What About Wednesday's??? Dyslexia

I apologize for the  late posting. The children are away at camp this week, and I have been taking this time to get the house reorganized. So time simply got away from me. However, better late than never right?  I hope you enjoy this weeks post!

This week's What About Wednesday is about Dyslexia. I am not going to spend a lot of time discussing what Dyslexia is, you can read more about it by clicking here..

There are a myriad of Dyslexia resources available, you can spend very little, or spend quite the bundle to find the right resource for your child.

However I want to focus on what Dyslexia resources have helped in our family. For us, AVKO was the beginning of the answer for us! It all started with the book To Teach a Dyslexic, by Don McCabe. Mr. McCabe is a dyslexic, and he explains what is like to grow up as a dyslexic, and then how to teach a dyslexic. This was the key.

We had tried several different popular methods of teaching dyslexics to read, with NO SUCCESS!  After reading To Teach a Dyslexic, I purchased all 7 levels of Sequential Spelling. And herein lies the key to my sons success, once we spent our first 2 weeks using Sequential Spelling, my son was reading with much more ease and understanding.

There are several reasons why Sequential Spelling was the key was for my son. First, one of the hurdles he had was the 'exception' to every rule. Each time an exception was presented, it was like he would completely blank. However, with Sequential Spelling, there is no 'exception'. The words are simply presented in 'clumps' (my word)  of words following like rules. This was huge. This was easier for my son to digest!

Now the interesting thing Sequential Spelling, is that it is not laid out like your typical spelling program. Most programs have your child study all week for the test which is given on Friday. However, with Sequential Spelling they take a test everyday.. and they never study for it.  You, the teacher, simply present the words. Word, then use it in a sentence, and then the word again.  The child then writes down how they think it is spelled. You then write the word correctly on the white board, breaking it up into chunks, each chunk written in different colors.. for instance..  spin win winning.   Notice the in is all in green. And that the ing was put in blue.  This helps the children see the word and understand how to break it up and put it together. And each day builds on the list from the day before.

Putting all of these components together has made all the difference for my son. We actually used this program with all of my children. Both children with dyslexia and without. We began used it before we discovered that my daughter was dyslexic. I believe that she has not been as signifcantly impacted by the dyslexia, because we were teaching her in this fashion.

If you have a dyslexic, or suspect you have a dyslexic, check out AVKO! They offer a one year membership for $25 a year that offers all kinds of resources, including a pdf of To Teach a Dyslexic. There is also a very large resource book, that will help you develop your own spelling program!

PS.. I don't make anything from this! This is an unsolicited endorsement!

What About Wednesdays! Special Needs ~ Have you been to Holland?

Early in my journey with my children with Special Needs, I was given the essay by Emily Perl Kingsley  called "Welcome to Holland".  This little essay, helped me to realize that I am not to feel alone on this journey!  In the years since then, I have shared that essay with friends who have found them on a journey they did not expect.

The wonderful part of Holland, is that I have made some amazing friends! Thanks to the internet, I have met fellow travelers to Holland. I have learned from them, I have been inspired by them! I am so very thankful to the blogging world, thanks to fellow bloggers who share their experience, and what works with their kids, I have been inspired to try things, that I would have otherwise not even had access to.

What have you learned from fellow travelers to Holland? Have you paid it forward? Have you shared with new visitors, what they might expect along their journey?

Take a moment, and read Emily Perl Kingsely's essay. And then hug your special kid! They are God's gift and are truly a miracle!

 

Graphics Toolbox Tuesdays: Special Education

Today, I am hoping that what I share with you, will inspire you far beyond my examples!

When you have special needs children, often times you will have an older child who will need some extra help. However, the products on the market are geared for younger children. Here I would like to show you how you can create the support materials your student needs, while tailoring it to their unique likes and interests... and age!

First we are going to look at  " What's Wrong with this photo!"



Now, there are a couple of ways to do this. What I did was first I used google images, and found two images of sports players in action.

I then located several balls from different sports. I then framed out one of the balls, in this case first, the baseball and then the football, and placed them in the photo, over the original ball.

So you see the soccer player is kicking a baseball, and the baseball player is throwing a football. What you see here, is several balls, where the child can simply frame out the ball and place it in the correct place. However, if your child is capable, you can have them locate a picture on the internet, or from a family picture, that would be the correct ball for the photo, and then have them place it.

By doing this you are giving your child several skills. They are getting the support they need, however, they also are learning a technological skill, that would not be present if you simply used flash cards.

Now, here is one other example..



Now here they are trying to discern the photo that does not belong with the others. Again, I found these images on google images for free. Placed them in a row... Now the child will need to figure out which photo does not belong. In this instance, I gave the direction of going to find an appropriate photo to put in it's place, by using the internet, or family photo. You, however, can also decide to place several photos for them to choose from, right on the page, and have them place on of those correctly.

That is the beauty of Graphics Toolbox, you can tailor it to fit your children's needs and interests. For more educational ideas, please visit Great Software Tools today!

If you have any questions please email me at jennifer@ greatsoftwaretools.com.

Thank you for stopping by! Happy creating!

Graphics Toolbox Tuesdays - What's Wrong With This Picture

For this weeks installment of Graphics Toolbox Tuesdays, we are looking at something that you the parent can create over and over again, to help your special needs child.

With this project you might choose to print out these projects, however, you can also put them in a photo album on the computer and just flip through them.

Many special needs kids have a problem at look at the big picture. They cannot look at something and find items that do not belong, for example.

So I made up two samples of  'What's Wrong With This Picture' cards, that can be used with your special needs kids. These cards I made a bit obvious, however, depending on the needs of the child, and the age of the child, this might be where you start. As time goes on, you can make more subtle changes in the pictures. The possibilities are endless.

So look below and see if you can see what's wrong with these pictures.....



In the above picture, it is plain to see that we have added a crown on this soccer players head.. clearly not the appropriate head gear for a soccer match! As well as changing the soccer ball to a football.. one of my teenagers thought that was quite clever, considering we are the only country that refers to it as soccer and not 'football'.  With both of these changes, I used an irregular frame to pull out the image from it's original background and then added it into this photo. You can use this feature for many different reasons, not just the 'What's Wrong With This Picture' card.

And..........



In this photo I placed an apple in the pitcher's hand,  using the same technique as described above.  We also changed his show to a purple color. We used the color change option for that. We framed out the shoe, by tracing around the outline of the shoe, and then we were able to change only the color of the shoe.

As you can see Graphics Toolbox is a versatile tool that can help enhance your child's educational experience, no matter their age or learning abilities.

If you would like more information on Graphics Toolbox, please visit our website at

www.greatsoftwaretools.com

or email me at jennifer@greatsoftwaretools.com

Graphics Toolbox equips homeschoolers with cutting edge tools to enhance their education today, and give them the skills they need to be competitive tomorrow.

TOS Crew: Super Star Speech

As a homeschool group leader, I am often asked about homeschooling children with Special Needs. I was thrilled when I heard that I was selected to review Super Star Speech, by Deborah Lott M.Ed  Speech Language Pathology.

As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was sent a free copy of Super Star Speech, Speech Therapy made Simple.

This manual is designed to help those children with mild articulation errors in their speech. It is not designed to correct physical problems that may cause speech issues.

As a mom with children who have had professional speech therapy, I can tell you that they would always show the most improvement when we the family, would work with them everyday, in between their speech therapy sessions.
This program builds on that principle. Deborah Lott saw the same results in her practice.

What I really liked is that they had an articulation test within the manual, as well as, the instructions on how to administer the test. And how to score the test.

The manual also includes blank lesson plan forms, blank games and flash cards. They do not have pre-made lesson plans, as each child will need a tailored plan to meet their specific needs. However, you will have at your fingertips, words lists and instructions on how to teach each sound.  This is invaluable. Often times, parents will know where their child needs help, but does not know how to help them. This manual will help them do that.

What is great about this program, is that Deborah Lott, is a homeschooling mother, and Speech and Language pathologist. She understands what homeschoolers need.

If you have a child who is struggling with articulation errors, or other speech issues, please visit Super Star Speech and see what they have to offer.

Super Star Speech is available in  Spiral Bound for $18.95 and Ring Bound for $22.95. You can also purchase an E-book version for up to 40% off.

Please visit the crew blog to see what my crew mates have to say about Super Star Speech!

TOS Crew: Alphabet Beats

The TOS Crew ship is docking at our next port! We are visiting with Alphabet Beats. As a crew mate for the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received a free copy of Alphabet Beats lower case to use with my family, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Because of our families history of special learning needs, I am quite familiar with the idea, of marrying movement, or song, and hands on activities and visual learning in order to help facilitate learning. And most important retention.

So what exactly is Alphabet Beats? Well, it is a DVD handwriting program.
It is geared for kids ages 2-8, however, I tried this out with 2 of my children. My extremely special needs child and my 10 year old.  Both of them could write, however they both needed help with formation, and they both tend to tend to write only using capitals. 

We sat down and watched the DVD as instructed. I watched along side them. It really is indeed geared for the younger set. When you are watching it, there is lots of reinforcement of letter sounds and letter recognition. The presentation of these letter sounds is not at all 'sing song'. It is very straight forward and distinct. While the Alphabet Beats videos are not designed for special needs kids, the way the program is designed will be very beneficial for your special needs student.

So what is so special about Alphabet Beats. Well, it's all in the song!  Well not just the song. In the Alphabet Betas videos they use;

1) Visual:  Most children are visual learners and tend to retain more when taught visually

2) Auditory/Rhythm: Children like rhymes and rhythm-it's a great way to learn. Most children learn their ABC's for the first time by singing the ABC song!  We always incorporate catchy songs and chants in our videos that children will remember and which will help guide them through motor planning the desired action later.

3) Repetition: Children enjoy and learn through repetition! How many times have you read the same book to them at bedtime?

I can tell you that the little jingles they have come up with really did help with my kids. Both. They sing it to them selves if the forget. Or if I correct their formation, they go back and will use the song to help them along with the correction. Also, you can watch the 'TV Teacher' write the letter correctly as she is singing the jingle. Great reinforcement, as well as, using audio and visual learning styles!  I can tell you that I have seen a marked improvement in both of my children's handwriting since they have started using Alphabet Beats.

 

If you have a little one just beginning to start handwriting, then this would be an awesome tool to have in your arsenal.

There are 2 DVD's in the Alphabet Beats Family, one for Uppercase and one for Lowercase. Each one is available for $35. What I thought was handy, was the fact that they have workbooks to go with it. 2 workbooks for each level, a beginning and advanced. The beginning books run for $4.49 and the advanced is available for $4.99. You can purchase these items by visiting their website.

My fellow crew mates have posted their thoughts about Alphabet Beats on the crew blog. Sail on over and check out what they have to say!

 

  

Do I Really Need All the Therapies the P.S. Offers Special Needs Kids??

Let's start with the fine print. This is not intended to be medical advice. Please check with your own healthcare providor to determine what is appropriate for your child.

Now, that that is out of the way. My oldest son was in the public school system from the age of 3 until I pulled him out at the end of 1st grade ( with two years in Kindergarten). So, we had experience with what the school systems will offer, if they decide to pay for therapy for spcial needs kids. And he got most of what is offered, speech, OT, PT,  and an educational one on one aide.

So, to seperate from the public school system and still give our son what he needs. That was a daunting task.  And I will admit to you, over the years  I have wondered, am I doing all that I can do for my son, is there anything else I can do for my son?

Well, the answer is yes I am doing all I can for my son. And the school system could not do it any better than I am. Yes I say that with great confidence. A few years back, I really was questioning what we were doing, so we took a few school tours. I took 2. One was the local school district. I was taken to the lower level classroom as well as the high functioning classroom. The two options I was offered.

He would not be able to function at the higher functioning class. So I was looking through the lower functioning class. Well, there was nothing in that classroom that I was not already in my home. I am talking about the resources they were using. I either had the exact same thing, or in my opinion a superior version of that same item. The difference would be that while he is at home, he is not stuck in a room with other children with learning disabilities, but rather he is being taught at his speed, with typical learning kids, and kids with some struggles ( his siblings).

At the other school we looked at, I must admit, if I were to ever need to send him to school, this would be the school I would want to send him to. However the cost is $25,000 a YEAR. I cannot pay for it, and the fight it would take to get a school district to pay for it.. I do not think I would win that one, not in this school district. But even with that school, lots of what they did, we did as well. But they were able to deliver those services far superior than the local school district.

But still at home we were addressing all of the same areas, with the same kinds of resources, if not exactly the same.

One last little story, before I tell you how we have addressed some of the ways we handled therapy. I had a friend who works with special needs kids in the local high school district, who said to me, why don't you put him in school, they will teach how to use the computer, and life skills. I told her that I can teach him the computer, and he is already learning life skills. And he is already out in the community doing community based learning.

Now, some of the ways we have addressed his needs are as follows, he has taken piano lessons for 5 years now. He is doing very well. He has to work very hard at it, but he has accomplished quite a bit and has performed before an audience at recitals which are held 2 times a year.

He took horseback riding lessons. This addressed PT needs as well as OT needs. This was not a developmental horse back riding program, but the same program his siblings were in. After a year, he was doing almost as well as his siblings, while riding. His posture is always difficult. But he really learned how to work his left and right brain simultaneously. And he was also able to groom the horse down to picking the shoes and putting the saddle on.

We also have him signed up in PE class.  He now goes twice a week. This is our 4th year of PE, it is great for him. Addressing all the PT needs he has. In fact after two weeks this year he has finally mastered how to do push ups correctly, his body was straight as a board, for the first time.

We also had him take Jujitsu, we signed him up for this class when the horsback riding classes ended. This was another way to address both the OT and PT needs.

One thing that is free that you can do as well, is take them to Home Depot or Lowes, whatever you have near you or both. Each one of them on 1 saturday a month has a day you can take your children to a clinic where they build something. They nail and sand and glue and follow step by step directions. A great way to get them working with their hands and they are having fun with mom or dad at the same time!!

As far as speech goes, we have addressed that ourselves at home. I have sat in enough speech sessions to know how to handle that. So I have continued and expanded where they left off.

Now I will say, if you have never had your kid evaluated, it would pay to have them evaluated to know where to focus your time and energy. There are places you can pay to have evaluations done.. one place I know of is www.ldhope.com

I have not used them, however I plan on using them when I need a new evaluation.

All of these things may not be available in your area, however I hope that these ideas will get you thinking outside the clinical therapy  unit when it comes to addressing the needs of our kids.

 

Happy Homeschooling!!