What special circumstances are you dealing with in your homeschool?

We are contemplating homeschooling. Our son who is in third grade now has just been diagnosed with CAPD Central Auditory Processing Disorder (aka auditory processing disorder, etc). He also has had a history of acid reflux; speech delays, and fine motor skills delays. Receives: extra math and reading instruction, as well as occupational therapy.

Hi Lovely Lils,
What's holding you back? What pieces of the puzzle are missing for you?
Christine

Hi Lovely Lils,
In other words, how can we help you make the decision?
Christine

I think right now that decision is on hold until we see his grades. Some of the factors that we are considering are

-isolation--lack of socialization
-special needs curriculum
-temperament of my husband--will it be a good thing to have him home (his office is at home) all the time with our son
-gym, music, art--how can we do that if we're only teaching one


those are some of the issues
thanks

We have two VERY minor issues. Our just barely teenaged son struggles with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and our 8-year-daughter had very minor apoxia at birth which lead to some minor small motor issues and vision problems.

I also have a very small disability causing me problems with mobility and pain. But homeschooling is great. Not only can we teach each at their own ability without labels or assumption (we heard she'll never learn to write, he needs to be on meds to sit still, etc.) but on days when I'm not moving well, I can sit in a chair and "teach" just as easily! School is one thing that DOES get done on my bad days, much to the chagrin of my dishwasher and laundry pile!

Hello again, Lovely Lils,
Do you have any co-ops in your area? We go to a one-day-a week thing and it meets many neds for our family.
There's tons of special needs curriculum out there. I can point you in the direction of some resources, if you tell me the nature of what you're dealing with.
What's your hubby's position on all this?

Christine

My 9 yo son has some learning issues. I September it seemed like things were horrible. He had auditory processing issues and couldn't read more than three or four letter basic words.

Now he's made a lot of progress and his auditory issues seem to have disappeared (except when I tell him to do his chores *grin*).

He's doing very well with reading using Teach Your Children to Read Well.

Dawn K.

Our challenge is homeschooling with a terminally ill daddy and two preschoolers in the home.

Dear Rhonda,
I want to welcome you to the board!
Do you mean that your husband is terminally ill? My goodness, how can we help? Do you have family support?
Praying now for you,
Christine

Christine,
Thank you for the prayers! God has certainly been my help in this time, and I depend on the prayers every day. Yes, my husband is dying of cancer. Yes, thankfully, I do have a wonderful family that calls and comes by when they can. Two of my brothers are helpful in more tangible ways, and that is especially a blessing. One bro is sending a carpenter tomorrow to have a "playhouse" built for our chilren (3, 5 and 7). The children are very excited.
I am open to advice regarding preparing the children for such issues that will arise, such as the funeral home and cemetary, if anyone has dealt with that.
Rhonda

Dear Rhonda,
Your children are so young, and they are facing such a mountain. Do you have a pastor you can speak to about these matters? Maybe even a few sessions of chatting as a family with a pastor might be helpful.
What kind of condition is your husband in? Is he up and about, or laid low?
Anyone else here dealt with this?
Praying for you, sweet Rhonda.
Christine

Hi, Christine,
Yes, we have a wonderful pastor. I had not considered all of us visiting with him as a family, but that is a good thought. Thank you. We do have a family Christian counselor that the children talk with some.
Jim has metastatic phoechromocytoma. That means that the disease has spread to other locations in his body. It started as an adrenal tumor that was removed 4 years ago, but has spread throughout his lungs, his liver and is also filling that cavity that once held his right kidney and adrenal. He is able to function pretty well, really. That is amazing for how advanced his disease is and the high dosages of narcotics for pain. We are so thankful that we have lots of good hours each day, at least for now. We try to take advantage of it and spend precious moments with the children and also are making videos for them to have later (and letters).
Thank you for your prayers and kindness!
Rhonda

Dear Rhonda,

Though I don't have any experience in this area, my heart is overwhelmed with compassion for you and your children. Making videos and writing letters is such a GREAT thing to do for your kids. I also think it is very important for them to be part of the process. Even though they are so young, they will have much more understanding as they get older of what happened. And great experience to handle this type of thing later in life. I married into a family of in-laws that are VERY uncomfortable with this part of life. It is confusing and difficult to deal with, so they don't deal with it. Mu husbands grandpa died not too long ago and because of the way his family has always "dealt" with this part of life, none of them went to be with him in his last days. He had alzheimers and they said he didn't know anyway. Well, maybe he didn't, but I feel like it is so good not just for HIM but for US! Anyway, that's a long story we don't need to get into. Just know that I am praying for you and your family. Please keep us informed of how things are going so we can be specific in our prayers.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Blessings,

Leslie

Dear Leslie,
Thank you for the thoughts you shared! I understand how frustrating it is to have family that doesn't know how to deal with death well. My father is much the same way. I have a wonderful sister in law that is from Russia, where all things concerning death are taboo. My grandmother is dying, so this may be a good way to talk more with my children about our American funeral traditions and so forth. Once again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Rhonda

quote:

Originally posted by christinefield:
What special circumstances are you dealing with in your homeschool?

Christine,
Not only is finding a curriculum for my son who has CAPD, LD and speech/language disorder, but i'm facing the challenge of incorporating speech therapy and occupational therapy for him as well. Does anyone else have these issues? I've seen some "kits" that are geared towards homeschooling parents, but I'm just not sure it's something I'd be able to take on. Any ideas?

thanks,
Patte

Hi Patte,
Have you looked at www.nathhan.org? They have a home speech program called Straight Talk that I have heard is quite good.
Are you receiving special services anywhere else, like a school? Can they give you more things to work on at home to have less time spent with them?
Let me know your thoughts.
Christine

To Lovelylils,

Ha, I finally 'meet' someone whose child has the same problem as mine, auditory discrimination deficiency, and learning disabilities.
My daughter was never in school. When by age 9 she still could not read, and did not make any progress in that direction, either, (and after I had successfully taught my other 2 daughters) the Lord brought us in contact with a lady who diagnosed her and helped her.
She then taught my dd every sound in the English language by a different sense besides auditory! She used a mirror, and touch, among other things. There was improvement from day 1! DD actually dared put down a letter.
She now reads ferociously, her math is poor, but she knows how to use a calculator. Her writing keeps on improving.
She is now 19, and getting married this summer. No, she will never attend university, but she is good at her job. The skills she learned at home because of homeschooling help her more than a piece of paper saying she finished school.
Again, remember the goal the Lord has given us as parents. He created us in His image, and that is our job as parents, also. It includes creativity, loving kindness, justice, patience. You know your Bible, you know God, Go For It.
Alida

Hi Lovely Lils again,

I phoned my dd's teacher to ask about the program she used. It is called Auditory Discrimination in Depth. It was developed by Ph. Lindamood. She also used Animated Literacy, by jim Stone, with my son. Hope this helpful. Alida

Hi Alida,
Welcome to the board! Thanks for your sharing and heart-felt words of encouragement! I nearly cried reading about your daughter. What a wonderful story.
I still have some fears for my daughter - like, what she will do in the future. But I also know that the Lord has her in His hands.
Thanks again for sharing.
Blessings,
Christine