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My son, almost 14, home for two years, has problems with school. He is failing 4 classes as of now. He forgets to turn in his homework, even though we finished it the day before. He fails tests. In the beginning I thought that it was the language barrier. He's fluent now and I see him try. He studies, I help him, check it, but he fails the test the next day. He will answer the first part of a two-part question and seems not to record the existence of the second part. As an example, let me tell you a story. Every Wed. he brings home some school communication in a huge yellow envelope. Every Thu. I make sure he takes it back. One Thu. I put the envelope in his hand and reminded him to remember it. He put it down for a moment to get his gloves. The next thing, he's out to school and I see the envelope on the table. When he came back from school, he put down his gloves next to the envelope, undressed, put the gloves away, but still didn't mention the envelope. I told him: A., you forgot the envelope. He said: No, I didn't. So I repeated: I know you forgot. And he thought for a moment: No, I didn't. Me: Look what's on the table. He: Oh, I forgot. The table is black and the envelope yellow. You'd think it's impossible to miss it.
That was just one example, but I think he may have some problems with perception. On top of that he doesn't seem to retain the information. But he learned English in two years. He has an exceptional talent for machines; understands how they work and can fix them.
The teachers tell me that he doesn't turn in his homework, doesn't participate, but he never misbehaves. He's very nice and polite. I see him get more and more lost in school and I worry. The school is very reluctant to test him. They suggest he'll pass anyway. But I don't want them just to push him through. I think he may have some learning disabilities. Do any of you have any similar problems with your children? My children's mother was a chronic alcoholic, so I think they most likely have FAS. There are some inconsistencies with my son - in some areas he's bright, and in some below. I don't quite understand. Please, help.
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Wow! You've just described my son. He's 7.5 years old. First grade. Been in America one year. He learned English faster than anyone I've met. But is extremely forgetful! We believe it's because he's not focused. He'd ask me "what's for dinner" and I would point out the fried chicken on the counter, and less than five minutes later he'd come back and ask again "what's for dinner?" It drives me insane. At times I just refuse to answer him the second and third time and I just tell him to ask his younger sister who has the memory of an elephant.
Like your son - very analytical. Can figure out machines (loves lego and remote control cars). Very artistic.
I am going to read up on "executive function" now. Never heard the term before.
Thank you for bringing this topic up.
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As the parent, you know your child better than anyone else. You know something isn't right and having him tested could offer some insight and possible help for him. Sometimes, schools are willing to let kids just coast through instead of really tackling the issues each kid may have because it involves time and $$. He may not have a particular syndrome or learning disability, but you could find out what he doesn't have and in the process find out how to help him function better in the areas he seems to be having difficulty with.
"Fluency" and "comprehension" are two different things in language. A person may be very fluent without having much comprehension.Example: He studies a sentence that says:The Nile River is the longest River in the world.Then he takes a test. If the question is worded,1. The Nile River is a. the longest river in the world. b. the widest river in the world. c. the biggest river in the world.He gets the answer right. But if the question is worded2. The longest River in the world is the: a. Mississippi b. Amazon c. NileHe doesn't get it because he never comprehended it.Ask his teachers to arrange a Speech AND Language evaluation and see how large the discrepancy is between his speech and comprehension. My daughter came at age 4. At age 8 she had the speech of a 7-year-old but the comprehension of a 5-year-old. Three years of language therapy helped close the gap.
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Thank you MamaS! I will talk to his bi-lingual teacher. I know that my kids take a test similar to what you said every year. I have to check if it is the same and what the results this year were.
He seems to understand what he is reading/learning, but he has difficulties to relate what he just read. He will, after a struggle, memorize info to just forget it an hour later. I feel so sorry for him.
He sounds like my husband.... one of the smartest people I've ever met, can fix anything, build anything, he's amazing. Book-academics are his nemesis though.
Is he in vo-tech? Something like that may interest him, plus the 'hands-on' nature would benefit him long term as well as give him something to succeed in.
Has he had an eye exam to rule out farsightedness? Has he had a visual-perceptual evaluation? Both of those issue can cause the same symptoms.
Thank you peregrinerose, he hasn't been tested for anything yet. I'm in the middle of a fight with his school. I have a document from Poland though, and I gave his school a copy of it, which states that he was diagnosed with visual sesory disorder. I think it may be a sensory integration disorder. I am very grateful for your input. There is no vocational high schools in the Chicago area. I agree with you that he needs something he can succeed in, but unfortunetely, school is not helping at all. All they focus on is punishment.
We don't participate in school systems, so can't help there. However, my sons have a little of what you're describing. I took the online course that helps with Cumulative Cognitive Deficit and that has helped me help the boys quite a bit.[URL="http://www.adoptionarticlesdirectory.com/Category/Cumulative-Cognitive-Deficit-%28CCD%29/71"]Here[/URL] are two articles on it if it helps.Off to research the Executive Functions road. We WAY have some of that going on around here!
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Thanks a lot, Jacqueline! I scanned the articles and read about executive function. All of the information there could apply to my son. I decided to go see my son's psychologist this week myslef without my son. I'll bring all of the information I got from you and everyone else here. Thanks from the bottom of my heart!
Good luck, can I ask what your fight with the school is about and why they want/you need the doc from Poland? I ask because we are having a similar "fight" with special ed to get services - though we finally have what we asked for since I sent in the paperwork to go to court.....
I would go for testing, even if the school doesn't want to. I believe if you guys are in disagreement about testing you can send in an application yourself w/o the school rec to get it done. Since the school is saying your son will probably pass, you should request that they do not do the test or the interpretation of the test - potentially even ask them to pay for a private test due to their bias.
I visited the Illinois Board of Education's website and found this information that unless I turn in a typed request for testing, whatever the school may promise me, they won't have to follow. Nothing is official until the formal written request is submitted. I wrote a request and presented it on Wed. during the meeting at school, another one. It turned out that nothing had been done since our last meeting (over a month ago). I informed them that I was aware of the proper procedure and was ready to file a written request for testing. After reading the letter I presented, the school officials told me that the school will test my kids. They also told me that they have 60 days to finish the testing.
Everything that had happened before Wed., lead to nowhere. Endless discussions and repetitions of the same information, but no results. I am very hopeful now that at least I'll know if there is anything that special ed could do for my kids.
I visited the Illinois Board of Education's website and found this information that unless I turn in a typed request for testing, whatever the school may promise me, they won't have to follow. Nothing is official until the formal written request is submitted. I wrote a request and presented it on Wed. during the meeting at school, another one. It turned out that nothing had been done since our last meeting (over a month ago). I informed them that I was aware of the proper procedure and was ready to file a written request for testing. After reading the letter I presented, the school officials told me that the school will test my kids. They also told me that they have 60 days to finish the testing.
Everything that had happened before Wed., lead to nowhere. Endless discussions and repetitions of the same information, but no results. I am very hopeful now that at least I'll know if there is anything that special ed could do for my kids.
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I visited the Illinois Board of Education's website and found this information that unless I turn in a typed request for testing, whatever the school may promise me, they won't have to follow. Nothing is official until the formal written request is submitted. I wrote a request and presented it on Wed. during the meeting at school, another one. It turned out that nothing had been done since our last meeting (over a month ago). I informed them that I was aware of the proper procedure and was ready to file a written request for testing. After reading the letter I presented, the school officials told me that the school will test my kids. They also told me that they have 60 days to finish the testing.
Everything that had happened before Wed., lead to nowhere. Endless discussions and repetitions of the same information, but no results. I am very hopeful now that at least I'll know if there is anything that special ed could do for my kids.
Good luck with the testing! In the mean while, you might try every night after your son's homework is done packing up everything he needs for the next day together with him in his backpack, perhaps even splitting the backpack into sections by class if that is possible, using one of these clear folder type things they sell in stores now. Personally, unless I pack everything up the night before, I am also not able to remember to bring letters and work I have done with me when I leave. If my husband put a letter in my hand while I was getting ready in the morning, I would be just as likely to leave it behind as your son. I try to separate my work into different envelopes or sections, otherwise I forget where it is.