Homeschooling options for kids with ADHD? Anyone BTDT?
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Anonymous
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So, the asynchronous method (assignments simply posted on my child's iPad software) did not work for us. The various options presented by APS are probably also not going to be great, except for the few days my child would be at school because the peer group is an important component.
I have hired a tutor to help my child with reading and writing - the one-on-one synchronous engagement is great and my child is far more motivated and cooperative with a trained/experienced tutor - and someone who isn't a parent. (Even though this is not an ill-behaved child, generally.) In an ideal world, I would hire a language arts and math tutor to work with my child daily on each and I could separately cover the 'content' subjects. Maybe I could do this even with what the school is doing, but it would be important in this kind of situation to have the curriculum in hand and easily shared with tutors. (As of now, the IT is not configured in a way that even allows me to print the assignments.) Anyone BTDT? |
Anonymous
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I'm a homeschooling parent with kids with and without special needs, and a special education teacher, currently on leave due to the needs of one of my kids. I have lots of ideas for you! But first a few questions:
1) How old/what grade? 2) Do you feel that your kid needs any specific remediation (e.g. structured phonics because he's also dyslexic) 3) Do you have an adult at home to support, or are you looking for your child to be independent while the adult is working online or absent? |
Anonymous
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Thanks!
My child is in 5th grade and struggles with writing but not diagnosed with dyslexia or dysgraphia (we did a full neuropsych evaluation, which gave us the adhd diagnosis. We have a 504, but individualized help makes a big difference. I can support but my child does better with another adult who has a lesson plan and who is a trained tutor. I am home and can support but I felt like my skill set wasn’t up to the task in this last quarter. (Not to mention the parent-child dynamic that made it hard since I also have to get my kids to do other things as well...) |
Anonymous
| ^^rising 5th grader |
Anonymous
Awesome. I have a rising 5th grade boy too! I can tell you the resources I picked for him, and some of the other options I considered. I will have 5th, 7th, and 8th graders next year. Before I begin, I'll say that I feel like there are two big questions that can guide you. Do you want secular or Christian materials? There are lots of Christians in the U.S. who homeschool because they want religion to permeate everything. As a result, you can buy math workbooks that have Bible quotes on the pages, or science textbooks that start with telling how the world was made in just 6 days. You can also buy materials that don't mention religion, unless it's in the context of history. For example, the book might describe the religious beliefs of the Puritans during a unit on Early American History, but it wouldn't make a judgment about whether or not they were right. For myself, we're Christian, but the only subject for which I prefer religious texts for is religion (e.g. right now my kids don't go to Sunday school, because we're sheltering in place, so I have a Sunday school type text I use). There have been a few times when I've picked something that has some Christian influence, just because I thought it was best. What format do you want? There are several options for how homeschool can be structured. 1) Online[u] curriculums where someone else gives the assignments, teaching, and grading. This can either be an online class with a teacher, or a computer program that does it automatically. 2) A tutor who either provides their own material, or uses material you select 3) A purchased curriculum that the student works through under the direction of a parent (note: there are curriculum that claim the kids could do them completely on their own, but I don't know any 5th graders who could realistically do that, unless it was very repetitive. 4) Parents create and gathers materials themselves and putting something together. For my kids, I use a mix. I love parent created stuff, but I don't have the time or energy to do that for everything. We have a great tutor who sees two of my kids for math, but I can't afford that for every subject. I like the ease of online for somethings, but I don't want my kids on screens all day. So, I make decisions kid by kid, and subject by subject. If you have strong opinions about either of those questions, jump in and I'll tailor my suggestions. |
Anonymous
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Math:
For my 5th grader we're using Math in Focus 5 next year (purchased curriculum, done with me), and Beast Academy 4 and 5 (online). I pulled my 5th grader out in the middle of 4th grade, about 3 months before covid. His school was using MiF, and it was working well, so we just kept going. I feel like the end of fifth grade is a natural stopping point, so we'll stick with it until then, and then reconsider if he's still at home. I like MiF, and it's a good fit, but I wouldn't start it fresh for a kid in 5th. Here's the link for Math in Focus. (Note: I'm linking "Christianbook" as the website, because their prices are often good. But everything I suggest is secular unless I say otherwise) https://www.christianbook.com/focus-singapore-approach-grade-5-student/9780547549347/pd/549347?event=CPOF Here are some other programs we looked at Beast Academy https://beastacademy.com/ (can be online or purchased curriculum) -- lots of puzzles, which my kid likes, but it's written for gifted kids, and goes too fast for him. So we do the MiF lessons first, and then follow up with Beast Academy Math Mammoth 5 https://www.mathmammoth.com/complete-curriculum.php My 8th grader uses this series and I really like it. I think it would be easier to switch into this than into Math in Focus. Horizon Math 5 (Christian). https://www.christianbook.com/horizons-math-grade-5-complete/9781580959001/pd/59008?event=ESRCG Solid program, I decided I didn't want religion in my math book Saxon Math 65 https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/saxon-math/saxon-math-65?search=saxon%20math%2065&search_term=saxon%20math%2065 Breaks math into tiny steps, which is really helpful for some kids. I think my 5th grader would get bored, and when he's bored he's no fun to teach. Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/ All online, and can be pretty student directed. I think it wouldn't hold my 5th grader's attention. It's perfect for my 7th grader, because kids are different. Life of Fred (Christian). Weird funny curriculum that's written like a novel. Totally different sequence than public schools. My 7th grader loves it, but he'll never go back to public school, so I don't care about the sequence issue. Not enough explanation for some kids, and too weird for other kids. Every so often some weird religious or libertarian thing pops up. Art of Problem Solving. https://artofproblemsolving.com/ Has books you can do by yourself, and online classes. Doesn't start until preAlgebra so it's not for most 5th graders, and it moves super fast. Another thing that my 7th grader loves. Math U See (Christian) https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/math-u-see?search=math%20u%20see&search_term=math%20u%20see This is really concrete and hands on. I might choose it with a kid who needed significant remediation, or if I knew I was homeschooling K-12. I wouldn't choose it for a learner with solid grade level skills who will go back to public in the future (that's my kid, and I think yours) because it's out of sequence, and doesn't have enough higher level thinking. Another option would be to continue with what APS uses which is this: https://www.hmhco.com/programs/math-expressions You could hire a tutor to do any of those with your kid. I have to go, but I'll come back and do other subjects, unless you tell me that you only want a certain kind of resources. |
Anonymous
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Thank you! We are Christian, but not evangelical, and prefer to keep them separate. Also prefer to avoid political leanings as much as possible. *I want them to learn how to think, not what to think.)
I am a terrible teacher, so I don't see myself putting together a curriculum. Some combination of 1-3 would be best. My child is not very self-directed, and needs engagement. We do not have experience with #3. I only see that working if I hired tutors to use that curriculum to teach it. Curious also about foreign language options as well. Thank you! |
Anonymous
PP here, it sounds like we're in the same boat. The only curriculum I've used that had political leanings was Life of Fred, and that's because my one math loving kid loves the zaniness and just rolls his eyes with me when the political stuff comes up. A lot of what I suggest would be considered "liberal" by some in that includes authors who are POC, and teaches evolution but it's not political, just secular. |
Anonymous
Wow, thank you! I would love to learn more about other subjects as well. You are amazing! |
Anonymous
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OK, here's science.
For Science, I wanted my two younger kids together, because that's what I could manage. I can't manage 3 science curricula. I also think that elementary school and middle school science is more about skills, than about content. Things like interpreting charts and graphs, and reading and comprehending scientific material, and using math for scientific purposes matter more to me than content. So, I asked my kids what they wanted to study this year, and my two younger kids said astronomy and robotics. For robotics, I bought this Lego Mindstorm EV3 kit and gave it to them for Christmas. So far, they haven't figured out that it's "homeschool", it's just something that they do for fun, but it's gotten a lot of use, and they've learned a lot. https://www.amazon.com/Lego-Mindstorm-Ev3-Core-45544/dp/B00DEA55Z8/ref=sr_1_1dchild=1&keywords=lego+ev3+education&qid=1592426266&sr=8-1 And then I got the Real Science Odyssey Astronomy 1, which is written for middle school, but I figure I can give my 5th grader some extra help if he needs it. https://www.pandiapress.com/product/real-science-odyssey-astronomy-1/ We haven't started it yet, but it looks good. They have other middle school science curricula too, all of which look good. Last year, my two older kids did Ellen McHenry's Elements and Carbon Chemistry. I think they are the most engaging workbook type thing we've done. Lots of fun https://ellenjmchenry.com/product-category/elements/ https://ellenjmchenry.com/product-category/carbon-chemistry/ My 8th grader also did some middle school courses on Uzzinggo, which fit in that category of 100% online. https://www.uzinggo.com/who-benefits/homeschool I think Uzinggo would be great for an ADHD 5th grader, especially if you want him to be independent. It's very interactive with a good variety of activities. My then 7th grader learned a lot about science, but for the last year before high school I wanted something with more writing and output, so we're switching him to Oak Meadow. Which is more a traditional course. Oak Meadow has a fifth grade version too. The reason I didn't pick it is because I wanted my kids together, but it looks solid. You can do it yourself, or enroll your kids in their online school, which isn't online in the sense of Zoom school, just that you have a teacher who will send assignments and then collect it and grade it. https://www.oakmeadowbookstore.com/K-8-Curriculum/Fifth-Grade/Science-5.html I'll add here that if I was going to do just one curriculum for everything, it would probably be Oak Meadow. I really like the materials from there that we've used. |
Anonymous
Is your kid 5th grade too? I'm only putting resources here that I'd use for an ADHD 5th grader, but I've got opinions on other grades too. |
Anonymous
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Yes, rising 5th with adhd, mostly inattentive, but wiggly.
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Anonymous
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I pulled my son out of public school where he only had a 504 plan and homeschooled him this year. He was in 5th grade and this is what we used. He did the bare minimum at public school and I felt he had so many gaps even though his teacher said he was doing great.
Math: Online Pre-ALgebra course with Derick Owens https://www.derekowens.com/samples.php?page=PA&page=PA I decided to just have him take pre-algebra because these classes got good reviews. I sat there while he watched the videos and we discussed what he was seeing and I prompted him to solve the problems in his book. $58 a month Reading: Even though he tested above grade level in reading I think he rushed through reading long multisyllabic words, so I bought the Secondary Level of Rewards Reading- a researched based program. It was $120 dollars. Writing: IEW streaming lessons. I can't recommend this program enough. My son's writing was rambling, off-topic, had run-on sentences, etc. This drastically improved his writing. You watch the videos- about 30 minutes a day and there are specific writing assignments. It is fantastic. We also did the Fix-It-Grammar program $169. https://iew.com/shop/products/structure-and-style-students-year-1-level-basic-plus-forever-streaming-or-dvd That is all we concentrated on. Reading, writing, grammar, and math. He took breaks in between doing work. We did fun science experiments (dissected fish, owl pellets, made slime, etc.) For history we listened to Story of the World and did some of the activities and watched Liberty Kids. When we went places we listened to audiobooks or I read to him after lunch. He took some art Outschool classes. He is active in sports so it was great that we didn't have to worry about homework in the evenings. Everyday I made a checklist on the whiteboard and he would check off the activities. He loved that when he was done, he was really done for the day. I encouraged him to read at night and told him he could stay up as late as he wanted if he was reading a book. He went to bed at night and for the first time in his life actually read books himself. It was really the best year of schooling he has ever had. He went from saying he was not smart, he sucked at school, etc. to saying he was good in math, was proud of his IEW writing assignments, etc. He was not longer stressed in school. It really was a good year for him. |
Anonymous
I'm the other special educator, and I just wanted to jump in and agree with this. We started homeschooling one kid for medical reasons, which wasn't my rising 5th grader, but we enjoyed it so much that we brought the other kids home. My 5th grader is my one kid with no special needs, and he was doing fine before I pulled him, and not stressed, but homeschool has still been better, however ideally we'd be homeschooling without covid so he'd still have other experiences like sports teams and running around the neighborhood with friends. |
Anonymous
| Homeschooling does work well with ADHD because you don't need to waste time on a lot of admin or classroom management stuff and you also can keep pushing through when you know your kid is having a good day. You can get a lot done in a short time, which definitely helps with ADHD, plus you can teach the way they learn (and concentrate) best. |