Notice anything odd about this picture.
Here we see just one example of Caleb's schooling challenges.
His eyes do not converge.
It is actually very odd to watch.
He really thinks both eyes are looking at this, then we cover the right one and he is trying to figure out where it went!
Interestingly I think in most cases you would at some point see two if your eyes were doing this, he says he never sees two.
I am not a specialist or anything, just a mom trying to figure things out, but the way I understand this, is that if his eyes are struggling to converge he will have trouble focusing on words on the page because both eyes are not looking at the same place.
Hence he starts reading OK and struggles more and more as his eyes get tired.
He also struggles keeping place on the page.
He says the words jump off the page towards him.
So we have started some basic eye training with him at home with the cute pencil and lots of one eye at a time.
We are also using the Brain Integration Therapy by Dianne Craft, we have not been doing it long enough to tell whether it is working.
We will also be starting to integrate some of the exercises from Eye Can Learn in the next week.
I am thankful that I am a veteran at the homeschooling thing, or I would have decided a long time ago that I was not cut out for this.
An example with Caleb it that due to his
1) Auditory Processing Disorder he does not learn well by hearing
2) Visual Processing differences (not formally diagnosed) he does not learn well by seeing
3) Attention differences (also not formally diagnosed) he does not learn well by doing
4) PTSD (also not formally diagnosed) he does not do well with getting things incorrect or being corrected, which is all part of school and learning.
I am so thankful for the support of my husband, family, friends and therapist that keep us going on this long road.
He does seem to be doing better overall with the changes we have made this year. I will post more on the full curriculum later, but for now, it is off to school and he will be commandeering my computer for the next 4 hours!
5 comments:
Good to hear from you. Jim was just asking last night if I had heard from you all.
Right there with you ... if I wasn't such a veteran homeschooler, I never would have been able to keep plugging away with my Little Miss.
Let us know what you are learning, and how you are helping Caleb to overcome his challenges.
Hope your weekend is BLESSED. We'll be in Oregon this weekend, but up in the North, not down by you.
:) :) :)
Sounds like maybe extropia to me (just a guess, as I remember my stepbrother saying after he got his glasses that the words were staying still now)
I have enjoyed reading a couple of your posts. I have been wondering if one of our boys has some issues with APD, and another boy has some muscle issues around his eye. We are also dealing with some other issues, too, but because of some of our homeschooling difficulites, I'm wondering if it is not something more. I homeschooled our bios for 14 years. This 'go round has been a whole new ballgame. I feel lots of frustration. I need to look up Diane Craft's website. Thanks for sharing, it has been helpful to read!!
LOVE Brain Integration!!!!!! It has helped some of my babes IMMENSELY!!!
Praying it works for your sweeties too :)
Hi Donna,
I just found your blog through Lauren's blog. I have enjoyed reading all your adventures. You have a beautiful family.
I was reading about Caleb's struggles and thought I'd mention the Irlen Institute. They use colored lenses with their therapy. Sometimes it can really make a huge difference. Words would swirl for me and I would pull words from other lines. But with the color overlays or glasses it just stopped and I could read so much easier. I was 25 before I realized that words on a page can stay still! Good for you for working so hard to help him.
God bless your family.
Andrea
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