Just an update

[PeterPan]

We're doing fine these days, just plugging along. Ds has entered the years that eventually wind down, so we're looking at the end, working backward. Right now I'm thinking five more years, but we'll see. We're working on quarters and having a focus on 4-5 things done well, rather than trying to do 7 things and flopping at them all. 

science-McHenry's Elements. Started this at the suggestion of the Guest Hollow Chemistry, which uses it for an intro before their high school chem. Ds can't keep the pace they suggest (the whole thing in a month, whew!) but he's enjoying it.

history-Mystery of History. A lot is familiar, so we're rabbit trailing with youtube, etc. It's just enough and the audio means I don't have to read so much.

math-still working through a fundamentals ebook. Might do some geometry with him as he's very spatial or might wait. I don't know if he'd forget it a couple years down the road and be rusty for entrance testing for classes at the technical college. I don't know if he can handle those classes anyway. Interestingly, I'm starting to see glimmers of understanding basic algebra concepts we've explored for years, so that's good. 

logic-He's at an argumentative stage, so we're reading Fallacy Detective together. When we finish, we'll probably keep going with more logic books.

handwriting-He's working on his signature and is now taking ownership of it.

spelling-We're working through a Rasinski Word Ladders book, which he can actually do tolerably. It's pretty challenging considering he has to use vocabulary, do phonological processing, spell, AND physically write the words. 

syntax-We're working through the exercises in Bruce Saddler's Teacher's Guide to Effective Sentence Writing. I have him do the sentence combining multiple ways to work on both his language comprehension and flexibility. 

There's more I'd like to do with short stories, etc. but we can't do it all at once. We'll see.

So things are going well and life is pretty good. It's just this long slow effort, nothing dramatic or wow. I was chuckling to myself because he really is the "boy that would rather be making forts" that Pudewa talks about. He continues to do sessions of speech therapy for conversation, narrative language, auditory processing, etc., which is paying off well.

Feel free to post what you've been up to and how it's going. 🙂

Edited July 12, 2023 by PeterPan

[Lecka]

My son goes to high school in August!!!!  He’s at a part-time summer program there and it’s been a good transition.

 

We had his transition meeting, and he’s going to be in the special needs program, I signed a paper saying I understand he’s not taking the regular curriculum.  He’s also going to be on a special needs bus, after being on a regular bus in middle school.  But it’s a much larger school and no one monitors the buses at the high school.  
 

We are planning for him to go to a special needs vo-tech program his Junior and Senior year, it’s what we all think he will want to do (the other main choice is a transition program, but we all think he will want to do the vo-tech program).  

 

He likes to use tools and he has used a chainsaw with my husband’s intense supervision.  
 

The vo-tech program as explained to me — kids learn at their own pace and advance through safety checks, and different kids make different progress.

 

At the end of the program, it varies from lawnmowing, to being a handy man for an apartment complex or nursing home.  Not everyone in this program has special needs so that’s who is more likely to be hired as a handy man… but they have excellent job placement for those students.  This program is the only one with no math or reading requirement, but it’s not only for special education.  
 

He is easy-going and a lot of fun!  He almost always acolytes for the early church service, which is exciting.  We didn’t trust him with fire at the traditional age, but now he does great and most kids go to the second service.  (He lights and extinguishes candles from a pole.). 
 

His social skills are really low as far as — talking to people or knowing their names.  He is doing better but it’s still a very low area.  
 

Everything else is going well.  
 

The social skills area is low enough to be a limiting factor.  
 

But, he is still making progress!  
 

Where I live, if we put him through a private driving school, he can get a learner permit without taking a written test, and then he can qualify for free special needs driving lessons.  We are planning to have him start that next year when he’s 15 1/2, so there’s time for him to have extra practice and time for everyone to see if he’s going to be an independent driver for transition planning. 

[kbutton]

My older one graduated. His various therapies for narrative language were like rocket fuel. 

My younger one is in a private high school with the state scholarship. He will be doing some DE classes next year and also continuing to get language therapy, primarily for social skills. As he's aged, these have become more apparent. He would probably qualify for a social communication disorder diagnosis as he doesn't seem to have repetitive behavior. He is both ahead of and behind peers maturity-wise, depending on the category, lol!

His health issues were a big deal all of last year, but we're in a very stable place right now, we think. 

He has been studying for his driver's test, but that's on DH's to-do list to coordinate. I have serious reservations about him driving, but far fewer of them than I used to.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, Lecka said:

Where I live, if we put him through a private driving school, he can get a learner permit without taking a written test, and then he can qualify for free special needs driving lessons.  

That's a super cool provision for your state!

[Lecka]

For the free driving lessons, they will also continually re-certify more lessons, unless it’s thought they will not be able to get a driver license.  But they said that is very rare.  But they only take people who have already gone to 10 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of practice driving.  
 

But the driving school will work with people, too, and the same people who work for the state program also work as instructors at the driving school.  
 

This is through Vocational Rehab.  My son will have coordination with VR through school starting next year, with a VR liaison who coordinates directly with the special Ed teachers and can come into the classroom for things.  
 

It’s a big advantage to him being in the special needs program.  
 

I am getting a vibe also they think my son will do a job placement program after his Senior year and they don’t think he will be a “super Senior” and do the transition program for ages 18-21 that is still through the school system here.  
 

It’s a change, in the past I have always been more encouraged to think he would stay in the school program through 21.  
 

It’s hard to predict, I will be flexible, lol.  
 

Edit:  my understanding is there are different options between VR or the school district for that age group.  
 

There are also some other options for that age, that don’t seem like he would like them

right now, but I am told they see kids change a lot over high school.  

Edited July 13, 2023 by Lecka