School Issues

I'm not sure what special needs my ten-year-old has. He was two-plus when we adopted him, so by definition, he has "special needs." Clearly he's never met a rule he wanted to follow or a boundary he wanted to respect. But he's so cute. At first the therapist thought he was just spoiled, as in, you've been distracted by the problems of his older siblings, and he's so cute, he's been allowed to get away with too much for too long. That was hard to believe. I'm a very strict mom. My own mother called me Captain von Trapp without the whistle. She meant it in the nicest possible way I'm sure. So initially we worked on the temper tantrums and disobedience… [more]

As a RAD parent, I’ve had to learn about different numbers, letters, behaviors, and how it all affects my Radish in school. A daunting task. Too bad they don’t have a CliffsNotes version of Education and Your Special Needs Child. I would have been the first in line to have my copy autographed. Elle’s RAD was slow to present itself, although if I look back, I could have seen signs from the beginning. She was just like any other kindergartener going to school for the first time. Her grades and learning abilities have always been exemplary, but it was the social developments that she struggled with. She wanted to play horse games in 2nd grade, and that was perfectly… [more]

I love this story. Why didn’t someone think of this years ago? If you have a child with ADHD, is energetic or fidgety, you know that school can become a battle ground. Johnny won’t sit still. Johnny won’t stay in his seat. Johnny is always fidgeting. It can be frustrating for both the parent and the child and the child truly can’t help it. It is a chemical disorder in the child’s brain. There is good news. A teacher decided to work with these kids and designed a desk that allows kids to stand up while at their desk, which also allows them to “fidget” by shifting their weight, moving their feet or whatever else they need to do. Another… [more]

Whether you have decided to homeschool your special needs child, utilize public, or private school, you will still need to teach your child. Special needs children require much more practice and reminders to learn than “normal” children do. They take more time to complete their work. They need more assistance than other children do. What that means to the parent is, homework help all evening, every evening. Sometimes it means your child will cry with frustration. You will still be teaching your special needs child long after other children have begun to run their own lives and families. We all know that special needs children can learn. It is just so much harder for them to grasp concepts and to retain the information. Teaching our special… [more]

I have blogged before about my genius son who has ADHD. He has been homeschooled since the very beginning for many reasons. Had he attended public school, I am sure he would have spent a majority of his day in the principal’s office. He cannot sit still to save his life and is constantly fidgeting. Some days he can complete a month’s worth of work and some days he cannot concentrate at all. We knew we were in trouble when he turned two and we had to put poison control’s 1-800 number on our speed dial. When he turned 13, he began trying to convince me with various impressive arguments that he no longer needed to take Language Arts. We knew that he had genius potential… [more]

There are special clinics that a parent can take an adopted or foster child to for a Fetal Alcohol evaluation. It takes at least all day and sometimes more than one day for a complete evaluation. This very thorough investigation may include brain images as well as physical and developmental evaluations. The results should conclude whether your child was subjected to alcohol exposure during those critical forming months in the uterus. Many people who have adopted older children have their children evaluated at these clinics. However, I have to wonder, once your child starts school does it really matter how the LD began or what caused it? Once your child has a learning disability (LD) the public school offers services. These services may include special… [more]

Today I received the results of my teenage daughter’s achievement test from the public school. If you have been reading for the past few weeks then you already know about the IQ test results. If not, here is the link to read about my surprise at her new IQ despite having FAS. My daughter has been at homeschool with me for the past four years. I removed her from public school for several reasons. I felt they were not trying to challenge her; she was stealing, forging my name, and cheating as well. Previously my adopted daughter qualified for special education services because of a cognitive impairment. At public school, she was receiving speech therapy, occupational therapy, and went to a special education room for… [more]

According to a new government report, the number of teens giving birth has risen for the first time in 15 years. For every one thousand young women, between the ages of 15 and 17, twenty-two will give birth. This may contribute to another unhealthy trend. The number of low birth weight newborns continues to increase. We know from statistics that youth in foster care are more likely to engage in risky behaviors than other teens are. Therefore, when you see an increase in the general population of teens, you can be sure the increase among foster youth is much higher. In fact, most children who were traumatized by early abuse, neglect, or drugs tend to engage in more risky behaviors. If you have adopted one of… [more]

Our daughter just finished the eighth grade, well sort of; she is making up three classes over summer school. She has been attending homeschool for the past four years. We didn’t feel that she was challenged enough in special education. That was part of our decision to homeschool our learning disabled daughter. However, she struggled with stealing, forgery, cheating, and lying at public school as well. I understand these are common problems among children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. However, now we are considering reintroducing her to public school for high school. Public school offers job training services, as well as transportation to various jobs, for learning disabled students. The schools make an active effort to train these students for independent living. I am feeling rather apprehensive… [more]

Ok, Super Dad has tried to tell me over the years. But, I did not want to listen. Why didn’t I want to listen or believe him? I suppose that would be admitting that our daughter is not going to get better. During her first year of living with us therapist, teachers, and foster care workers all praised her progress. Then she turned five and continued to make progress that surprised many. By the time she was six, I believed that her original delays were from lack of early stimulation. Yes, we could fix her and that year we adopted her. She had always taken things from school. She would put them in her backpack and bring them home from pre-primary impaired class. Of course, we… [more]