Tuesday, November 29

Hey Mom, What is This?

The Wall Street Journal this morning reports the latest in math education: teach math concepts to preschoolers and kindergarteners rather than simple skills like number recognition. To me, this is another example of trying to overcome the weakness of placing young children in an incredibly sterile environment.

Because children are not in a working home, they miss the opportunity to easily learn from the world around them. Educators have to make up for this by creating pseudo learning experiences rather than the tangible, imitative learning that is most natural to children.

Let me give you an example of the latter. We missed a fair amount of planned lessons with family in town and the Thanksgiving break. But in that time, Samuel began to learn percentages, the difference between the Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales and adding fractions.

The percentages came from pursuing a few toys sales. What does this mean, 40 percent off? Well, a few snips with the scissors and I had 10 strips of paper and could visually show him the difference between the whole, 100 percent, and a portion of that, 60 percent.

The temperature scales came from his looking at a thermometer on the fish tank which gives both. Why does it say 27 C? A brief explanation and a few examples of typical winter and summer temperatures and Samuel began to grasp the idea of different measuring systems.

The fractions came from the ubiquitous cookies. (I'm convinced my kids will grow up thinking that "cookie" is a formal mathematical term since we use it in so many examples: you have a pile of 3 cookies here and 5 cookies here; which one would you rather have, which one is greater?) A question about halves --  can you have three halves? -- quickly led to a few paper cookies cut in half and examples of adding up fractional parts to make wholes.

By homeschooling, we can take advantage of a child's natural curiosity whether or not we are working through a set curriculum. Even better, the child doesn't have to wait until he's back in a "learning environment" to explore the concept again. If I find water on the floor, I can be sure the boys have dragged out my cup measures and gallon pitcher to re-enact the measuring exercises we did last year.

Education at its finest.

Monday, November 28

OK, we've hit Monday morning with a thud. After having grandparents visiting and the Thanksgiving holiday, our schedule has been uneven for weeks. Both events were wonderful for the kids, but difficult for homeschooling. So, now I have to get back to full curriculum after moving ahead in some classes while lagging completely in others.

One thing that has continued: Samuel shows a natural talent for math. He has been asking questions regarding fractions and percentages. I find ways to illustrate the concept (cutting up circles in one case so he could see that three halves equal 1 and 1 half) and find he quickly grasps the concept. I suppose that is the foundation for any schooling at home -- taking the opportunities as they come.

Friday, November 11

Older Autism

I've been asked about autism in adults. While my interest has been directed toward children, I can share bits and pieces I've learned over the years.

First, autism is generally first recognized in children. It is unlikely that the disorder develops later in life, but hits at a critical age when children are developing language and social skills.

The spectrum of disorders are now far more likely recognized in educational and medical circles. Before about 1980, autism was generally recognized as an acute disorder. So instead of being considered a spectrum kid, Samuel likely would have been labeled a "late bloomer" and a disruptive child. With our expanding knowledge regarding autism, more children are recognized to be on the spectrum at an earlier age.

That said, it is likely that folks older than about 30, may have gone un- (or miss-) diagnosed as children. Sadly, many were considered mentally unstable and even if diagnosed, unable to be handled outside of an institutional setting. (Temple Grandin's story is sadly typical of the 1950s. Without her mother's intevention, great talent would have been lost.)

I think it unlikely, that an adult would be severely autistic without someone having recognized a problem at an earlier age. However, a milder form, or Aspergers, may will have been missed. In trying to "diagnose" after the fact, family memory is likely the best guide. If others remember that a person was slow to start talking, made few friends, or was generally considered "weird," current autistic behaviors may well have been a life-long challenge.

Wednesday, November 2

You Shall Teach Them

Yesterday at lunch, our youngest observed that the crackers he ate looked like the bread our church uses for communion. I told the boys about matzoh and its use in the Old Testament during Passover. We talked at length about God passing over and protecting the little ones of Israel. That led to discussions about God's people and about worshiping in the way God prescribes.

This is the very essence of why we home school. This is why our family embraced the challenge of educating an autistic child. Yes, having a Christ-centered curriculum keeps a child's worldview intact, not dividing the "religious" from the "secular." But the real importance comes in these day-to-day interactions when a child's questions lead right into the heart of our faith.

When we contact the local school board regarding our decision to home school, we cite such scriptures as Deuteronomy 11:19: "You shall teach them [God's laws] to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up."

Quite frankly, the responsibility of this scares me. But I am delighted to see God working this out in our home, to see how He is working in my children's hearts to ask the questions and to discuss my responses.

Sunday, October 30

October 31, 1517

"...we will not fear for God has will His truth to triumph through us."

These words, part of Martin Luther's A Mighty Fortress is Our God, always catch my eye and ear. This is particularly true given the number of people who suffered great hardship to stand for the truth of the Bible during the Reformation. Let's take the time to remember them this eve of Reformation Day.

Friday, October 28

Let it .... what?

We have snow in the forecast!?! We typically get our first snow around the first weekend of December, and here we haven't started November. Samuel has figured out that I have not purchased winter boots yet and has been rather miffed. My boys really like those suede boot with fleece lining, but they wear right through them even when I purchased a better brand last year. I guess this is our wake up call for winter. I'm hoping the weather doesn't interfere with our plans for a Reformation Day celebration on Sunday. 

Thursday, October 27

Math in Fact

I don't know why I didn't think of this a million  years ago. If we do our math speed drill last, Samuel has plenty of motivation to move rapidly through the problems so he's done with school for the day!

We have pages of simple additional, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. The idea is to get the student to where he doesn't have to stop and remember each math fact -- it comes to mind naturally and rapidly. "Rote" learning is not popular these days in education circles, but for math, it is important.

This proved itself recently for our second oldest daughter. Esther had an accounting exam in a college class, and she forgot her calculator. Taking the test later was not an option. So she sat there and did all the calculations by hand taking advantage of the speed and accuracy she'd gained doing speed drills all those years ago!

Tuesday, October 25

Natural Learning

Any home school reflects its own family. I don't just mean values with an upper case V, but the interests that develop within a particular home. This specialized knowledge adds depth and dimension to a home program. Since my background includes work with the US Forest Service, birds, trees and snakes are a comfortable part of our school

Our oldest daughter had a great field botany class in college. So each year in early spring, she takes the boys and me on a hike over at Balls Bluff, a park that overlooks the Potomac River. We hunt for ephemeral flowers, the ones like trout lily, wild ginger, and trillium that take advantage of the sun that reaches the forest floor before the trees leaf out.

I made the photo at the top of this blog last spring during our flower hike. The boys mostly ran around enjoying the fresh air, splashing in (cold!) creeks and climbing over fallen logs. But they also began to develop the ground work for knowing and appreciating the tiniest flowers and plants.

Friday, October 21

Making a Diamond

If I could get one message across to professionals who treat autism it is this: you are treating an entire family. Listen to moms and dads when they say they need help. When a professional treats the child, he clearly has to make decisions in the best interests of the child, but those benefits will be counter-acted if the treatment does not reduce the stress in the house as a whole.

The stresses are very real, particularly for the mothers. I have included a link here for an article that draws from research involving all members of a family with a spectrum kid.  And if you are homeschooling (a factor, to my knowledge, that's not included in this research) these stresses are multiplied.

Ultimately, my trust is in my heavenly father who cares for us no matter how difficult our days may be. And I am confident that our determination to teach Samuel here at home best assures a coherent world view for my son. But those who treat my Samuel may be providing the means of God's care, at least to some extent. Listen to the moms and dads.

Thursday, October 20

On Autism and Research

A spectrum kid is likely to be way out on either extreme when it comes to norms, so he would not be part of a study researching normal brain function. However, I've noticed that medical research (usually including brain scans and a fair amount of theory) flatly contradicts what is observable in an autistic child.

This morning, the Wall Street Journal featured a study regarding the ability for teens' intelligence to change over time. While its premise challenges the long-held tenet that intelligence is fixed, my interest is the function researchers have assigned to parts of the brain. In this case, they are associating the left motor cortex not only with speech, but also with what is tested and characterized as verbal ability. Standardized tests for verbal abilities includes reading, spelling and the ability to analyze language either for content or structure.

Here's where research does not seem to meet the ground of reality. I too assumed that Samuel would have difficulty with language arts. He had been rated as significantly deficient in all areas of communication -- the ability to express himself, respond to what others say, and use language in a socially-appropriate context.

However, Samuel has done exceptionally well in reading and is extremely observant about words. In reading if he hears a new word, he'll take a moment to examine it before we may continue. He'll remember not only its meaning and usage, but its spelling too. Yesterday he corrected my spelling! His reading continues to outpace his "normal" peers by several grade levels. Remember that reading evaluation includes the ability to comprehend, not just the ability to recognize words.

What I'm saying is that he has been definitely tested as having significant speech delays, but these challenges have not affected his verbal intelligence. It's likely that an autistic child's brain is "wired" differently, but that doesn't account for data that attaches capability to a brain part that cannot be verified in even a small subset of people.

Wednesday, October 19

With Thanksgiving

I've been emailing with someone who makes me realize just how much God has blessed us. While days with my boys may be difficult, He has tenderly sustained us with benefits unknown in many places.

I am incredibly grateful for my church, Bethel Presbyterian and the teaching, fellowship, and encouragement it has consistently provided. I've written previously about how the women helped us get Samuel accustomed to sitting through the worship services.

While Samuel clearly has many challenges, he also is rich with capabilities and has been spared many of the effects of autism. He drives me crazy some days, but generally greets the world with friendly optimism.

We are within easy driving distance of some of the finest medical institutions. While we have no specific cure for autism, Samuel has been able to receive excellent occupational and speech therapy. He has also recently been extensively evaluated, which I'll discuss in another post.

Tuesday, October 18

Slip Sliding Away

Have Samuel go down a fast waterslide? Climb rigging? Try to step across slippery logs? A few years ago, these acts would have been unimaginable.

Samuel completed occupational therapy since we last appeared regularly online. When he started OT, he had many problems including core and upper body weaknesses and difficulty with large and small movements. Because he could not stabilize himself easily, Samuel was very cautious about lifting his feet off the ground to swing, fall, leap and so forth. Over the course of his therapy, Samuel completed strengthening and balancing exercises, and Miss Nicole had Samuel falling sideways or backward into big puffy pads. He toppled over from the ground and progressed to plunging several feet through the air.

I don't think we realized how far he had progressed until we went to a water park just after Labor Day weekend. He went down every slide and took on challenges from body surfing to wave pools. He loved every minute of it! What a joy to see Samuel go!

Monday, October 17

Where is Samuel Now?

I'll try to bring our situation up to date. Samuel is using third grade material this year, but home schooling is proving to be as much of an adventure as it ever has been. When I started this blog, I had no idea how our lives would work trying to home school a spectrum kid. He remains a challenge behaviorally, but has proven over and over again to be very bright and (when he wants to be) a willing learner.  So how are we meeting his particular needs? I'll start with handwriting.

His handwriting remains a challenge, but he has recently been correcting himself to use a correct grip on his pencil and I'm confident now that he has the needed fine motor control. We are using Handwriting Without Tears, and that curriculum views the switch to cursive as a good time to "catch up." This came as a nice surprise as we had ordered this year's materials with some trepidation. (Cursive? The kid can barely print!) But he's always been able to read cursive and was trying to develop a script on his own.

HWT uses only 4 types of connections between cursive letters and he has already learned several. He's also quickly grasped the idea of keeping his pencil down on the paper continually.  I hope this will be a big year to catch up with his handwriting. In the meanwhile, I'm playing "scribe" to him in some subjects. Why bother, given the plethora of computers? I've seen just enough about handwriting creating additional pathways to the brain to convince me that it is a necessary and useful part of education.

Saturday, October 15

Changes Coming to Teaching a Spectrum Kid

I have decided to resume this blog with regularity. So many options are now available, and I am hoping to make changes that will make information more accessible. So, this post is a "heads up" that this blog may change radically in appearance, but will maintain the same purpose: to provide help and encouragement to others who may be home schooling a special needs child by providing a glimpse into my family's school adventures.

Thursday, March 10

He's Write!

Samuel never fails to surprise me. He can make up stories with abandon! Our speech activity today gave three words around which Samuel was to make up a story. So he might be given: frog, girl, house to launch an idea. We've made various attempts at games like "I spy," and he wouldn't get it at all, and thinking about an object and talking about it just seemed foreign. He's only recently started playing make-up games that require imagination. Now I find the seeds of a writer! Once again, I'm discovering that you cannot underestimate a spectrum kid!

Monday, March 7

Of Math and Spills

Hmmm, I showed the boys cups, pints, quart, and gallon measurements this morning. I think it would be smart to wait until this afternoon for them to do their own pouring and measurements out on the back deck! The ubiquitous soda bottle should make the metric measurements easy to show them when it's time.

Tuesday, March 1

He'd be where?

This last year has shown me that homeschooling was absolutely the right choice for Samuel. While we continue a good relationship with local educators (Samuel receives speech therapy from them) we've resisted their claim that he needs to be better integrated with his peers by attending public schools.

I have come to understand two things. First, the school's goal would not be for Samuel to integrate into differing roles in society. Instead its goal would be for him to be able to do well in a homogeneous group of 20-30 kids -- a setting unlike what we find in the rest of life. Secondly, because of the slow pace of his potty training, he'd likely be in a "self-contained" classroom. In other words, he would have spent most of his day with other children who have difficulties with language and social skills. What a detriment that would have been, and the administrators advising me to do this never said a word about this setting!

The value of what I've been able to teach him during our days together will be a subject for another day ...

Monday, February 28

I'm Back!

Samuel and I are still homeschooling, and I am finally back to our blog! When I originally started, I felt like a daily post was necessary. After a while, that become the daily chore, then the daily avoidance, then ... the ... stop. Now I'll post when I feel like it, or when I stumble across something significant.

When starting today, I was pleasantly surprised to see that many, many people had visited this site during my absence, and that a few followers joined in despite the older date of my materials. Welcome aboard! Homeschooling remains our focus, particularly the challenges of teaching a spectrum kid. I also hope the larger community will learn to  understand this particular educational niche.

For now, the design will remain the same, though its tempting to dig into the newer design options. Eventually, I'd like to do more with the resources section.

Soon (see, I'm not promising tomorrow!) we'll see the progress Samuel has made.