Another Dys...

I've said before that I always knew Rebecca was Dyslexic.  When we got the diagnosis of severely Dyslexic, I was not surprised.  They also found that she was moderately Dysgraphic.  This did catch me off guard mostly because I had never heard of Dysgraphia before.  However, after immediately coming home and researching it, I could absolutely see that she was in fact Dysgraphic.  As the years passed, I had this feeling that there was more.  Her perception seems to be off.  She falls while standing still.  She has difficulty judging steps and heights.  And, she is just all around clumsy and messy.  I did some digging and found she has some symptoms of Dyspraxia.  More time went on and all of a sudden we have hit a new brick wall - Math!  Ugh!!!  I have tried everything and it's just not sinking in.  Even the easiest addition problem is a fight.  Rebecca confuses the symbols +-x easily, uses the wrong sign, forgets to carry over, and misplaces digits.  Are we now also dealing with Dyscalculia?  Should we be testing her?  Or hold off as we did with the Dyspraxia?  These are the questions swirling around my head these days.   I understand that many people think it is detrimental to put labels on kids.  I disagree - well at least in our case.  Having Rebecca's labels help her.  Yes, you heard that right - help.  She uses it as a way to lighten her issues.  When she makes a spelling mistake, turns right instead of left, skips small words while reading, or trips on a feather, she giggles and says in a singing voice "Dyslexiaaaaa".  It's almost like it reminds her that there is nothing wrong with her; there is a reason she makes these seemingly silly mistakes.  We can laugh about her quirks.  She is not embarrassed by her learning difference because she knows it is a part of her, but it does not define who she is.  Currently, we are on a downward spiral in math.  Looks like we might need to put a name on what's going on to help her get her self esteem back to where it should be again.

Peaks and Valleys

For me, homeschooling hits a fair share of peaks and valleys and rarely sits in the middle.  At the moment, we are at a peak as things are going very well.  Last week - a valley.  It changes often, probably depending quite a bit on Rebecca's mood as well as my own.  I have a difficult time sticking with one plan day in and day out.  When we hit our valleys, I become frustrated and often times throw in the towel on what we are working on.  Maybe I should give it more time, but it becomes difficult when it becomes a daily battle.  Changing things up every few weeks works for me.  I sometimes come back to the things that failed in the past since I never throw any of it away.  Some of it continues to collect dust on the shelf.  I think it keeps school fresh for Rebecca too. Change can be difficult and scary, but sometimes it is a good thing.