Math Struggles... please help me not cry over this!

Here are a few things I found online:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/196262-auditory-memory-games-for-kids/
http://www.ncld.org/ld-basics/relat...ssing/auditory-processing-disorders-in-detail
http://communications.specialdirect.com/q/1oMVms7WSdXki/wv
http://www.bonnieterry.com/blog/ind...ctivities-you-can-do-without-spending-a-dime/
http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/activities-to-develop-auditory-discrimination-skills-1101

Yay for the 4 number string success! I would practice 5 number strings a little each day until that gets easy and then go to 6. There are other activities/strategies that you can find in the links above too. I'd also check out this link to see if it may be a possibility with her: http://www.visualspatial.org/

 

Definitely check out City Creek Press then. They teach math facts by using cartoon stories and songs. My daughter's this way as well. She needs something concrete; numbers by themselves are abstract to her...and it matters not one bit how many counters I use to try to make it more concrete.

 

Looking at this right now. Thanks

 

Sorry this is long. If it rings a bell, please email me off list and I will be happy to give you encouragement. I'm not saying this is the issue with your dd but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

I could have written your post about my dd (now 11, dx'd at 8). She has the most amazing memory (Dad wore the grey sweatshirt when we saw that movie last month) but can't remember her math facts, vocabulary words or where her shoes are. She would spend an inordinate amount of time on her school work (I thought she was doddling) but it turns out that she was very frustrated because she was trying to read/write her work. When you talk about sounding out a new word when reading and then encountering it two sentences later and not knowing the word again, well this is very familiar (and frustrating for you and her).

She was dx'd with a working memory deficit that leads to 2 forms of dyslexia, dysgraphia and inattentional ADD. FYI, working memory works like this. If I asked you to spell Umbrella backwards, the first thing you would do is picture the word "umbrella" in your head and then start naming the letters from the back to the front. This is your working memory at work. My dd's is shorter than most.

My dd's pediatric neuropsychologist (PNP) explained it this way. Think of her brain as a city block. A piece of information comes to the dock about the size of a bread box, say 6x7 = 42. THis information is dropped off on the dock, the worker comes out, takes the box, doesn't label, doesn't check it in and doesn't sort it and randomly files it away. This is what happens with my dd and random facts. If the facts are put into some context, she does much better at finding them and the facts can be very detailed (sometimes word for word).

My dd has the info in her head, it just takes her longer to find it. Her PNP said to look at these issues as stumbling blocks that have to be moved out of her way so that she can progress at her speed. She is very smart but her issues were frustrating her.

She went to a developmental optometrist and then had some therapy that helped her with both forms of dyslexia and her dysgraphia and the inattentional ADD is a work in progress. She is doing amazing now.

I give her accomodations in school subjects according to her needs, recognizing what issues are because of dyslexia/dysgraphia or what is just her not getting the concept.

BTW, for kids like this, the spiral teaching method is very frustrating for them, for obvious reasons. A linear method works great because concepts build on each other and appear in context and not as random facts. For example, learning a fraction, then learning a decimal from the fraction and then learning a percent from the decimal. I tried Math U See and found too much repitition (which doesn't help with a working memory deficit) and instead switched to Singapore math.

HTH's. Email me if you have any questions. Again, apologies for the length.

Kim

 

Thanks Kim, I need to get my crew moving for the day or I'm going to kill them over their wild out of control boredom. But I want to email you later.

 

I'm leaving town for the weekend (in AZ so we ar escaping the heat) but I will be back on Monday or Tuesday.

 

No problem Kim

 

You know all it takes it to go seeking help for the kids to take off again right?

Today we decided to focus on nothing math but skip counting. She skipped by 2s to 100, by 5s to 200, by 10s to 500. Really???? Where the heck has this been hiding in her brain for the past 2 weeks when I have been ready to scream?

Oh and she mentally added coin values I threw at her like they were nothing, added 2 digit numbers together in her head and spit out the answers like she was an addition machine.

Maybe she isn't so far off of where she should be and more bored with the curriculum... even if it is loaded with hands on fun and games.

<sigh>

 

Maybe a simple workbook is more her style??? Something that is quick and to the point, not a lot of flash?

 

You know, you may be right.

 

That is how DS is... too many colors, too many of one kind of problem = complete misery.

 

If she is a hands-on learner, check out www.educationunboxed.com

My son's math skills have taken off since we started incorporating cuisenaire rods using the lessons in her videos. Things are really clicking, and math has become his favorite subject.