Credit: SXC.hu
The boy. cannot. sit. down.
He attended a special K-I program when he was in kindergarten, and his teacher said he was like a fart in a frying pan. I knew what she meant, and I wasn’t offended. He gets an idea and *POOF* he’s gone to go do what ever it is that he just thought of. He’s also been known as The Disappearing Boy, because he can be GONE just that fast. And then reappear, and disappear again. When he was 2-3 and nonverbal that was scary, let me tell you.
Now he is 10. I know that he has a developmental delay. I know that he has an incompetent sensory system. I know he is often compensating for what he is feeling he lacks or what he is feeling overwhelmed by. It still drives me crazy sometimes.
He has been really struggling. He can’t stay seated for more than a minute or two without thinking of something he needs to do or get. He does not have ADHD. He does not have autism or another spectrum disorder. Yes, he’s been tested. Extensively. He just has “a little brain damage”. (Okay that sounds weird, but it is true.) The effects from Fetal Valproate exposure will linger with him forever, although he has made tremendous growth and come farther than people thought he would.
Lately D1 has really been struggling with attention during math. It can take him 20 minutes to do one multiplication problem. We have been trying our regular strategies:
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Guiding him through the steps of the problems
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Having him stand if he is running slow (eyes blinking, looking like he’s going to crash face first into his book)
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Using a timer (not effective right now)
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Breaking assignments into smaller pieces
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Teaching to Meet His Senses- Working in sensory stimulation/destimulation as needed
I’m at a loss. It is only happening when he is doing his math. But how to overcome this? Today we are on DAY THREE of the same math assignment. It is just review, to prep him for a chapter test. He knows how to do it. There is no logical explanation but that something ELSE is affecting his ability to stay on task.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that I am doing some re-arranging of my priorities, and one is in the area of school. We used to be so good about starting on time and all that, but gradually it has fallen away and our routine has gotten later and later. My goal is to start at 9am and hopefully be done by lunch time. This is how we used to do it. It worked. We have started at 9:30 the past two mornings in a row. It is an improvement over the 10:30 start time we had gravitated to.
For this week, we will work on being consistent in starting school. Other areas will need another post!
Just pray I don’t pull all of my hair out over this math page.
This sounds a lot like my 5-yr-old – and he is SO HEADSTRONG! Definitely one of the reasons that we chose to homeschool this year (the not-being-able-to-sit-down part).
Could you take a break from the math (a couple of days or even a week) and come back to it later on?
Steph @ The Helping recently posted..Beautiful Words…
Steph: No, taking a break from math won't help. The issue isn't math, it is his sensory & developmental delays. It is everyday life around here. It is just really coming out in the area of math at this point.
When my ADHD ds was 8 he would get very wound up over math. He's always liked math, but when he started his grade 3 work book he was bored, and started acting out. So one day while he was bouncing around complaining, I handed him his grade 4 work book. I expected him to settle down and go back to the grade 3 book once he saw how hard the grade 4 book would be. As it turns out, grade 3 math wasn't necessary for him.
If your ds already knows how to do it, maybe he's not feeling challenged?
Wendy, I wish it were that simple. He doesn't know 'it all', just the concepts he is working on right now. But the trouble isn't math, it's his own ability to maintain while DOING math.
I have really taken this post to heart! I have been frustrated with my 9 year old because he wont sit on his bottom when doing school. He is always standing, sitting on one leg, squatting, but he alway continues to work. I see now that I have it good, I will pray for you and your son and hope you find the answers you are hoping for.
If is is wiggly but working, great! I had one of those too. He would hang upside down from the couch while doing his math. (Come to think of it I had a daughter who did the same thing!) That's okay! We are dealing with bigger issues here and we just take it all as it comes. Every kid learns differently!