LifeLearners: Exceptional: homeschooling

Homeschooling a child with ADHD is a challenge. These children are easy to love, but hard to raise. However, there are many blessing along the way for both you and your child, in more ways than you can imagine.

A good “rule of thumb”: don’t try to apply typical educational strategies to your atypical child. Stop thinking in terms of “what works for most children”; instead, through experimentation, find out what works best for your child.

Here are some teaching tips to try out:

· Keep your child moving as much as possible. If you require this child to sit perfectly still and look at you intently, chances are they will not be able to listen. In fact, they may implode! They NEED to be moving while listening.

· Have them do two things at once, i.e. play with silly putty, turn screws into wood, sweep or mop the kitchen floor while listening.

· Play games such as:

Toss-It: Use an object for a throw-and-catch game to obtain answers, i.e. I say “A”, and then throw a beanbag to the child. He says “B” and throws it back. You can learn the books of the Bible, multiplication tables, provinces and capitals using this game.
Hop-On-It: Put cards on the floor with words on them, i.e. noun, verb, adjective, adverb. Call out a word and the child has to jump on the correct word.
Jumping Jacks: Spell words or recite math facts while doing jumping jacks.

· Allow the child to respond orally. These children usually are “writing-haters”. Keep in mind that the object is to learn the lesson material. Writing does not HAVE to be incorporated into each learning activity.

· Set up a study carrel. Use a big tri-fold cardboard stand (these are often used for science fair projects and can be purchased at Staples) that blocks out distractions.

· To enhance focus, try allowing earphones with instrumental music, i.e. calming classical music, guitar pieces, and orchestral selections.

· Don’t do every problem in the book. If the child has mastered the concept after completing half the page, circle several more and let this suffice for the lesson. Move on from what they know, and concentrate on what they have yet to master. The child will think he has been given a “break” because he doesn’t have to do them all.

· Provide a checklist of the day’s assignments. Children like to know what’s coming. They like to check off each assignment as it’s completed.

· Adjust your speaking volume and intensity. A very animated and upbeat style may be overly stimulating. Having a low-key teaching style may prove to be more effective.

· Use a timer and make a game of it. Ask how long they think it will take them to complete a task and then set the timer.

· Squeeze more information into shorter blocks of time.

· Let them stand while studying, and use an exercise ball for a chair. (Note: try the Hokki stool for dynamic seating - http://www.letsmovecanada.com/)

· Give rewards generously for on-task behaviour. Children with ADHD love praise and rewards. Set goals. Start with short periods of time and work up to a longer duration before giving a reward.

Although these children may be exhausting, take time to see their God-given gifts and talents. Remember that they are special and are destined for something wonderful, often that which is impossible for those calmer, non- refrigerator-climbing, regular-energy level children. Delight in their boundless energy and tireless enthusiasm for life. Who knows, they might become rock-climbing enthusiasts or world famous mountaineers!

Ruth

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Resource suggestion: an “outside-the-box” approach

Time4Learning

www.time4learning.com

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Vison and Hearing Screening

This was a tip I sent around to the HCOS community in November of 2010.

This month's tip is that in the public system, all Kindergarten children are screened in the area of vision and hearing. I happen to have a homeschooling niece who is in Kindergarten this year and (with her parents consent) made an appointment and took her to the local public health clinic to arrange for these screens, to see what was involved. The only cost involved was a hot chocolate with whip cream, a visit to the local library afterwards and the promise to not use the word "appointment" (which, understandably, makes her nervous).

The screening was painless, quick (maybe 15 minutes all told) and tested her ability to use both eyes together as well as checking the eye itself for vision disorders, such as refractive errors, amblyopia and strabismus. It is not a diagnostic test and doesn't replace going to an eye doctor. The hearing test also was a screen, checking to see if there were any concerns with the child in the "conversational" hearing range - you might pick up on concerns in this area through the mispronunciations of various sounds in a child's regular speech.

The Learning Services Department is seeing many students with both minor and major learning challenges that are related to vision and hearing. One of the things we are suggesting is that parents take their child to have an eye exam and a hearing test to rule out any physical concerns. Screenings for all children in Kindergarden is a good place to start. Even for older children, yearly eye exams are free, as are auditory tests. I've attached a list of public health auditory clinics in BC, in case you are wondering where there is one near you. These screenings or assessments may be good tools to understand how your child is hearing or seeing, which are things we often can't understand through other means.

You may want to skip the screening and simply go to the optometrist and audiologist for a more in-depth look, particularly if you have any concerns about your child's learning. When you do go to see an optometrist, ask them to please check how your child's eye's are working together, what we call their "tracking" - the eyes ability to follow an object and focus on it. Visit http://www.visionandlearning.org/whatisvision08.html to find out more about the role of vision in learning.

If you do find you have concerns, particularly around vision/reading or hearing/speech/spelling issues, feel free to put in a referral to the LS department. We have free at-home resources and curriculums for speech concerns and are developing lots of at-home ideas for vision therapy, in consultation with an experienced vision therapist. For more information, (and a referral form) the link the the LS web page is: http://www.onlineschool.ca/special_education/learning_services.php.

Kind Regards,

Carmen

Rationale & Introduction

Hello folks,

The vision and purpose behind this blog is to provide a resource that will help parents and other educators as they work with and support children, particularly those with exceptionalities, particularly in the homeschooling arena. This is a place to catalogue the online and text resources the Learning Services Department finds as well as to share our thoughts on those resources, help to empower parents and other educators with information and give them a place to share their thoughts and experiences and thus to mutually support each other.

Please, join in!