So Different...

[goldenecho]

So, I started tutoring a little girl who just finished Kindergarten recently.   They said she was "good in math, a little behind in reading."  (No, she really wasn't)

Whoa, what a difference from working with my son who has ADHD + probably an additional learning disabilities we're still figuring out.

I was worried about how she was going to do with an hour of tutoring (brought lots of fun stuff and games at first).   She BLEW through that hour...felt like she could have done a second EASILY.   My son, at a year older than her, would have had to have several breaks during that time, probably would have been in tears at least once, and before half the things we did I would have to spend time encouraging him and nudging him to start.   And usually, even with big long breaks, he seemed to burn out if I tried doing more than an hour a day.   It's like his brain just said "done, no more" and if I kept trying to make him continue after that point it was tons of prodding and encouraging and trying to get him to focus for very little learning sinking in.

I mean, I know some of it is that I'm someone "new and exciting" right now for the girl I'm tutoring, but still.  WOW. 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2019 by goldenecho

[Heathermomster]

It is shocking to work with a NT child if you’ve only dealt with a kiddo that struggles.  With the exception of handwriting, my DD hasn’t experienced any of the challenges that DS has faced. Math facts and music are a piece of cake.  She reads constantly, studies Latin, and understands grammar. Her EF and planning are better.  

[Lecka]

I know what you mean!!!!!!!  With my daughter, frequently I explain things to her only one time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ktgrok]

My oldest has working memory issues, ADHD,a nd ASD. Teaching him to read was a nightmare. Second has dyslexia - totally willing but had to work SO hard for every gain. 

DS6? He is picking up reading just from being NEAR books. He's a natural reader, like I was. It's CRAZY. 

[Kanin]

I'm watching a webinar featuring David Kilpatrick. He said that the typical child only needs to see an unfamiliar word 1-4 times before it is forever stored in long term memory, for automatic recall. Our struggling readers, not so much....

I, too, am working with a NT child in reading. It's crazy how fast she is progressing. AND she's reading words that include sounds that I've NEVER taught... she's just getting them somehow. It's mind blowing!

[ktgrok]

17 hours ago, Mainer said:

I'm watching a webinar featuring David Kilpatrick. He said that the typical child only needs to see an unfamiliar word 1-4 times before it is forever stored in long term memory, for automatic recall. Our struggling readers, not so much....

I, too, am working with a NT child in reading. It's crazy how fast she is progressing. AND she's reading words that include sounds that I've NEVER taught... she's just getting them somehow. It's mind blowing!

Yes! (and I LOVE david kilpatric, feel free to share the webinar info if you can!)

Mine to, reading sounds I 've never taught...I don't know where he got this from. It's like he sees a word, can break down the phonics himself, and then use it later. Um..yeah...the other two not so much. 

[Kanin]

2 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

 Yes! (and I LOVE david kilpatric, feel free to share the webinar info if you can!)

Mine to, reading sounds I 've never taught...I don't know where he got this from. It's like he sees a word, can break down the phonics himself, and then use it later. Um..yeah...the other two not so much. 

Webinar!  I LOVE David Kilpatrick, too. 

 

And here's an older Reading League one:

 

I just typed his name into YouTube and got a bunch of stuff.

[FairProspects]

Oh my goodness, yes. I honestly thank my lucky stars that I was a teacher before kids because I knew how it *should* be. With both my boys being dyslexic, almost everything is hard. IRL, no one understood how I KNEW at 5 or 6 that they were dyslexic, and it was simply from teaching NT kids and spending hours around typically developing children.

I'm so glad you are having a great experience tutoring!

[ElizabethB]

And, there is also a difference between boys and girls even along the normal spectrum.

My son needed a lot more phonics repetition, my daughter needed more math repetition.

I was tutoring a 4th grade girl with some underlying issues at the same time my son was in the 4th grade.  I got her to grade level and then was working on some more advanced stuff, similar but different word endings.  The book I was using had one type, then the other, then mixed practice.  My son needed all increments, she blew on to the final level with no trouble.  When I tried to go to the final level with him, it was not good, I had to go back.  When I told her about that, she was so happy after struggling for years that she was finally advancing faster than someone!! (And someone with no underlying difficulties, just on one end of the repetition level.)  My son now reads 300 WPM and is a few grades above grade level for reading.  If I had only had my daughter and no remedial students, I would have worried about him, but he made slow but steady progress when young and just needed a lot of repetition. (My dyslexic students and students with speech/language problems present differently than he did.)

It does sound like she has a longer than normal attention span, though, even for a girl of that age.

[ElizabethB]

On May 9, 2019 at 8:21 PM, goldenecho said:

So, I started tutoring a little girl who just finished Kindergarten recently.   They said she was "good in math, a little behind in reading."  (No, she really wasn't)

Whoa, what a difference from working with my son who has ADHD + probably an additional learning disabilities we're still figuring out.

I was worried about how she was going to do with an hour of tutoring (brought lots of fun stuff and games at first).   She BLEW through that hour...felt like she could have done a second EASILY.   My son, at a year older than her, would have had to have several breaks during that time, probably would have been in tears at least once, and before half the things we did I would have to spend time encouraging him and nudging him to start.   And usually, even with big long breaks, he seemed to burn out if I tried doing more than an hour a day.   It's like his brain just said "done, no more" and if I kept trying to make him continue after that point it was tons of prodding and encouraging and trying to get him to focus for very little learning sinking in.

I mean, I know some of it is that I'm someone "new and exciting" right now for the girl I'm tutoring, but still.  WOW. 

 

 

Yes, brain full, totally worthless to keep working after that.  With my group classes, I work for 25 to 30 min, then games for 10 minutes, then a short break, then back to work.  There is a point at which several of the students are no longer accepting info into their brain.  When I teach several lessons over 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I have to add in longer breaks and breaks with snacks and running around.