Comments for Quarks and Quirks

Comment on Moving from Autism Awareness to Acceptance by T. West

T. West — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:37:56 +0000

Thank you so much for posting this! I found you through your comment on the news article by Ms. Brown that you mentioned in this posting. I didn’t know about my daughter’s possible ASD diagnosis until this past November when she was 4 1/2. I had her checked through the public school and they believed she “could” be on the spectrum but didn’t officially label anything till they are at least 6 years of age. So I took her to a doctor on the outside and got the results just 4 hours ago that she is definitely on the spectrum. She scored quite high on many things and I am both relieved and overwhelmed by the diagnosis. For one, I now know that I’m not a bad mom and she’s not a bad kid seeking attention or anything like that. She’s special and different and now I understand her on a whole new level. Thank you again for sharing your experience and making suggestions on what to do now. Your post was extremely helpful! Thanks again!

Comment on What Do We Do After Singapore Math 6B? by M

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:52:25 +0000

We are enjoying “Mathematics, A Human Endeavor” by Jacobs. It is billed as a (college?) textbook for people who do not like math but I think that people who like math will enjoy it even more. It’s all the beautiful fun stuff that they never seem to get around to in school because there isn’t enough time. We aren’t through 6B, but we’ve started this book and are having fun with it. I think that if my daughter hadn’t been interested, I would have worked through the book on my own. I have a math degree, but this isn’t the sort of thing you normally get to study and I love it.

The current edition is expensive, but the older editions are more reasonably priced. Our library has several copies.

Comment on Why We’re Not Secular Homeschoolers by mom4peaceuu

mom4peaceuu — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:05:01 +0000

Thanks, and welcome! I’m always delighted to “meet” another UU homeschooler. Heck, I’m delighted to meet another UU! You are not alone in the more liberal wing of homeschooling, although that’s hard to tell from the materials at homeschool conferences and in the catalogues. I do know what you mean about learning at least as much as the child learns. I can’t believe how much my own education lacked, and I’m grateful to fill in some of those gaps as my own kids grow up. Again, thanks for writing.

Sarah

Comment on Review: Getting Started With Latin by mom4peaceuu

mom4peaceuu — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:02:20 +0000

It depends on on the child. I'd not enter this Latin program without a strong grounding in English grammar. There are Latin programs designed for younger children which might take the grammar more slowly and might be more engaging for a young one, but again, it depends on the child. Minimus, an engaging and nonthreatening program designed to introduce Latin and Ancient Rome to young children would likely be far more enjoyable. We had fun with Minimus when my older son was eight or nine and my younger only four or five. But Getting Started with Latin might be just the thing for the parent along for the ride. Good luck!

Comment on Review: Getting Started With Latin by literatelibran

literatelibran — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:43:14 +0000

Do you think this would be adaptable for an (almost) 7yo? I bought Learning Latin Through Mythology, but it’s fairly advanced. I love it and plan to keep it, but am looking for something easier to tailor to a young’un. Thoughts?

Comment on Why We’re Not Secular Homeschoolers by literatelibran

literatelibran — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:20:14 +0000

What a fantastically encouraging blog! I’m a second-generation homeschooler, and I was raised Independent Fundamental Baptist, used A Beka materials, learned Young Earth Creation… now my son and I are UU and study all religions; we’re doing a study of evolution now, and I’m probably learning as much from our journey as he is. It seems that in the homeschooling world, the majority is still fairly evangelical, so it’s refreshing to see a progressive homeschool blog!

Comment on Twice Exceptional: When Exceptions are the Norm by suzbaker1959

suzbaker1959 — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:07:31 +0000

I love your post, Sarah – you put it so well. My niece is 2e, and has Turners as well. She is 19 now, and in college, and things are much better, but when she was younger, my sister was told – ‘pick a classroom – special ed or gifted.’ Neither fit her well, so she stayed in mainstream, until she discovered the International Baccalaureate Program in her H.S. which seemed to work well for her. BTW, do you happen to know any good resources about profound problems with working memory?

Comment on Twice Exceptional: When Exceptions are the Norm by mom4peaceuu

mom4peaceuu — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:49:34 +0000

Well put. While home has been a haven, especially for my younger son with AS and anxiety, the pain is that the world won’t always meet him with the compassion and appreciation our little pocket of the world meet him with. Heck, the world doesn’t meet anyone with that, but a mom can dream, right?

Comment on Twice Exceptional: When Exceptions are the Norm by SusanB

SusanB — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:28:51 +0000

This is a great post — you’ve expressed so well the experience dealing with a 2e child! My son is almost 11, profoundly gifted and dealing with dual diagnoses of ADHD and PDD-NOS. He figured out as early as second grade that he is “different” in many ways from other children; with all of his issues, we brought him home about 2/3 of the way through 4th grade. He’s certainly a challenge for us, but he’s also a challenge to himself: he doesn’t understand why he is anxious, frustration-intolerant and unable to write a word on a page without going into fits of anxiety. And that’s what I tell myself every day: no matter how hard I find it to deal with his quirks, it’s that much harder for him to deal with those same quirks in a world not made to accommodate them.

Comment on Twice Exceptional: When Exceptions are the Norm by mom4peaceuu

mom4peaceuu — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 02:28:33 +0000

The learning disabilities can make it harder to see the magnitude of the giftedness, especially as a child gets older. Many of the second “e” issues become much larger with age, either because output requires more planning, the work load is larger, or because the need for strong executive function is greater.

If the question is whether labels matter, the answer would be yes and no. Knowing that LDs are dampening the expression of giftedness is helpful. Any child dealing with a learning disability is likely to feel the dissonance between what happens in their heads and what they read/write/produce. And we’re willing to accommodate for the typically learning kid with LDs to bring them on par with the norm. The norm is in a different place for gifted kids, and I’d hold that knowing where their norm is (and I know that’s not the best word) allows us to understand how much we really need to accommodate the 2e kid’s LDs. It’s about reaching potential, but I use that phrase on a personal level, not on a big achievement level, if that makes sense.

Do the labels change the child? No. But a profoundly gifted kid with learning disabilities can appear startlingly “average” (another lousy word). The level of frustration in this situation is huge (not to mention anxiety, depression, and angst). Teachers don’t see the gifts, and, if the child is working near grade level, they don’t see the LDs. But the child? The child feels the mismatch, at least in my experience. (For some children, knowing that they have a LD is a relief. It affirms that there is a glitch that they’ve undoubtedly noticed. It also affirms that they are still bright/gifted/smart. In short, the LD doesn’t define them.)

We were fortunate to have all my sons’ testing done by a psychologist who understands and appreciates twice exceptional kids. This makes a difference in the evaluation experience for the child and the parent. It also increases the chances of receiving advice that fits both the exceptionalities, rather than fitting neither. Testing these kids is a skill. Caring for them is, too.

Good luck on your journey!

Sarah