Language arts: what's most crucial

[IsabelC]

Hi all, I would appreciate any advice on what to do with my 13yo.  

He would be in seventh grade if he were at school. He manages his math work at 7th grade level, however he finds must LA work difficult. He is currently working on 'Word Skills' (grade 6) which covers vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and English usage, plus some additional spelling (grade 5), so he is moderately delayed, although he has 'caught up' somewhat from where he was when we first pulled him out of school. He literally doesn't/can't do any form of creative writing (I think this is ASD related), however I honestly don't mind about that. Our goal is to get him to where he has sufficient functional literacy to write, for example, a letter, a report, or a basic 'five paragraph' style essay expressing his opinion on a topic. He's never going to pursue any further education that is especially writing-intensive (he loathes writing), but he still needs to have enough writing skills that he won't be held back from whatever he does do...

So what I'm considering at the moment is: where should I focus my/his time and effort for maximum benefits?

 

Edited September 15, 2016 by IsabelC

[sbgrace]

My son is also 7th grade and has autism, but his weaknesses are more math oriented. Still, I find some pretty significant weakness in specific LA areas that I think are due to the special needs, like making inferences in reading. He has limited tolerance/energy for attention to school, so I have to make what we do count.

 

I think my goal would be a good writer and reader. So I would focus on composition and proofreading, vocabulary (if weak) and reading comprehension (if weak). 

 

At least that's largely the track I'm taking right now.

 

My guy prefers nonfiction for pleasure reading almost exclusively. So I do a fiction read aloud and my kids listen to a lot of fiction audio books.

Edited September 15, 2016 by sbgrace

[OneStepAtATime]

I think people might be able to help more if we had a bit more information.  I hope you don't mind my asking some questions.

 

Has he had any evaluations?  Is he dyslexic?  Dysgraphic?

 

What might he be interested in as a career?  Is he (or you) hoping that college is an option to get where he needs/wants to go?  Does he have any outside interests that could be turned into a career?

 

Does he read well when reading out loud (good decoding and fluency skills)?  How is his comprehension?  How well does he do with audio books?  

 

Have you tried any tech support?  Like a Livescribe Pen, or speech to text software?  Can he type?  If he dictates and you scribe how does he do for output?

 

For writing he may need something more systematic.  Perhaps IEW TWSS/SWI?  

 

Hopefully people will respond quickly with some helpful answers.  Lots of wonderful people here that are willing to share what they know.  Also, there is a private chat support group for people educating kids that have some learning challenges.  If you are interested I can send you an invite.  It isn't super active but if you wanted to post more privately that is an option.

[sbgrace]

OneStep has great questions. I didn't think of those things!

I did focus on keyboarding skills here. I forgot because we are past the learning part.

 

But special learning needs/areas of weakness would certainly affect the focus of instruction, she's right.

[geodob]

What you could focus on, is to help him to develop his methods of planning?  For writing a letter, report or essay?  Or any project?

Where he starts his plan, by defining his conclusion.

Then looks back from the conclusion, and identifies what is needed to arrive at it?

 

So that with the beginning and end points defined.  'Key-points can then be located between them, and their order defined.

 

Once this has been defined.  Then the writing can follow a path, that connects the key-points. 

Where the writing focus, is targeted on connecting the last and next key-points.

 

Though the basic difference, is between starting with a beginning and an end point.  Then wandering off without a plan, and hoping to arrive at the end point?

 

As opposed, to having identified the key-points between them, and the order to work through them.

 

But Math also comes into planning process?  

Where it can use either an Arithmetic or Algebra approach?

With a Arithmetic approach, their is closure at each key-point, as it moves onto the next.  (2+7+4+.. .)

 

But with an Algebraic approach, what we introduce, are 'variables'?

Where from the 'end', we look back at a 'key-point', and consider how some 'change to the key-point', could effect arriving at end-point?

Which introduces the 'what if ?' factor into planning?

 

The critical difference, is between looking at 'what if' ?  From the beginning point, or the end point?

From a position of hindsight.

So that with writing a report, we look back and explain how we arrived here.

[PeterPan]

Jumping to the end here, but I'd want updated language testing (to make sure there isn't a language explanation).  I'd make sure he can type. At least a functional speed, like 20-30wpm.  Beyond that, I'd find out what HE wants to write, something that would be motivating or useful to him.  

 

Does he have an email account?  Does he have a special interest that has magazines, forums, FB groups, etc?  We live in a text-driven age, so it's probable he has something he'll want to write.  It probably just won't have anything to do with 5 paragraph essays.  Unless you debate!  Then it can!  He's at a GREAT age to argue, lol.  There's a book I used that went oop.  I don't know if it's affordable now.  It was something like 50 Debate Prompts.  They were on things that would interest that age.  Try your education store or RR or Evan Moor or whatever and you can probably find something similar.  Arguing is oral composition!

 

With my dd, we did that writing that was because she had something to say (around a passion, in her case fan fiction) and we made sure she could type (as in I paid her big bucks to motivate her), we did the oral arguments, and then we outlined interesting articles using mindmapping software.

[IsabelC]

I think people might be able to help more if we had a bit more information.  I hope you don't mind my asking some questions.

 

Has he had any evaluations?  Is he dyslexic?  Dysgraphic?  

He had fairly comprehensive assessments done a few years back.  He has average cognitive ability and no identified learning disabilities. He was diagnosed with ASD and ADHD (combined) and he has very poor executive function.

 

What might he be interested in as a career?  Is he (or you) hoping that college is an option to get where he needs/wants to go?  Does he have any outside interests that could be turned into a career?

So far he really hasn't expressed interest in anything, career-wise.  We honestly do not know at this stage whether he will be capable of studying at college level or not.  (We just don't want to prematurely rule anything out by making assumptions about what he can't do, iykwim). He doesn't have a lot of interests - probably the things he enjoys most are composing music (which he does most days) and flying (which he loves but unfortunately does infrequently due to the cost involved). So maybe he'll be a musical pilot ;)

 

Does he read well when reading out loud (good decoding and fluency skills)?  How is his comprehension?  How well does he do with audio books?  

He reads competently and with reasonable comprehension. He sometimes listens to audio books, but he generally prefers to read rather than listen to stories, and uses his listening time mainly for music.

 

Have you tried any tech support?  Like a Livescribe Pen, or speech to text software?  Can he type?  If he dictates and you scribe how does he do for output?

No, we haven't tried that kind of thing.  I think his main issue is coming up with ideas and putting them into words.  Once he has the words, he can get them onto paper OK.

 

For writing he may need something more systematic.  Perhaps IEW TWSS/SWI?  

 

Hopefully people will respond quickly with some helpful answers.  Lots of wonderful people here that are willing to share what they know.  Also, there is a private chat support group for people educating kids that have some learning challenges.  If you are interested I can send you an invite.  It isn't super active but if you wanted to post more privately that is an option.

 

Edited September 17, 2016 by IsabelC

[PeterPan]

For his flying, does he need to keep flight logs?