- adding perspective/dimensions, shading, and trying to progress on her own.

 

That's what I'd look for and add to my plan for this year for your daughter. I'd keep the academics down to the minimum (don't add to the load you already have listed/planned) and give her enough free time to search for her passion.

[Trilliums]

I remember reading past posts you have written and thinking how much like my son (now a high school senior) your daughter sounds.  

 

Would you all consider an unschooling approach?  If she is really broken in spirit, that approach can be very restorative.  You could still keep an academic focus, but let go of the required output from her, especially written output.  I know that can be scary and hard to do because we are all conditioned to expect that written output as proof of their progress.  But, kids can still grow to be strong writers/analytical thinkers if they have input of good writing and much discussion about it.  I faced a similar quandary with my kids and I looked at is this way: Do I want to try to "drag" my child through the typical written work expected of their age, or do I want to try another option where they can still continue to learn, but on terms that seem better suited to their learning style?   I also really had to get it out of my head that eventually I would find the "right" curriculum for my kids.  

 

You could:

Use a living math approach.  I think she is still young enough that you can forgo a workbook approach math program but she could still be on track for a regular high school math program.  She would be better served if she became more comfortable with using math and not fearing it.  living math.net, along with the library, makes a great resource.    Read read read and talk about math.  Keep measuring tapes, scales, counters, change, etc all out and around her and use them.  Ask so many questions you feel like a toddler again.  Have you all ever tried khan academy?  My son ended up starting AoPS geometry in grade 10...but by then he had already built up a strong math confidence. 

 

LA:  Do things like Figuratively Speaking and the Killgallon books all orally.  Don't make her write the stuff out.  Let her shine in developing her work without the burden of putting pencil on paper.  Read, listen to audio books, talk about all the stuff you have done,  Let her use play dough, moon sand, wikkisticks, or whatever she likes while you read out loud or while listening to audio books.   I think you can even do spelling out loud if you really want to keep doing spelling.

 

SS and science: videos!  Let her sit on a bouncy ball while watching videos if needed.  Do you have a microscope?  Does she like gardening (great way to get biology concepts going).  My kids loved science projects..but hated writing any labs or answering the silly questions.  They were still able to transition to writing formal lab reports for honors chemistry at the high school in grade 9 despite having done precious little written work on science prior to that.  They really do not need to fill out forms detailing the difference between alive things and not alive things  30 times over(an assignment from one science book we lhad).

 

Writing...eventually I would try something like IEW Student writing intensive.  But not right away.   Just let her be for a bit.  Let her rediscover the interesting parts of learning about the world around us. It really sounds like the joy of learning has drained from her.  Let her go back to the stage where we let the kids just learn, but then didn't say, OK now write down everything you learned about xyz...cause that really just stank for my kids at least!

[Crimson Wife]

But I'm not looking for services and they know that... so why would they do that?

They want you to go away. If your DD qualifies for an IEP, you could sue them for private placement if they don't offer a placement to your liking. The easiest way to circumvent that possibility is to deny eligibility.

[zoobie]

From my research and what an Ed Psych PhD and psychiatrist specializing in children told us, unremediated ADHD will turn into or exacerbate underlying anxiety and/or depression. And it's worse during hormone flux. What treatment has she gotten for the ADHD? There's behavioral therapy as well as pharmaceutical.

 

It makes sense that the school eval wouldn't dx anxiety, but it sounds like they suggested it based on phrasing it in terms of its impact on school performance.

[AimeeM]

They want you to go away. If your DD qualifies for an IEP, you could sue them for private placement if they don't offer a placement to your liking. The easiest way to circumvent that possibility is to deny eligibility.

 

 

They DID offer me some services. I'm not interested, because I'll secure outside services if needed, but they offered them to me. This is where I fear I wasn't very clear in my initial post. She wasn't denied eligibility. The eval was actually written in such a way, that while it was deemed a "medical special need", it was written that the medical need seriously impacted her ability to learn, that they felt in order for her to make gains in a neurotypical classroom she needed services, therefore she was offered x, y, z services.

The "take a couple classes here" was mentioned when I told them that her eventual goal was the Catholic school. They didn't seem to think that this is necessarily the best fit for her, but they suggested that if this was her eventual goal, perhaps taking a couple of structured classes now may help ready her for that later goal.

 

[AimeeM]

From my research and what an Ed Psych PhD and psychiatrist specializing in children told us, unremediated ADHD will turn into or exacerbate underlying anxiety and/or depression. And it's worse during hormone flux. What treatment has she gotten for the ADHD? There's behavioral therapy as well as pharmaceutical.

 

It makes sense that the school eval wouldn't dx anxiety, but it sounds like they suggested it based on phrasing it in terms of its impact on school performance.

 

Right now we have started her back on her regular dose of Adderall and she's thriving with that. Six months ago or so, we were able to be swayed into taking her off her medication. While she seemed happier and more talkative, her grades suffered, and eventually she wasn't happier.

 

I'll agree that it sounds like she is suffering from anxiety.

 

When her meds are top of their game, she isn't anxious. Today at the end of camp volleyball tournament, she wasn't the least bit concerned with winning, lol - in fact, she very happily congratulated the winning team and talked to me excitably about how her team only lost by one point. It's difficult, in the midst of growth spurts (and we are smack in the middle of another one), to keep her meds where they need to be. Very difficult.

 

[zoobie]

I know. I can't get mine to take them, much less keep them regulated. Ugh. I wish there were an aerosol formula that could dose the whole dang house some days. ;)

[Reefgazer]

I hope things work out for you next year.  The bolded is so hard to watch.  My DD was the same way after 5th grade, for different reasons.  But after a year of homeschooling, she has come back.  I hope your DD has the same success with getting her groove back.

 

 As far as MCT goes:  We did that DD first year out of public school; it was just the salve for a kid that has been beaten down by academics.  It's lighthearted while still very meaty.  If your DD struggles with writing, one of the elementary levels might be best for her; Paragraph doesn't require endless writing, and Essay Voyage introduces essays gently. 

She is strong in most areas of academics, with the exception of writing (struggles VERY much), but her real strength is with numbers. With that said, while she used to love math, she hasn't since she landed her last teach mid-year last school year. She now claims that she doesn't remember anything about math (despite doing fantastic on the conceptual and reasoning areas of every test she's had in the past several years).

She has no real interests in academics. She enjoys Harry Potter, Greek mythology (we are planning on helping her study for the NME), and that's about it. She does want to dissect things this year (Ruth helped us big time with an amazing science plan for her). She used to enjoy science. I can't really tell you want she enjoys, academics-wise, any more, because all bets are off after last year. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she's a bit "broken" (in spirit) after last year. She no longer believes she is good at anything.

 

I'm not sure if I'll regret it later for whatever reason, but I let her look at her psych ed eval. Her eyes lit up. "She thinks I'm smart"

 

I keep teetering with the AOPS. I'm not sure if it would break her more, or stretch her. I think we'll take a year off spelling in isolation, and move to vocabulary (not sure where). I'm thinking about grabbing Lightning Lit 8 (we will team read if she's overwhelmed, but she already read part of the LL7 list, and they were NOT favorites of hers, lol).

 

I keep considering MCT, but I have no clue where to place her there. Any ideas? I've never noticed a placement test on RFWP site. I do think it would be stimulating for her.

 

She is a visual learner. She likes to move around a lot. She is easily bored. She used to enjoy very much being read to, but I'm not sure if she still does.

 

Ideally, she would sit down with me and help me pick out some things. I'm not sure it would get me anywhere, though, because she seems quite sure that this school year will be just as terrible as last (at the private school).

 

[ElizabethB]

Does she prefer video or written? I have several ideas.

 

All of them include my word root bingo game, though! I like to play with allergy free small chocolate chips or skittles as markers, they get a few extra but have to save at least 16 until the game is done, then they get to eat the rest of the markers.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/LangLessons/greeklatinroots.html

[Korrale]

I highly recommend that you read a book called Mindset. It is not going to help with any learning disabilities. But it can help with esteem. The book will give you as a parent an idea od phases to say to encourage your daughter based on effort rather than ability.

 

There is also a good book called. Right-brained Child in a Left-brained World. I was tutoring a child very much like your daughter. She had been diagnosed with ADHD. She wasn't squiggly, but she lacked focus and confidence. There were some good strategies In that book.