New Diagnosis: Learning Disability

[3greatkids]

This is our 4th year homeschooling after a brief stint in public school. For the first three years we used HOD "as written" without modification. I had increasing suspicion that one of our kids had a learning disability - there were just struggles I didn't have with the other two children. This school year they really wanted to study modern history even though we were on schedule for ancients and I knew I had to tweak some things for this one child, so we modified are using bits and pieces of HOD (dictation, R&S, story time stuff from MTMM, DITHOR books). After a work up (done through public school psychologist and special ed department), we have a diagnosis (dysgraphia, slow processing speed, working memory issues, and some executive function challenges, but significantly above average intelligence). This has been bittersweet: validating that my struggles with this child and school have a clear source, but it has shaken my confidence, especially since I never envisioned us even homeschooling through middle school and high school. I have started some accommodating already and will be teaching him keyboarding immediately. Any other HOD moms out there with similar kids and any advice on how we navigate this? We have had 4 major deaths in 3 years as well so the challenges are copious.

Thanks in advance.

[LynnH]

My son has some of the same issues. He has dysgraphia, slower processing speed, working memory issues and can sometimes struggle with reading comprehension depending on how much he knows about the subject he is reading about. We have used HOD since Preparing and he is in the high school American History 1 guide right now. My first word of advice is meet him where he is at-don't try and make him be where you think he should be. Second bit of advice don't compare him to your other kids or kids you will see on the homeschool boards. I have made this mistake looking at others wonderful written narrations and it can depress and frustrate me.

As far as practical advice, my son types all his written narrations, he typed his studied dictations etc. He uses the Ipad/computer for some things. I scan in certain notebooking pages and use Adobe reader dc that has a fill and edit setting and let him fill out the notebook pages by typing right on it on the computer. I asked Carrie if it was ok for me to do this, before I ever did it. Also if a workbook comes in pdf form you can do the same thing by typing on it on the computer. For the working memory I have let him take notes for his written narrations starting back in CTC I think. He uses these notes to then formulate his narrations. His dysgraphia makes it where he only just down 2-3 words per idea he wants to write on, but it is enough to spur his memory. I also let him look back in the book as much as he needs to when doing written or oral narrations. My dh does all the science experiments with him due to my son have hand tremors, but with your ds having executive functioning issues then I also think it is fine to give help as needed so he can start to learn how to follow the directions. He also will dictate certain subjects to me. I usually figure out which subjects once we get the school year going. I have kept track of many of the accommodations I have done on my blog which is linked in my signature. I haven't kept up with it this year due to life getting in the way and the fact that now he is almost an adult I want to respect his privacy regarding his struggles, but there is lots of information from previous years. One aside note, getting accommodations for the ACT is very challenging so keep in writing everything you do to accommodate each year of his schooling.

[3greatkids]

Thank you, Lynn. I appreciate the encouragement. My husband and I have looked at your blog - it is so comforting to see the success your DS has had with accommodations. I think your comment about comparing is so essential. We have struggled for so long to understand how different kids with the same parents can be so dramatically different. I think this is really about the Lord working on me. I am so thankful to HOD and homeschooling in general. I agree with a post on another thread about how advanced vocabulary and language can be using CM methods. The psychologist was amazed at our child's vocabulary and verbal skills, which I attribute to the volume of great literature we've enjoyed over the years. Congratulations Lynn on your journey and blessings to your DS as he nears the end of his homeschool years.

[my3sons]

I am so glad you shared this here! You have been through so very much this past 4 years - I am so sorry! It especially just hurt my heart to read you've gone through 4 major deaths in 3 years - that is a lot! I am glad the Lord revealed what is going on with your dear son, and you are still (in my opinion from one homeschool mom to another) the very best person to teach your son - all the way through middle school and high school! God will provide. Lynn is really the best person to offer specific advice here, and she already has had such good thoughts. I just wanted to say that I am taking time to pray for you and your family today!

In Christ,
Julie

[3greatkids]

Thank you for taking the time to chime in Julie. My mother passed in 2013 after a 7 year battle with breast cancer at age 60, just 6 weeks in to our homeschooling journey. Her only sibling, my uncle, passed three years later (almost to the day) - he was like a second father to me. Within six weeks of that loss, my husband lost both grandmothers in just 10 days. We see God's grace in these circumstances. He has comforted, provided, and strengthened our family through this all. We sense more change in the year ahead; our homeschool co-op is dissolving and these newly diagnosed learning challenges are causing us to reexamine what the next year will look like. We are prayerful that God will give us the wisdom to make the best choices.