Guest Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I am needing math ideas for my dd(8) that has high functioning autism. She is functioning at about a 6yr old level and doing mostly kindergarten work but some first grade work. Most of the work she is doing at a first grade level is reading and writing. Her math skills are at a K level...she knows her shapes, matching, addition with pictures, etc. We had started the year with MUS...but she was confused by the rods and needed more concrete manipulatives that relate to everyday life. So we have been doing horizons for the last month or two just because I already had it here at the house. She did well at first....but it getting stumped on more/less, before/after, etc... Because of her language delay it is hard explaining abstract concepts. I am not really wanting to continue with this math program. She has great language for having autism...but it is still delayed compared to normal functioning children. I don't even know if there is a math program out there like this but I am looking for something that is very direct and to the point. She doesn't do good with a lot of directions and explaining...I need something that gets right to the point. Im not sure if that makes sense or not. It's just that verbally less is more for her. I had been considering switching my ds(7) & dd(5) to bob jones or singapore...but I am not sure if either of those will be good for my dd (8). She is doing really well since we started homeschooling. I am just having a hard time finding the right math program for her. Does anyone have any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 (edited) I would consider sticking with MUS and using whatever manipulatives (or no manipulatives) that you find work for your daughter. The problem with a lot of the other math programs is that they have a lot of language in them -- Singapore and Saxon particularly (BTW, I'm a fan of Singapore so I'm not blasting the programs) -- which makes them great programs for those with good language skills but not so good with less strong language. I've used Bob Jones but it has been a while so I"m not going to comment on it. Another thought is to use something like Spectrum or Flash Kids which are workbooks that you can pick up from B&N for $10-15 or so and to use it as a spine. Those books just have a lot of problems (skip the word problems) rather than a lot of words in the books. Using this program with students with various abilities on the autism spectrum, I really am glad that we use MUS at the school that I work for. We frequently use other material (other textbooks, internet, etc.) to supplement if our students needs extra help or work in a particular topic. Edited January 15, 2009 by Mandamom extra information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliR Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 My situation is similar to yours. DD6 has the delayed language of a four year old and this was a major problem in the teaching of math when she was in ps. One of the big problems was the number of terms used to describe the same concept: add, plus, together, total for example, so I have made sure to stick to just one of these until the concept is grasped. We are using MUS (Alpha), and I really cannot see any other program working as well as this for HFA children. I do supplement with Horizons (was K now 1) for variety, but don't believe that this could be successful on its own as it relies on me being able to explain things and I find this too frustrating. I also found that a spiral approach was not great for dd who prefers to work on one concept until she has 'got it'. I have looked at Math Mammoth for grades 1 and 2 and would consider using this other mastery approach if we were struggling with something in MUS. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 (edited) Thank you both for your responses. I am going to reconsider using MUS with my dd. ETA: I have been researching and came across another mother who said, "MUS rods only represent numbers, they are not manipulative in the way the abacus is. Learning that "Pink minus green equals orange" requires advanced skills to get the concept because you can't "manipulate" the pink block to become orange...all you can do is set them up side by side and compare them. Although this may work for some children, one of my daughters has autism, and that is a very advanced skill." I think this has been our problem with my autistic daughter as well. I am glad to see that another mother with an autistic child had a similar problem. All autistic children are different and what works for one may not work for another. My daughter does have good language...but it has to be explained a "certain" way for her to understand. Her vocabulary and comprehension is constantly improving. For her...it is just easier to see "three flowers plus two flowers is five flowers". Edited January 15, 2009 by Guest more information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niffercoo Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I use MUS with both of my kids on the spectrum. But I have 2 friends whose autistic children use something different in the early grades. One uses Right Start, and the other uses Making Math Meaningful. Maybe you could take a look at either of those and see if they would work for your daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I've used a LOT of math curricula with ds8. We've used: Saxon K - spiral was a bomb because he'd get upset if he didn't understand the first time something was presented Singapore EB and 1 - good, but it moves too fast to use as our base program Horizons - it moved WAY too fast for ds and even NT dd couldn't keep up Scott Foresman Exploring Math - nice workbook but there's not enough teacher guidance for how to present topics to make this work alone Calvert K - very similar to SF, but there are more teacher aids. The big drawback is the price, way too expensive for what you get. RightStart - a total bomb for us with both kids. There are a lot of manipulatives, but it's all conversation and that overwhelmed ds. Dd just didn't like all the manipulatives. MUS alpha - I though ds would love this, but it actually confuses him a bit. I think it's a bit too abstract for him. Rod and Staff Math has been the program that's been just right for us. It's got a lot of teacher guided practice, but all the practice models what you'll have to do on the worksheets. It's got a LOT of practice and blackline masters if you need more. There are few manipulatives, but they're used consistently and they do get the point across. The downside is that there's a lot of writing (because of the sheer amount of practice). It introduces concepts slowly, leads to mastery and reviews continually. Good luck finding a program you like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I've used a LOT of math curricula with ds8. We've used: Saxon K - spiral was a bomb because he'd get upset if he didn't understand the first time something was presented Singapore EB and 1 - good, but it moves too fast to use as our base program Horizons - it moved WAY too fast for ds and even NT dd couldn't keep up Scott Foresman Exploring Math - nice workbook but there's not enough teacher guidance for how to present topics to make this work alone Calvert K - very similar to SF, but there are more teacher aids. The big drawback is the price, way too expensive for what you get. RightStart - a total bomb for us with both kids. There are a lot of manipulatives, but it's all conversation and that overwhelmed ds. Dd just didn't like all the manipulatives. MUS alpha - I though ds would love this, but it actually confuses him a bit. I think it's a bit too abstract for him. Rod and Staff Math has been the program that's been just right for us. It's got a lot of teacher guided practice, but all the practice models what you'll have to do on the worksheets. It's got a LOT of practice and blackline masters if you need more. There are few manipulatives, but they're used consistently and they do get the point across. The downside is that there's a lot of writing (because of the sheer amount of practice). It introduces concepts slowly, leads to mastery and reviews continually. Good luck finding a program you like! Wow, I am glad you finally found the right curriculum for your ds. When we did RightStart my NT dc hated all the manipulatives...but my dd(8) actually liked the program but we had not gotten very far before we switched to MUS. I think down the road RS would not have worked for her but who knows. MUS has been too abstract for my dd as well...if I have to I will make it work. She might still just need some more time to mature and living hands on math might be better for now. I am going to check out Rod and Staff. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I should have mentioned that R&S starts with 1st grade, but it assumes no previous knowledge at all so you could use it with a K level student. I'd spend 1 day on the lesson and 1 day on the blackline masters to slow it down a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 My youngest daughter has autism and she'll turn 7 next week. She's just about to complete DK Math Made Easy Kindergarten (she loves the full color, and it's Dora the Explorer, so it's a hit here!) and then she'll move into the 1st Grade book with Diego. $10 each on Amazon.com. She's also using Singapore Earlybird math and I love it because it helps with her problem solving, which is great, but it does move very quickly. I would say that I use Singapore as a supplement to the DK Math book. My oldest son also has autism and he used Math-U-See from the Introduction level through Advanced (using the Classic curriculum) and he's now using Chalkdust Prealgebra, which also has a DVD instructor. MUS worked well with him during the elementary and middle school grades, but then it began moving too quickly and we switched. One more manipulative-based program that might work for your student is Shiller Math. I attended a demonstration at a homeschool convention last year and it looked *wonderful*, but my dd doesn't care for manipulatives. She's more visual than hands-on. Shiller Math is a program where you order set 1 (which contains 3 workbooks) and then set 2 (which contains 3 workbooks). They work through it at their own pace and then they're ready for an Algebra-level curriculum of your choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmgirlinwv Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 If you go w/ R&S you might want to type out the problems for her. We use R&S grammar and I type out the exercises and it makes it much, much easier. Of course, it's time consuming for me, but worth it. For math we're just taking a topic at a time w/ a workbook...addition, subtraction, mult., ect. We stay w/ something til she HAS it. Even then review is a must. I so wished math were easy and fun for her like it was for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakblossoms Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 My son has Aspergers. It's so hard with Aspergers and Autism. No two are alike. He just turned twelve and is going to be starting MUS Delta (as soon as I get the DVD). Math has been really hard on him. I finally gave up and let him take a break. I know a lot of people don't see that as ok. But, we did it. He took a few years of working on Alpha every once in awhile. He hated those blocks at first, too. Once he got through Alpha he hardly uses them now. I (actually my husband) started to notice this past year, that he could figure out Math problems that pertained to everyday life in his head. So, I started encouraging Math again. He is doing so much better. So, you might want to try something colorful or tactile for a while and come back next year to MUS. MUS has been nice for us because it gives us both a teacher. We watch that DVD together. Since, he is behind I only make him do as many worksheets as he needs to for each subject. Sometimes, it is only 1. I'm find with that because he is soaking it in now that he waited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtsmamtj Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 MUS has been a HUGE blessing for our son. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgiagirl Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hi, I use MUS with my HFA 12 yr old daughter, I have tried many curriculums since HSing now for 21 yrs. She loves MUS and so do all my other kids. I didnt like it at first but I gave it another try, I really like the new MUS and take it slow until she gets it.....your homeschooling!!!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim973 Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 My son has Asperger's and we've been using Teaching Textbooks. There are short lectures and the problems are presented one at a time on the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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