Classically educating kids with FASD

[TricieW]

Hi, all! I'm brand new to this group. I home school our adopted daughter who has learning challenges, visual challenges, and more, due to FASD. I would love to connect with others in the same boat for encouragement. 

[PeterPan]

I'm not dealing with FASD, but welcome to the boards! Fire away with questions. 

[Melissa in Australia]

My Permanent care twins most probably have FASD.( the Pediatrician is the one that suggested it)  they are having assessments done currently

 we go slow . we find what works for their abilities  and do that. 

let me know if you want more details     

 they are currently age 7 1/2  and working at a Foundations level ( what I think you guys call K5) in most subjects 

 

 

[Gobblygook]

Have you read Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child? It is such a lovely, encouraging book for those of us with children who face learning challenges. The author, Cheryl Swope, has developed a classical curriculum for children with special needs at Memoria Press. There is also a Facebook group and a forum on the Memoria Press web site where Cheryl and others are very helpful in answering questions. 

[TricieW]

She just turned 13, has lived with us since she was almost 8, home schooled since 9. We use Classical Conversations Foundations materials now. The repetition with songs is helpful as she retains it better. The FASD causes a terrible short term memory problem, and she struggles to express back what she learns, or understand what it all means. But she is the only one of the 5 kids who can recite the 45 US presidents in order! We do not do Essentials from CC as it is too much for her. We do use Fix It! Level 1 from IEW. She is in the orange Math-U-See book. (Beta, I think). She reads to me from Christian Liberty Nature Reader book 1. We are attempting the elementary chemistry from Apologia,  which is written for 1-6th grade. She loves the experiments but struggles retaining and not confusing vocab and concepts. So she basically functions academically around a 1st-2nd grade level, but still differently, due to memory, comprehension, and expression struggles, and she has poor vision and irlen syndrome. 

I have read Simply Classical, and I find the lady inspiring. How does she do it all?!

Life can be so exhausting at times, raising a kiddo with these struggles. We took her camping and she nearly blew up my husband.  Not out of meanness. She did not connect action and consequence in her head. He was leaning over the fire cooking, and she thought the fire should be bigger, so she went to spray lighter fluid on the flames!!! We both saw her the second before she did it and hollered,  "NO!!! STOP!!!" and thankfully, she stopped. 

I also struggle with our school district. They help with supplies or services, but want to know what grade she is in. In their way, she would be in 7th grade, but does not function in any area at that level. But they stop services at 18, so then she is just officially "done"?! 

That was a long share! I would love to hear from others and how they manage concerns, see learning improve, etc!

[Lecka]

Does she have an IEP from the school?  

I do not homeschool so I really don't know how it works to get an IEP..... but surely she would qualify for services through age 21.  

For my son, he is too young for us to have done anything formally in that direction (he is 9), but informally we expect him to receive (or qualify for, maybe it will work out that he starts working or something) services through the school district until he is 21.  

There may be "transition" programs or job readiness programs, for students with special needs, that she could qualify for.  

As far as I know, the first step would be getting an IEP.  Really the first step might be contacting the special education department and talking to someone?  

For special education students, for the most part they are going to be considered to be in their grade and progress through grades, regardless of academic level.  

Maybe, maybe kids repeat a year of pre-school or repeat Kindergarten or 1st grade.  

But ime, after that -- at a certain point, kids who are starting puberty need to be with other kids who are starting puberty, and not be a huge kid still in elementary school.  Sometimes that does work out really well for kids, to be 2-3 years older than others for their grade, but ------- more often that is not the decision to make, and kids progress through the grades.  

So, yes, she is a 7th grader.  Or maybe she is a 5th or 6th grader if you want her to be, if it helps her in any way to participate with younger kids in anything that wants to know an official grade level.  

But more likely they will go by age, and then services in most states go through age 21.  

But -- you would need to be setting that up in high school, because if that is going to be the case, you don't officially graduate.  Sometimes kids walk the stage at graduation, but they aren't considered to be graduated, because they still do things through the school district until 21.  

I think you also need to see if she is going to qualify as anything in a way that would provide services or social activities for her, and I think you would start on that by testing, and then finding out about resources in your area.  

Just for example -- my son went to a free weeklong summer camp this summer, through the local Rotary Club, and if your daughter lived in this area she would be eligible, too.  It's different in every place, but there will be something in your area, and some things could be special for her.