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Post by heathermomster on Jul 20, 2015 10:19:19 GMT -5
Hi there,
I homeschool my rising 10th grade DS. DS is diagnosed with maths/handwriting/reading disability and tests gifted. DS takes coursework in and outside our home. He currently types his work on a laptop and started using an Echo Smartpen in January. DS also knows how to mindmap and listens to audio books. EF is a major challenge for my boy, so I am looking for study skill strategy books to help direct him.
This far, I have been reading Cal Newport's blog, and I just came across Scott H. Young's blog. Young's blog bothers me, but I have read a couple of helpful articles. Has anyone found a useful study skills book that they would be willing to share? Any and all opinions are welcome. I would like to help DS explore different study skill strategies now so that he will be better prepared for either CC or university.
Thank-you, H
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Post by bros on Jul 20, 2015 13:04:18 GMT -5
The way I have found that is best for studying is determining what your strengths are - I am multiply disabled, my strength is my memory. I study by reviewing what I remember and if the need arises, comparing my memory against my notes and then studying what I did not recall.
The best thing I ever did was attend community college first. It helped a bit with my self-confidence and to get used to a college environment - classes are smaller, professors are a bit more... personal, and the community is just smaller in general.
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Post by michellea on Jul 20, 2015 16:06:18 GMT -5
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Post by healthy11 on Jul 20, 2015 21:02:19 GMT -5
Heathermomster, welcome to Millermom's forum. While my son was strong in math, he also had handwriting/reading troubles, plus ADHD, and he tests highly gifted. If you haven't heard the term "2e" or "twice exceptional," I encourage you to look at the many resources I've compiled and posted under millermom.proboards.com/thread/9972/twice-exceptional-gifted-adhd-resources A person whom I consider one of the best experts on teens with attentional as well as executive functional issues is Chris Ziegler Dendy. While her book "Teaching Teens With ADD, ADHD, and Executive Function Deficits" www.chrisdendy.com/ttwadd2.htm is geared more towards teachers and parents of teens, I believe her practical advice and suggestions could be helpful in your son's case, and might give some additional ideas. When you say that your son currently takes classes both in and outside your home, is it at a traditional public high school, or where? If you don't mind my asking, are you in the U.S., or perhaps Canada, the U.K., or Australia? In the U.S., my son was able to enroll to take classes at our local community college even before he graduated from high school. He took one course over the summer, between 10th and 11th grade, and another between 11th and 12th. We intentionally selected courses that were of high interest to him, figuring that he would not have to struggle much with the academic content, but could get an idea of what the "demands of college" would be like. I think it really helped him with the eventual transition to "full time" college. (And even at that, his first semester he took only 12 credit hours, not the 15-16 which are often suggested for freshmen students. Although it took him 5 years to finish, he did graduate and is now working full-time in his chosen field of engineering.) What area/subjects is your son most interested in? |
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Post by jisp on Jul 21, 2015 1:38:11 GMT -5
Heathermonster,
It is a bit circular to give a child with EF a book on how to study or study skills. Isn't it? What I found helped both my boys who are 2E was having them work with a cognitive psychologist who worked specifically on training them to approach school work and learning in a way that worked for their brains. I live in the Boston metro area so finding such a person was not that difficult. What you want to find is a psychologist who is trained to work with people with a wide range of cognitive strengths and weaknesses who can meet once a week with your son and help him approach school work. It also helps if your son has school work that he is motivated to master or learn. For example in my middle son's case the cognitive psychologist used our son's desire to master AP biology material to help our son learn to overcome his processing and memory problems. Another cognitive psychologist used our younger son's desire to be more organized so he could excel at his passion which was music to help our son address issues with EF.
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Post by heathermomster on Jul 21, 2015 4:42:47 GMT -5
Heathermomster, welcome to Millermom's forum. While my son was strong in math, he also had handwriting/reading troubles, plus ADHD, and he tests highly gifted. If you haven't heard the term "2e" or "twice exceptional," I encourage you to look at the many resources I've compiled and posted under millermom.proboards.com/thread/9972/twice-exceptional-gifted-adhd-resources A person whom I consider one of the best experts on teens with attentional as well as executive functional issues is Chris Ziegler Dendy. While her book "Teaching Teens With ADD, ADHD, and Executive Function Deficits" www.chrisdendy.com/ttwadd2.htm is geared more towards teachers and parents of teens, I believe her practical advice and suggestions could be helpful in your son's case, and might give some additional ideas. When you say that your son currently takes classes both in and outside your home, is it at a traditional public high school, or where? If you don't mind my asking, are you in the U.S., or perhaps Canada, the U.K., or Australia? In the U.S., my son was able to enroll to take classes at our local community college even before he graduated from high school. He took one course over the summer, between 10th and 11th grade, and another between 11th and 12th. We intentionally selected courses that were of high interest to him, figuring that he would not have to struggle much with the academic content, but could get an idea of what the "demands of college" would be like. I think it really helped him with the eventual transition to "full time" college. (And even at that, his first semester he took only 12 credit hours, not the 15-16 which are often suggested for freshmen students. Although it took him 5 years to finish, he did graduate and is now working full-time in his chosen field of engineering.) What area/subjects is your son most interested in? Awesome! I will check out the Deny website and book. We are up to speed with the 2e info. We live in the SE corner of the US. I don't expect he will dual enroll until 12th grade. Last year, he took Biology, Informal Logic, and a writing class at our homeschool cover. DS doesn't struggle so much with academic content as he does with self organization. He loves history, computer graphics, and IT. Thank-you! |
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Post by heathermomster on Jul 21, 2015 4:52:46 GMT -5
Heathermonster, It is a bit circular to give a child with EF a book on how to study or study skills. Isn't it? What I found helped both my boys who are 2E was having them work with a cognitive psychologist who worked specifically on training them to approach school work and learning in a way that worked for their brains. I live in the Boston metro area so finding such a person was not that difficult. What you want to find is a psychologist who is trained to work with people with a wide range of cognitive strengths and weaknesses who can meet once a week with your son and help him approach school work. It also helps if your son has school work that he is motivated to master or learn. For example in my middle son's case the cognitive psychologist used our son's desire to master AP biology material to help our son learn to overcome his processing and memory problems. Another cognitive psychologist used our younger son's desire to be more organized so he could excel at his passion which was music to help our son address issues with EF. Completely circular..If I handed DS an EF book, he would probably use it to prop up an airplane model to be spray painted.  I am seeking strategies to help me guide him. DS is fairly amenable to change if he sees the point in adjusting his routine. So, I need to be looking for a cognitive psychologist that can meet with DS once per week. Does the therapy have a name? Is it CBT? |
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Post by healthy11 on Jul 21, 2015 9:03:11 GMT -5
Heathermonster, I'm not familiar with the term "Homeschool Cover." Is it your local public high school, or is it a group of other homeschool families who provide instruction to students (ie, a parent who is strong in one subject area, ie., a professional writer, teaches English to a group of kids, while a parent who might be an engineer teaches science and math to the same group of students?) When your son takes classes at the "Homeschool Cover" does he have an IEP or 504 Accommodations? I would guess he can benefit from additional time to complete assignments/tests, and having formal documentation in place now will help him to get accommodations like extended time on the ACT/SAT Tests for college...
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Post by heathermomster on Jul 21, 2015 14:44:19 GMT -5
Heathermonster, I'm not familiar with the term "Homeschool Cover." Is it your local public high school, or is it a group of other homeschool families who provide instruction to students (ie, a parent who is strong in one subject area, ie., a professional writer, teaches English to a group of kids, while a parent who might be an engineer teaches science and math to the same group of students?) When your son takes classes at the "Homeschool Cover" does he have an IEP or 504 Accommodations? I would guess he can benefit from additional time to complete assignments/tests, and having formal documentation in place now will help him to get accommodations like extended time on the ACT/SAT Tests for college... Each state has their own set of homeschool laws. In my state, one option is to affiliate with a church that will report attendance to the state and provide classes, activities, and oversight. Classes are taught by parents, and the cover/church is considered a private school. I reside in an area where a high percentage of the local population holds at least a four year degree. Many of the moms are ex-school teachers, programmers, and engineers, myself included. One dad periodically teaches programming. One local optometrist teaches PE. Two engineering moms run the science fair and teach most of the sciences and Latin. Yes, professional writers have taught short classes. The cover provides oversight; however, I select my children's curriculum. We can use TC lectures, documentaries, and college textbooks. I control what we study, which is awesome because DS has the freedom to pursue what he loves while I hire tutors and use materials that are more appropriate to his learning style. Private schools are not legally obligated to follow Wrights Law if they don't accept Federal monies. Our cover informally grants accommodations. DS has access to the cover's Internet, carries a laptop/Echo Smartpen, and receives extra test taking time. DS received accommodations for SAT-10 testing. I am about to apply for ACT accommodations and don't see any reason why he won't receive extended test taking time. I spoke with the ACT people last month. I already know of two students receiving ACT accommodations for APD and dyslexia. I guess I should add that he takes classes three times per week. Chemistry will be a two day class. When he took Bio last year, he studied a minimum of 2 hours daily on that one subject in addition to lecture and lab. He performed a ton of dissections too at a lab intensive. |
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Post by bros on Jul 21, 2015 17:16:37 GMT -5
Heathermonster, I'm not familiar with the term "Homeschool Cover." Is it your local public high school, or is it a group of other homeschool families who provide instruction to students (ie, a parent who is strong in one subject area, ie., a professional writer, teaches English to a group of kids, while a parent who might be an engineer teaches science and math to the same group of students?) When your son takes classes at the "Homeschool Cover" does he have an IEP or 504 Accommodations? I would guess he can benefit from additional time to complete assignments/tests, and having formal documentation in place now will help him to get accommodations like extended time on the ACT/SAT Tests for college... Each state has their own set of homeschool laws. In my state, one option is to affiliate with a church that will report attendance to the state and provide classes, activities, and oversight. Classes are taught by parents, and the cover/church is considered a private school. I reside in an area where over 55% of the local population holds at least a four year degree. Many of the moms are ex-school teachers, programmers, and engineers, myself included. One dad periodically teaches programming. One local optometrist teaches PE. Two engineering moms run the science fair and teach most of the sciences and Latin. Yes, professional writers have taught short classes. The cover provides oversight; however, I select my children's curriculum. We can use TC lectures, documentaries, and college textbooks. I control what we study, which is awesome because DS has the freedom to pursue what he loves while I hire tutors and use materials that are more appropriate to his learning style. Private schools are not legally obligated to follow Wrights Law if they don't accept Federal monies. Our cover informally grants accommodations. DS has access to the cover's Internet, carries a laptop/Echo Smartpen, and receives extra test taking time. DS received accommodations for SAT-10 testing. I am about to apply for ACT accommodations and don't see any reason why he won't receive extended test taking time. I spoke with the ACT people last month. I already know of two students receiving ACT accommodations for APD and dyslexia. I guess I should add that he takes classes three times per week. Chemistry will be a two day class. When he took Bio last year, he studied a minimum of 2 hours daily on that one subject in addition to lecture and lab. He performed a ton of dissections too at a lab intensive. The LEA (Local Educational Agency, the school district you live in) is required to provide all disabled students who live in their area, whether or not they attend public school, with related services if they are disabled, so things like OT, PT, etc. |
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Post by healthy11 on Jul 21, 2015 17:45:08 GMT -5
Heathermomster,
It sounds like you are "on top" of your son's situation, and the fact you already know of students who have received extended time for the ACT is great. While public school students seem to have fewer problems, a number of us have had to jump through several hoops/appeals in order to get accommodations for our kids. (My son had an IEP in middle school, but was attending a parochial high school and used informal accommodations there.) Re: the ACT, my son did NOT take any "test prep" classes or even read any "test prep" books, but he did take it 3 different times, and I believe his becoming more comfortable with the process helped to improve his scores from good to even better each time.
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Post by heathermomster on Jul 21, 2015 22:25:10 GMT -5
Yeah, there is what the the public school is supposed to do and then there is reality. Back in the day, that would be late first grade with a dyslexia diagnosis and two years at a private school, I approached our local grammar school and immediately encountered roadblocks. They wanted DS enrolled and to see him fail 2nd grade prior to intervention. We opted to remain in the private school and use a Wilson tutor three times per week. We used insurance to pay for OT and PT. If we had written the legal requests for services, my son's learning interventions would have been delayed, and we weren't buying into that. I understand that the local system has faced some lawsuits since then, but I am fundamentally against a system that must be threatened with a lawsuit to do their job. |
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Post by heathermomster on Jul 21, 2015 22:31:32 GMT -5
Heathermomster, It sounds like you are "on top" of your son's situation, an the fact you already know of students who have received extended time for the ACT is great. While public school students seem to have fewer problems, a number of us have had to jump through several hoops/appeals in order to get accommodations for our kids. (My son had an IEP in middle school, but was attending a parochial high school and used informal accommodations there.) Re: the ACT, my son did NOT take any "test prep" classes or even read any "test prep" books, but he did take it 3 different times, and I believe his becoming more comfortable with the process helped to improve his scores from good to even better each time. A local friend believes that getting the College Board accommodations has gotten easier over the past 4 years. I can't testify to that. Anyways, her child took the ACT five times and the last testing with the extended time, his math score jumped 9 points. That increase just feels huge to me. We don't have our accommodations yet. I'm just crossing my fingers. |
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Post by michellea on Jul 22, 2015 6:57:33 GMT -5
Heathermomster -
My daughter received extra time for SAT's but not for ACT's. I did not appeal the ACT decision, because she met her goal on the SAT. When she took the ACT without the extra time, her score was terrible - she said that she was unable to finish. Between extra time and SAT prep, she was able to bring her scores up from the high 40's to low 50's on the PSAT to the very high 600's on the SAT. Extra time and practice can make a difference.
Regarding holding your district accountable for services - I understand completely about your reluctance to play the "wait and fail" game and "law suit" game. Luckily, most of the districts I deal with are more pro-active (I'm a special ed advocate). But I also know that there are a few out there that will do anything they can to avoid qualifying a child for an IEP and providing needed instruction. I'm glad you were able to harness the resources to get your son what he needed privately.
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Post by jisp on Jul 24, 2015 3:00:58 GMT -5
Also keep in mind that there are many wonderful schools that are now SAT optional. For a child who struggles with tests such as the SAT these schools might be a better fit because often they attract other students who are deep thinkers who also do not test well. Bard and Wheaton MA are just two examples.
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Post by healthy11 on Jul 24, 2015 8:13:47 GMT -5
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I am seeking strategies to help me guide him. DS is fairly amenable to change if he sees the point in adjusting his routine.