Please go and support Clusterfook! She is now in hospice care, and is still amazing me!
Assistive Technology-Yeah or Nay?
I keep going back and forth about giving Amy the use of assistive technology.
The cons: She may get too used to depending on it, and not progress in her skills for reading/spelling; Many types that are recommended to us are expensive, and we would have to buy not only the technology, but a laptop just for Amy (who is now 10); the school doesn’t want her to become dependent on technology
Pros: it would give Amy a way to write without being hindered by her spelling; there is a way for her to read along, while listening to the words, so that she can not only comprehend what she is reading, but also reinforce reading fluency; it will enable her to tackle more challenging reading material as she gets older; it will take away that “wall” that she faces while doing schoolwork (poor reading comprehension, difficulty spelling, reading fluency etc).
To me, the pro’s totally outweight the cons. We are still waiting for the IT guys at school to install the one program that her teachers were able to get approved for her to use. (it is called Co-Writer). I don’t have any experience or knowledge about it, but, am still anxiously awaiting for her to be able to use it, and see how it helps. If it does, I may get it for home use.
I still want her to experience the traditional way of reading/writing, and feel it is neccessary, in order for her to continue to progress. But, there are times, when her productivity could be improved, if she didn’t have to struggle with the reading/writing.
All in all, I do think that eventually, we will have to really depend on technology, to get through high school and college. She will benefit from the technology in a much more positive way, and make learning much easier and more fun for her.
This year we get to experience “Team Teaching”
This school year, (which starts next week!!!), I will have all three children in the local public schools!!! My 3, almost 4 year old son, is starting his second year of “preschool disabled” for his oral motor dyspraxia (layman terms, he has difficulty forming the words with his mouth). My 5, almost 6 year old daughter, starts kindergarten!!! And, Amy starts the fourth grade, at a new school, and in a new classroom setting for her.
Amy and the little dude, are both going to be in a Team Teaching classroom. That means, that there is a general ed teacher and a special ed teacher in the class at all times, all day long! (in little dude’s class, the teachers are actually both special ed, but, one will be considered gen ed). Anyway, since we had Amy diagnosed earlier this year, she was pulled out of class during language literacy arts (or reading), for 44 minutes a day. There was nothing bad about this, as she really progressed, during that one on one time, and was taught utilizing an Orton Gillingham based method of teaching reading. She is now able to read first and second grade level books on her own. So, when we sat down during her end of the year IEP meeting, I brought up if placing her in the Team Teaching class would be beneficial. I felt it would be, since all the other parts of the school day require reading, and she isn’t a strong reader and struggles, and I thought, it would be perfect to have that person available to her all day long. Well, I thought that the team (notice, I feel out of the team, as they never listen to my suggestions) threw that idea out, and suggested placing a special ed teacher in with her only during the 88 minutes of Language Literacy Arts, daily, and then allow her to muddle through the rest of the day. Ok, this really didn’t make much sense to me, but, I was just happy that they were giving her services, and if a problem arose during the year, I could definitely fight for more assistance in the classroom.
Well, when the class lists came out last week, I immediately came home and pulled up the teachers web site. All our teachers have an e-board. Well, I noticed that there was also a welcome note from Amy’s special ed teacher from the end of 3rd grade, and started to put 2 and 2 together, and realized that she WAS placed in the team teaching class!!! I know, that CST should have told me their decision, and I plan on calling them and also changing her case worker, as she is nasty and has poor communication skills with all the parents that I have spoken to, including me. I spoke to this Special Ed teacher, and yes, I was so happy to find out that Amy will have access to special education ALL DAY LONG!!!! She is one of 7 students that this teacher has, and I am thrilled! I have been trying to get her into that Team Teaching class since first grade, after realizing her struggles in kindergarten, but, because she needed other assistance that wasn’t generally provided in that class, she was never placed in there, until this year. So, I am really hoping for some wonderful improvements this year.
AND THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR, SINCE KINDERGARTEN THAT AMY IS EXCITED TO GO TO SCHOOL! Yes, she is almost 10, and is starting to worry more about what to wear, she wants her hair perfect, and cannot stop talking about going to school. I am just so relieved that she is finally interested in the entire school thing, as she knows that she won’t be lost anymore, or very little.
As for Little Dude, well, this is his “PRE K” year, and even though he is 2 years younger than his sister, he technically could go to kindy next year. I don’t see him going to kindy, but, then again, it is at the same school he goes to now, and I can always have him do kindy 2x, right? He will most definitely need speech for a couple more years anyway, so, why not? And, him being in a TT class with up to 16 students only, is only going to prepare him more, and they know the curriculum, and what the kids need to know for kindy. So, this is an exciting year for him, too!
My kindergartner was fortunate enough to get a very animated, energetic and loving teacher. I have known her teacher for 5 years, and am absolutely thrilled that she is in this class. She is reading some sight words, and knows her letters and their sounds and numbers. She can count over 100 and is doing simple addition and subtraction. I know that she will be challenged this year, and if there were a gifted and talented program in our school, she would probably be there. But, I know that they use small group instruction for reading and this year, they are doing so for math, too, and she will be able to work at a faster pace if need be.
So, Team Teaching and a new school year here we come! I hope it is as successful as I am hoping it to be!
My summer enrichment, part 2
Ok, so, I have been slacking, and if I do have any faithful readers out there, I am so sorry! This has truly been a crazy summer. I have 2 kids in “ESY” or Extended School Year. My 3 year old (almost 4 yo) son, gets on his bus at 7:35 am. That is pretty darn early! Five days a week, for 6 weeks!
Amy goes 3 days a week, for 45 minutes, from 8:15-9 am. I am very lucky. My husband drops her off on the way to work, and a neighbor (whose son is in her reading group) brings her home 2 days a week. I pick her up, just once a week. So, that works out.
But, I am a creature of habit. I feel like I waste my day, by not showering and getting dressed, so, I wake myself up at 6 am, to do so. I will have about 2 1/2 weeks of reprieve (minus the one day a week that I work). So, this is not a restfull summer! And, when I do nap, my lovely 3 year old son pokes me, and tells me, “Mommy, WAKE UP!” Darn kid! And, I must say, that I have been known to stay up too late. (hobbies, you know, scrapbooking and my new one, well, I only went once, Basketmaking- how sad is that? I am trying to get started on playing golf, too)
Anyway, I digress, as I sit here, drinking coffee at 3 pm, as I am going to another class tonight, discussing Dyslexia, symptoms and solutions. But, here is the rest of my first summer enrichment, and in a few weeks, we can go off topic and discuss Wine Appreciation, for beginners….(needed it to counteract the Orton Gillingham stuff)
The second part of the class continued to cover the different types of syllables in words. There are 6 types. And, apparently not all teacher education programs in colleges, even teach this to aspiring teachers. They belong in this “CLOVER”. Once you know the different types of syllables, you can pretty much help a dyslexic person, break down the word to read it, or to help them spell. I am not going over all of these right now, but, if there is any interest, I can write about it.
(I asked our instructor, why the teachers don’t even learn about this in school, as it would seem appropriate for them to learn, in order to teach reading…she had no idea, as she never had it until after she became a teacher, and agreed that it was silly that it wasn’t taught in all programs)
We worked on syllabication, too. How to break words apart into their syllables, and yes, there are many different patterns, that good readers can do with out difficulty. So, then we learned how to teach this to our children/students.
Then, we got to watch a pretend “Texas Scottish Rite” OG based lesson. And, it is systematic, and builds upon what was learned already, to what needs to be taught. And, it really works.
We also played some card games that our instructor brought. They were so much fun! Quibbler, and My Word. I am going to definitley look for them.
I am sorry that this is not as detailed as my last post, but, I did want to say, how great it was to really be able to learn how to carry over some techniques used in school, and gives me great strategies to use at home, to help Amy!
If I learn anything exciting tonight, I will let you all know!
My summer enrichment
The english language, is very complex. And, the teachers that must teach children, with learning disabilities how to read, really have their hands full!
To better understand how to help my daughter, and to understand the “teacher speak”, I enrolled in a 2 day, 8 hour total course, that discusses the Orton-Gillingham approach, to teaching reading. We started this past Saturday. In the class, are 4 students. Two are teachers, and two of us are parents. The other parent, though, is also a teacher’s aide in a special education classroom. So, I am the only Non teacher! Our instructor is wonderful! I know that she is a great teacher, because she is able to clearly explain all this information to us.
I am learning so much. There are things that I did know. For example, the Orton-Gillingham method, has many different programs that utilize the methodology. The methodology includes: visual stimulation; tactile means; kinesthetic (large body movements) means; and auditory means of teaching and learning. We have been doing this since the first grade, when we first started with our tutor. We also discussed that dyslexia involves not only difficulty “decoding” what is written on the paper, but, a person with dyslexia has difficulty processing words phonologically. Or, according to Sally Shaywitz: “Dyslexia is and unexpected inability to read.”
So, to help teach a child or even an adult with dyslexia, you utilize various sensory methods. By doing this, you teach the child in various methods, so that you repeat what you are teaching, and so that the information is processed in various methods through the sensorineural system. Everyone is stronger in learning by certain techniques (visual, auditory are the two big groupings used).
Tactile: There are special flashcards that you can buy, with the letters made out of a sandpaper feeling paper, then you can trace that letter with the child, and name it. While they look at it, and when they close their eyes. You can make your own flashcards- by writing on index cards with a dark marker (letters, or letter blends), poke through the back with a push pin. Let the kids do this, it is fun! Turn the card over, and you now have a tactile learning experience. Other messy suggestions (and these are coming from my line of work, as and Early Interventionist)- writing in shaving cream in the tub/shower, finger writing in the sand or dirt or grass, writing and spelling in pudding, on the carpet, etc. I am sure that there are many other suggestions out there, and feel free to share them!
Kinesthetic learning, is learning, by moving the body in large movements. Did you know that large motor movement is the strongest learning modality? I never really thought about this, and, I am the gross motor person (a Physical Therapist). But, as I look back, our motor development, and the way our body develops those skills is the foundation for how we visualize our envirionment, then, how we learn to support our heads, and learn how to eat and speak. We must first develop head and neck control, then, as we strengthen, we develop shoulder and upper body strength. As this progresses, we are able to swipe for toys, then start to use finer motor movements to manipulate our toys. As we work on our upper arm movements, we start to strengthen our trunks, and learn to sit up. And, then our hips get stronger, and we push up onto hands and knees, then, we get up into tall kneeling, then we stand then we walk. So, the ability for us to stand up and walk, is not the first thing that we must look at, we need to look at how strong the body is. And, we experience learning, by moving our body in big body movements.
So, off my PT stepstool! How do we encourage kinesthetic learning? Write large letters in the air. Work on refining those letters. Say the name as you write it. Progress to syllables, then to whole words. Have your child close their eyes, and say the word as they write it. Don’t ask them to spell it, but, to write it and say it. When we sit down with a book, we don’t spell the words in our heads, we actually say the word. Makes sense, right?
Orton-Gillingham programs, include many versions. They are Orton-Gillingham based. They all follow the basic teaching strategies set forth by Orton and Gillingham.
These programs include: Project Read; Wilson System; Lindamood; Reading Assist; Stevenson; Alphabetic Phonics; Language Tool Kit; Slingerland; and Texas Scottish Rite. They are all multisensory reading teaching methods. You can ask your school if they have a teacher/teachers who are certified to teach in any of these methods. If your child has a diagnosis of dyslexia, you can have a recommendation from that diagnostician that your child be taught in a “multisensory” approach. Then, the teacher can use any method that they are certified to use. They are all structured. You want your child to learn in a less challenging way, review what they have already learned, and expand upon that, then at the end, they learn something new.
Hopefully, your child can start to become confident in their own abilities. They can have a new set of “tools” to help them to learn. And, they will want to learn! I know that this is just an overview and I am not an expert by any means. I want to learn how to help my child, so that together, we can open the doors to reading!
Keep an open line of communication with your childs’ teacher. Ask them what method they are using. See if they can sit down with you, and show you how they utilize it, and what it includes. By understanding how your child is learning in school, you can help apply those same methods at home, to be consistent and to provide positive carryover of skills.
And, you can join the International Dyslexia Association- the link is in my sidebar. Each state has their own chapter. There are meetings annually, and each chapter may have their own annual conventions. It can provide you with the knowledge, and the ability to understand all that Teacher Speak.
Thank you, for The American Girl Doll Books!
Our plan this summer, is to go to our library, weekly, or almost every week. All three kids, yes, there are 3 of them (9 year old Amy, 5 year old Anna, and 3 year old Andrew), have signed up for the summer reading program at the local library.
Amy surprised me, by signing up to read 11 (eleven) books by the end of the summer. I don’t think that is a plausible goal, but, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, and left her to her own goals. So, for the past 10 days (we didn’t get a chance to go back this past week), she has been reading EVERY SINGLE DAY! Amy found a series of books, that she can read, and that interest her. She has decided to tackle the American Girl Doll series, this summer. Of course, she had to start with Meet Kit Kittredge, because of the movie that just came out.
She will read, and then, stop and tell me all about what she had read so far! She is so excited about reading. You do not know how big this is for us. This is a child who has struggled so long, with reading, that, I had almost given up hope of her knowing that joy, when you open a book, and become absorped into that world in between the pages. Knowing, that you should have turned the light out hours ago, but, you just want to read one more chapter, then, hours later, you only have a few to go, so, you want to finish the book, even though it is almost 3 am. Finally, having that ability to be able to read those funny characters in that book, by herself, has opened up that door!
So, thank you, Kit, and your American Girl Doll friends! I hope that we learn all about each of you! I hope that Amy picks up the Little House on the Praire books, and gets to read all of them, and The Boxcar Children are more than welcome anytime. Later, Nancy Drew, are you still around? Maybe even one day, she can read the Harry Potter books that I totally devoured over the past winter. And, Heidi, oh, I hope she can read all about you, too!
Reading is more than being able to get through school, it is a neccessary part of life. And, it can be a wonderful recreational, relaxing activity. I have so many wonderful memories, of all the books that I read as a child, and as an adult. I can get lost in a book. I hope that Amy will continue this wonderful new adventure!
I am going off topic, today, for Lisa at Clusterfook
Update: On this same day, I posted, Lisa was able to get an appointment at Sloan Kettering! Yeah Lisa!!!! I am so happy for her! I hope that this is the beginning of many opportunities for her, to get the appropriate and neccessary care that she needs!
I have been reading Clusterfook for several months. I started, when, another friends blog had a link to this auction, to help Lisa at Clusterfook be able to take her family to Disney. You see, Lisa was recently diagnosed with cancer for the THIRD time in several years. This most recent diagnosis, was on March 31, 2008. She didn’t start chemo until a few weeks ago, and now has had 2 rounds. BUT, what makes this entirely crazy, are the following:
1. She has a rare cancer, with out a name, in her abdomen
2. She is now fighting the insurance company. Apparently, they closed her cancer case, on 4/18/2008, even before she got treatment for it. Who wouldn’t love to say that was a fast cure?
3. She had an appointment at Sloan Kettering, or so she thought. They don’t accept her insurance, and the scheduler won’t even put her in for an appointment, after the oncology department had already tried to get her in. Her current oncologist wants her to go to S-K, as her cancer is so rare, they don’t have a name for it, may I repeat myself here!
4. She has been denied disability and unemployment (read her blog for that fun stuff!), because the temp agency she works for, told the feds that she refused to work, and she never said that, she just was upfront and told them that she needed Thursdays off for Chemo.
5. She has 2 wonderful girls, and a wonderful and supportive husband, who deserve to have her around for a long time.
So, what can we, the bloggy world do? I don’t know. But, I do know that if we all make a big fuss about this, maybe, just maybe we can bring attention to Lisa, and help her out in that bloggy world way! Read her blog, post about Lisa, encourage your readers, to go to her blog and post about her. If we can spread the word, maybe we can make a difference for one person (actually, a whole family). I am not good at setting up auctions, or fundraisers. But, I can talk!
So, please, take 15 minutes to stand up for Lisa!!! http://clusterfook.com/
Two new (ok, the only) buttons!
As many may be well aware of, the 2008 presidential elections are upon us. The Obama vs Clinton battle is continuing (well, in the mind of Hillary Clinton, anyway), and the Republication candiate is all but chosen by convention (McCain). I am not one to debate and will not go into politics here, but, I am one to vote! So, please make sure that you really know your candidates before you vote and vote with a clear conscience! Click on that button to find out more about the candidates!
The other one, is for this fantastic site, kirtsy. It is like an online magazine for the modern woman, linking you to information all over the web! They have information on a little bit of every aspect of life, on there. So, go check it out! They have just changed their name from sk*rt to kirtsy and are trying to get the word out.
Check out my links, to the International Dyslexia Association, and to the website, Dyslexia Tutor: news and resources, as I have found these two sites that have been very informatitive. More links to come!
IEP went well!
The IEP meeting last week, went very well. Since Amy is making progress, the goals remain the same, and are expanded to help her throughout the day next year. She will continue with 88 minutes of 1:1 with a special education teacher daily, during literacy arts language class. That is twice what she is getting right now. Also, she will be going to “summer school” for one on one tutoring 3 days a week for 45 minutes. I know that she isn’t happy about that, but, it will help her to continue to make progress over the summer. If at any point she doesn’t make progress, we can look into utilizing technology to help her in the classroom. We are considering the Kurzweil 3000, a Franklin Speller or other tools. The children in fourth grade do alot of their writing on a computer, so, she can use spell check in Word. I am comfortable with all of this, for now.
