Need Encouragment

[PRSmama]

Hello everyone:

I see that my previous posts are still near the top, so I'll give a little update...

We started officially homeschooling last week using a preschool program book called Little Hands to Heaven. Since my son Jairus is nearly six, but still attending daycare two mornings a week, and according to a psych-ed assessment is functioning at a 2-3 year old level, I thought he and my 3.5 year old daughter would be working around the same level. Not so much. My daughter picks everything up immediately, can answer all the scripted questions and does all the activities with ease (ok, her cutting on a curve could use some practice).
Jairus on the other hand is 'getting' relatively little of what's going on. He can do actions and make some verbalizations during the fingerplays, can cut only straight lines (like a weed wacker), and pays an abysmally small amount of attention to any stories or talking times. He actually seems to be closer to my 21 month old (which is ironically where his speech is assessed at). The only bright point is that he is recognizing letters, both from a Leap Pad Letters DVD, and the letter work we've done this unit (Letter A, started B today). He can say those letter sounds.

I just don't know if this is best for him. I don't know what he'd be doing in the school system, but I'm feeling really lost. His speech therapy will be cut off the end of next month. Despite contacting the HSLDA, the board of ed, conferencing with his SLP and OT, etc....no answer has been found other than 'get private therapy'. This is financially impossible. The only other program that I feel would benefit him is a specialty speech school about 1/2 an hour away from us, but they won't take him unless he's toilet trained---which he's not. We've been working harder than ever before the last few weeks on this, but there's just no comprehension there.

I'm both excited that we finally started the program, encouraged by my daughters' work, but sooo discouraged with my sons'. I wish I knew why he was like this---there's just no answers. I despair for his future.

[Lenethren]

HUGS I don't really know what you are going through but if you need someone to listen I can do that Just pm me if you'd like.

[Mark]

*hugs*

I'll be glad to give what insight I can.. and will go through you earlier
posts in a little while.

amrk

[Jally]

Hi. My daughter is learning disabled and had a lot of issues for no apparent reason or so it seemed. She always seemed to be a few years younger than the rest of the class. When she was little, she would have such a hard time focusing and to teach her anything was really difficult. To teach her how to count, we practically had to be closed off in the bathroom with absoulty no distractions. She was tested by our local preschool and her results were similar to your son's. Homeschooling wasn't popular back then, but I kew there'd be no way I could teach her without strangling her LOL Anyway, she went to school and graduated with all her credits this past year!!

Now I am homeschooling my son who has autism and the way I see it is that I am homeschooling him so that we can work at his speed. It may take him years to learn the multiplication table, but that is OK. He'll get it eventually and if he doesn't, what harm will that be?

Some kids are cut out for school and some aren't. My daughter did very well in school mainly because she had some awesome teachers. And then my son came along and we thought we'd try to put im into school too. He got one horrid teacher after another until we couldn't stand the abuse (literally) any longer. I figured we couldn't do any worse with him.

Take from soneone who has had experience with special education; your son could be sitting in the back of a classroom being totally ignored and totally lost. Teacher's aides don't stick around for very long. In my opinion, your son will do better with you at home.

Ok, I'm done rambling