Year: 2017

Sensory Processing Dysfunction: Explanation & Treatment Options

Posted on by Dianne Craft

By Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP

 

Dr. Lendon Smith, the famous baby doctor and author of Feed Your Kids Right, calls these wonderful children who are struggling with Sensory Processing Disorder, “goosey, touchy kids”.  I’ve often referred to these kids whose nervous system is in disequilibrium as “kids uncomfortable in their own skin”.  Their nervous system reacts to outside stimuli in an abnormal manner.  In other words, they are very “over-reactive” to physical and emotional input.  This can cause them to seem to be at odds with their environment much of the day.

 

Common Symptoms:

Touch sensitivity

  • Clothing tags bother them
  • Socks must have soft seams (or better yet, none)
  • Wears only soft, non-binding clothes…no jeans
  • Resists hair being combed, washed and cut
  • Dr. visits difficult (stethoscope phobia)

 

Auditory Sensitivity

  • Sensitive to loud noises (hands over ears for vacuum cleaner)
  • Dislikes being in a large group
  • Language delayed somewhat or much
  • Transitions are hard (have to be told of all changes beforehand)

 

Taste Sensitivity

  • Food textures bother him
  • Won’t eat meat…or very little
  • Chews on clothing
  • Very selective eater (usually seeks to eat carbs)
  • Foods can’t touch on plate  (no casseroles for him!)

 

Thankfully, nobody has all of these symptoms.  But in general, these kids are so distracted by their own overactive nervous system reactions to the world, they can seem to have “ADD”.

 

Quiz – Does Your Child Have SPD?

On a lighter note, here are four ways to confirm you are a parent of a child with Sensory Issues:

  1. The barber tools required for your child’s haircut include sedatives and a scissor silencer.
  2. Seven different family meals need to be prepared for your family of four.
  3. The thought of your child’s upcoming dental visit gives you anxiety attacks that require medication and therapy.
  4. You also start wearing your socks and underwear inside out because it really does feel more comfortable that way.

 

Treatment Options

There are many good traditional treatments for these children. Occupational and Physical Therapists are good sources of interventions.  They will often show parents how to use a specific Brushing Technique with their child to help re-train the child’s over-reactive nervous system.  If a child is more “sensory seeking”, the therapists might have a child wear a specially weighted vest for a few months to re-educate the nervous system.

My favorite intervention, other than the nutritional interventions, is to use crossing the midline therapy. I use Brain Integration Therapy:

Brain Integration Therapy

I have found this to consistently be effective in helping a child significantly modulate his or her nervous system without effort.  Other midline therapies such as Brain Balance, Brain Highways and Hope for a Future Center are available also, if you want to out-source this therapy, and are effective in improving sensory modulation.

 

Alternative Treatments

Sometimes surprising, easy, natural treatments work very well in reducing the symptoms that these children are suffering with.

 

A 4 Year-old’s Story

A mother of the young boy, who sent me a picture of her son in the sandbox, reported that she used a substance called Mineral Rich.  She calls this “Liquid Gold.”  Her son had such touch sensitivity that he couldn’t bear to have the sand touch his feet.  This is not an uncommon reaction from kids with SPD.  His nervous system was in “red alert”, signaling that the feeling of sand was dangerous and painful.  His mother found a way to settle down his nervous system by using a natural mineral supplement that has four times as much magnesium as calcium. In fact, she said that after she supplemented him with this mineral blend, he didn’t cover his ears anymore when the vacuum was on, or the doorbell rang.  His “hyperacousia”(noise sensitivity) was greatly diminished.

 

Why do we use the ratio of minerals contained in Mineral Rich to help children whose nervous system is over-reactive?  It’s because we know that magnesium is “nature’s tranquilizer.”  We also know magnesium can be a laxative (remember Milk of Magnesia?).  It is very relaxing to all the muscles, even the colon. In fact, if you look up the symptoms of magnesium deficiency and sensory processing disorder, you will see a significant correlation.  It is fascinating to see this close match of symptoms.

 

Please note that It is always best to check with your physician before adding any nutritional supplement.  However, if you decide that you want to consider adding some supplemental magnesium, there are many types to choose from.

 

The mom in this story, used Mineral Rich by Maximum Living which is a cherry tasting liquid that has the most helpful magnesium/calcium ratio. This is available at any health food store.  If you choose to use capsules, the magnesium citrate is the form that Dr. George Juetersonke, a practicing integrative physician in Colorado Springs recommends. The potential downside to magnesium supplementation?….too much can cause loose stools.  This is easily stopped with reduction in amount.  I always take any supplement I give my child, myself.  Then I can more easily monitor effects.

 

A good source of more information on the role of magnesium for the sensory issues is the book, The Miracle of Magnesium by Dr. Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.  You will enjoy reading about the different ways to soothe your child’s nervous system.

 

Izaya – An 11 Year-Old’s Story

Izaya was an eleven year-old who struggled so much with sensory issues that he cried when his mom was in the shower.  She couldn’t leave the room without letting him know so he could come along.  Overnight birthday parties that his peers participated in were not something he could attend. After a few months of targeted nutritional interventions, including the all-important magnesium supplement, she reported that he now stays overnight with his friends, goes to public bathrooms by himself, and in general doesn’t ‘freak out’ about everything.” 

 

These types of parent reports aren’t unusual when parents begin using nutritional interventions to help their child’s nervous system settle down.  Changes can occur quickly.  

 

Where to find some ideas for your child?  You can visit an Integrative/Functional Physician, or a Certified  Nutritionist for ideas.  Or you can listen to the following CD set for some alternative ideas.

Dianne’s Biology of Behavior CD set

 

There are many resources available for parents to help their wonderful children with Sensory Processing Disorder at home!

 

God said that there is nothing hidden that won’t be revealed!  We’ll just take Him at His Word!

SPED Homeschool Disclaimer:  The SPED Homeschool website is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice. Products, services, information and other content provided at spedhomeschool.com, including information that may be provided directly, or by linking to third-party websites, are provided for informational purposes only. Please consult with a physician or other healthcare professional regarding any medical or health related diagnosis or treatment options.

 

 

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Fables, Fairy Tales and Foundational Truths

Posted on by Sherry Martin

 

By Sherry Martin

 

He said, “You become.  It takes a long time.  That’s why it doesn’t happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.  Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.  But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

 

No, this is not a quote about a homeschool mom on a warm May afternoon.  But it could be because this is a foundational truth about love and being loved and being Real.  Most homeschool moms have experienced that sensation of being rubbed off from love.  There were many an afternoon that I called myself “The Velveteen Rabbit”.  This is one of the many foundational truths found in Margery Williams’ book, The Velveteen Rabbit.

 

These authors of old had a way of capturing the essence of a truth with tales of heroic and  endearing characters, beautiful imagery, use of symbolism.  Those stories end by teaching our children that although, life at times may be hard, there is always hope!

 

Here are some foundational truths found in a sampling of children’s stories. Remember to always discuss with your children the truths that are exhibited in the timeless tales.

 

Here are three foundational truths that children can glean from these parables.

 

1 – Empathy          
“The Ugly Duckling” is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. This story addresses our need to belong and the universal pain we feel when we are not accepted.  Also the story reveals that we should not let others define us.  Although it is not easy, when we are on the other side of the painful experience, we have learned a valuable lesson on how to treat others that are different.  There are many tales that could be used as a beginning point for discussions with your children.

 

2 – Right from Wrong
The simple Celtic tale of “The Three Little Pigs” written by Joseph Jacobs, demonstrates that there is a right and wrong way to invest your money and time.  The first two pigs were foolish and greedy and only thought of  the present.  The third pig’s good judgement and diligence built his house out of costly, strong bricks and saved his two brothers. His brothers saw the necessity of planning ahead and meeting needs instead of wants and together, the three brothers  vanquished the Big Bad Wolf for good!  These old tales are full of examples of right and wrong choices and the rewards for good decisions and consequences for bad ones. What rich material to use with your children about outcomes of their decisions!

 

3 – Hope
I believe hope is the most important ingredient in our fables and tales. Vision is the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  Proverbs 29:18. The vision of these tales is hope of better times or of a dream come true. 
 
A Favorite Tale
My personal favorite fairy tale is, “Beauty and the Beast.” I even like the Disney version.  This adaptation is from an eighteenth century fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince.  Belle is full of hope, she is hoping for an abundant life full of love, literature and adventure. She is prepared to wait for what she wants.

 

The Beast has grown tired of waiting and hope is all but gone for him. However, hope is renewed with redemption, trust, acceptance and the willingness to help another without demanding anything in return.  All is restored and evil once again meets its befitting end.



A Brighter Future
Many of our children today have their hopes and dreams dashed because they feed on the disturbing realities of our modern world and see things too mature for their young minds.  
 
Some of today’s films, books and television shows for children tell a harsh, hopeless story that even blur the lines between heroes and villains.  Children’s stories should not only be enjoyable but offer character lessons, clear lines between right and wrong and most of all hope!

 

Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.  Otherwise, you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.   – C.S. Lewis

 

 

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Just Breathe

Posted on by Dawn Spence

 

 

“It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say
Just breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need

Is to just breathe”

– Jonny Diaz

 

These lyrics from Jonny Diaz speak to my heart and I find myself needing to breathe some days more than others.

 

Breathe Reminder – You Are Accomplishing Things
I know as a homeschooling mom I find myself sometimes thinking of all the things that I think I should be doing as a mom and a teacher. These thoughts of inadequacy take over and I lose sight of all things that I am doing as a mom and a teacher.

 

Breathe Reminder – You Are Enough
I then remind myself to “just breathe.” There are so many things that I can teach my children but one of the biggest lessons is to remain at peace.I am not in control of everything. I am not going to be perfect and that is okay. I am enough! It is through this I am teaching my children that they are enough and they will make mistakes. It is through making mistakes I feel the biggest life lessons are taught.

 

 

Breathe Reminder – Perspective Provides Pathways
When my kids get upset, or are in meltdown mode I say,  “blow out your candles.” Sometimes my kids even remind me to blow out my candles. When we stop to breathe and even pray, it changes our heart and changes our perspective. Breathing lets us see that the situations may not be as impossible as we originally thought.

 

Breath Reminder – God Equips

Just breathe today and now that you are enough and God is equipping you on this journey.

 

 

 

 

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Never Give Up As a Homeschool Teacher

Posted on by Peggy Ployhar


At some point, we all have visions of the clean, organized, quiet house we could have if we’d just enroll our kids in public or private school. Homeschooling can be challenging at times.


We may want to quit because we are:
  • Exhausted and overwhelmed
  • Short on time to talk to friends or have adult conversations with anyone
  • Feeling like we aren’t smart, patient, educated, or organized enough to be a good homeschool teacher
  • Feeling like we’re too behind to ever get caught up


And the kids:
  • Hate school
  • Don’t listen
  • Bicker constantly
  • Have ridiculously short attention spans


On occasion quitting appears necessary due to family issues such as:
  • Job loss or financial pressures
  • A new baby
  • A serious illness in the family
  • Affected by a natural disaster


These are always reasons to quit, then again, they’re also reasons to not give up. After all, we chose home education because we felt it was best for our kids and our family.


The Challenges of Other Schooling Options

Raising well-adjusted, well-educated, caring, loving, responsible adults is hard no matter how you do it. There is no such thing as a perfect parent or an ideal schooling option. At least homeschooling gives us some control over the challenges. Let’s compare some challenges of homeschooling to those of private and public schools.


Homework
  • School Option: Struggling with 4 hours of homework at night after the kids have been gone most of the day.  
  • Homeschooling: Spending about 4 to 5 hours of homeschooling to make sure they finish their work during school time.


Attitudes
  • School Option: Dealing with obscene words and bad behavior and values picked up from other kids at school.
  • Homeschooling: Dealing with children wanting to play or discover  outdoors and having lessons/ doing schoolwork


Children with Learning Disabilities
  • School Option: Struggling with decisions about special education classes and your child feeling different than other kids. And the often non-ending fight of advocating for your child with a school or school district that might not even try to meet the minimum federal requirements to ensure that LD children receive an equal education
  • Homeschooling:  Educating your child with a learning disability in a manner that does not make them feel inferior or different and enables them to learn as well as other children, just differently.


Strain
  • School Option: The emotional strain of running a household, juggling childcare, and working outside of the home full-time.
  • Homeschooling: The financial strain of living on one income or having a business that’s flexible.


Gaps in Your Child’s Education
  • School Options: Teachers and school officials with different standards and goals from yours establishes the priorities for your child’s education and development.
  • Homeschooling: You are responsible for prioritizing your child’s education. By adjusting your time and effort to the areas you consider vital to your children’s future, you ensure they aren’t missed.
  • Additional Advice:  There will always be things your kids forget, missed, don’t understand or weren’t taught.


Guiding your Child’s Future
  • School Options: The teachers are all about academics and may have different goals, values, viewpoints and methods than you do.
  • Homeschooling: No matter what scholastic benefits other schooling options may offer your child, you won’t have the same influence and impact on your child’s outlook that you do with homeschooling.


12 Tips To Keep You Going, When You’re Thinking Of Quitting

Here are some tips to help you carry on when you don’t think you can continue homeschooling.
  1. Learn skills to enhance your success as a teacher. Go to home school workshops and conventions. Take a continuing education class (maybe algebra or child development). If your child is gifted or LD, educate yourself on the needs of those children and the best teaching methods for them. Read books, some suggestions are A Charlotte Mason Education, Homeschooling the Early Years, The Relaxed Home School, The Unschooling Handbook, or The Well-Trained Mind.
  2. Turn to family and friends, especially homeschooling friends, and the online homeschool community, like the SPED Homeschool Facebook Support Group, for support or help with any subject or problem you may be dealing with.
  3. Outsource classes on subjects that you aren’t that strong in.
  4. Don’t listen to the naysayers. No one who accomplishes anything listens to them. As you would explain to a small child—those people are silly.
  5. Before you decide to quit or not, relax and get some rest, so your mind is refreshed to properly assess the pros and cons as objectively as possible.
  6. Pinpoint the exact reason you want to quit and do what you can to fix that issue so you’ll feel successful again. If your kids are different ages and you feel you can’t teach all of them everything they need to know, consider signing up the oldest kids for distance learning classes or possibly use the same curriculum for history or science but just at different age levels. Figure out what you can streamline. If isolation is an issue, consider joining a co-op. If you’re finding it too hard to keep the house clean, use a chore system or have the family spend the weekend getting rid of the clutter
  7. You began homeschooling because you thought it was best for you children. Take time to recall your original goals and what excited you about it when you first started
  8. Recommit to home education and jot down the reasons you homeschool. Post the list where you’ll see it daily, like on the refrigerator
  9. Attend a homeschool conference or spend time with a fellow homeschool mom to help you get through this difficult time.
  10. Don’t over-commit to other projects or anything that gets in the way of homeschooling. It’s okay to say no.
  11. Take a break. If you and the kids are fed up then no one is learning anything anyway. Claim a teacher-in-service day and take the kids to the library or museum. Pull out art supplies or science kits. Let them work on their favorite subject all day or pursue their interest.
  12. Look at your options. Research the alternatives so you can make a well-informed decision that’s truly best for your family.




Just as there is no such thing as a parent who is totally together all the time, there is no such thing as a homeschooling parent who has all their stuff together all the time. No one is perfect. Homeschooling can’t always be as great as we want it to be. But nothing worth doing is easy. We all have bad days and we all make mistakes. But most children and parents who undertake home education, find it more than worthwhile in the end.

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Penny by Penny

Posted on by Cammie Arn

 

Cammie Arn

In my own family, I often find it difficult to see progress in the goals we have set. So, instead of just celebrating large goals, we make it a point to celebrate every triumph our children have on a daily basis.

In your own homeschool, how often do you recognize the little things your children do that are smaller parts of a larger goal? Learning letters means a child is one smaller goal closer to learning a word. Moving a limb means a child is one step closer to using a communication board.  Making a pot of macaroni and cheese means your young adult is that much closer towards establishing independence.

Whatever your goal is for your child, be sure to recognize the small things they do every day. My husband works within the public school system and his school has developed a way of recognizing students “caught being good.”  These “good” behaviors are the little things the school has determined to reward so students eventually learn the value of multiplying good behaviors.

“Collecting pennies means eventually those pennies will add up to a dollar.”

In a way, each good behavior rewarded by my husband’s school, and each smaller goal we reward in our homeschools, is like saving a single penny towards a larger investment. Collecting pennies means eventually those pennies will add up to a dollar. Slowly, but surely, little things add up to BIG things.

Affirmation for good behavior, wise choices and good school performance can leave your child with a healthy sense of accomplishment, and you with the realization both of you are getting there…

 

One
Penny
At
A

Time.

 

 

 

 

 

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You Can’t Pour From An Empty Cup – Special Needs Mom Refill Tips

Posted on by Jennifer Cullimore

 

By Jennifer Cullimore

 

All of us have different situations: Some of us have two parent homes, some (like myself) are single, some work outside of the home, and some work inside the home.  However, one constant that I’ve seen in most parents who homeschool their children with special needs is that most do not have a lot of time to themselves.  Because of this, our “cups can be empty” before we even realize it.

 

I’ve had people tell me, “Well you just need to get a babysitter and go out.”  But, it’s not always that simple.  A babysitter costs money (of which I have little) and few people are equipped to handle my kids.  Extra money to eat out randomly or schedule a mani or pedi is in short supply.  Despite these challenges,  I still need ways to “fill my cup.”  

 

Here are a few of my cup-filling solutions; maybe they will help you too!

 

Bedtime routines  

Even though we get off track during certain times, bedtime routines are essential to my survival.  My girls know that they go to bed and mommy gets some much needed time to herself.  Yes, sometimes I stay up far too late, but those few hours can energize me to tackle life!

 

Sleep

Sometimes I do stay up too late, but I also allow myself to get the sleep my body needs.  The beauty of homeschooling is that we don’t have to start our days on someone else’s timetable.  We have the freedom to begin at a time that works for us and our children. One of my children has gone through countless ear issues and is often up in the night with ear pain.  Because we don’t have to be out the door at 6:30 in the morning like some of our public school friends, we can start when she has had an adequate amount of sleep.  This makes our days run more smoothly.

 

Podcasts, YouTube and Sermons

Due to some of my kiddos’ issues, we are not currently active in a church.  However, I need to fill my spiritual cup as well.  I have found podcasts and YouTube to be a wonderful way to listen to Godly content and support from around the world.  I listen to Francis Chan, the Bible Project, other homeschooling mamas and uplifting people.  I can do this at night when the girls go to bed, or even when I am working on household tasks throughout the day.  My kids also enjoy their favorites: Psalty , kids worship songs, hymns, and so much more.  We are so blessed to be able to hear content from so many inspirational resources.

 

You may also want to consider listening or watching SPED Homeschool Conversations, our weekly live broadcast that you can watch live from 8pm to 9pm Central every Tuesday night or watch on-demand on our YouTube channel or download to your device from our podcast channel.

 

Time with the Lord

Personal devotions are also paramount to filling my cup.  Even when I get out of the habit, I can always jump back in.  At times I’ve found that groups on Facebook such as “Write His Word” are helpful for keeping me on track.  They encourage me to journal the Word of God.  By writing His word, I remember it!

 

You may also want to check out Peggy Ployhar’s personal YouTube channel, Daily Revelations, for her weekly bible study videos and companion planner you can use to study along book by book through the bible.

 

Art and Handicrafts

Unlike some other people in my family, I was not blessed with art genes.  But I love to create things.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the rise of “adult color books”.  Coloring is relaxing and somehow it triggers creativity in me.  So at night, you will often find me coloring while listening to podcasts.  I also enjoy crocheting and I’ve even begun to dabble in painting and drawing.  While none of my creations will be in an art museum anytime in the near future, they make me happy and bring peace.

 

 

 

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The “I” Factors of Childhood Depression

Posted on by Peggy Ployhar


This second article in a series about Childhood Depression, focuses on the “I” factors of childhood depression.  In total there will be 6 articles,highlighting the warning and guiding lights for each of the letters in the word “LIGHTS”.   


Warning “I” – Inhibitors


Inhibitor 1 – Stress
The relationship between stress and depression is that increased stress leads to an increase in the development of depression or exacerbates it.  The way to remove this inhibitor is by helping your child figure out their main stressors.  Working through questions that pinpoint specific things in your child’s schedule, relationships, and recurring difficult situations facilitates understanding of stressors.


Identifying your child’s stressors gives you  the ability to start talking through these things with them so you can work together. Thoughtful planning and preparation make these situations easier to navigate for your child.


Inhibitor 2 – Loneliness & Rejection
God made people for community, but sometimes community fails our special children.  I know I am not alone when I share that some of the toughest places for my children to be loved and accepted have been in a church setting.  Unfortunately, well-meaning people have made a place we desired to be our sanctuary a place where we met condemnation.


Finding friends who understand your child will be a difficult path, but if a parent is diligent to keep trying, the result will end in wonderful deep and meaningful relationships for your child.  Keep praying, seeking, forgiving those who don’t understand, and seeking out those whom God has prepared to be a good friend for your child and who will accept them for who they are.


Inhibitor 3 – Fear
Teaching an adult that fear is only a mental conceptualization of the future, not a certain outcome is difficult.  When working with a fearful child, it is best to help them recognize what they are thinking.  Once the fear is identified, work with the child to rationalize their fears and determine how best to cope with them.


For many children who deal with depression, fears build in their minds to great exaggerations of what is real or even possible.  By dissecting fears, allowing comfort items to be brought into places where your child needs physical reinforcement, and ensuring they know you are going to be there for them will help your child  cope with their fears rather than allowing them to fester and grow.


Inhibitor 4 – Disappointment
It is hard to be let down by life, and even harder to work through failure.  Most children view disappointment as a difficulty, but also an ordinary part of life.  But for children with depression, disappointment is often internalized as personal failure which decreases their self-worth.


In my article Failing to Learn, I discuss how failure is one of the greatest ways we have been given to learn.  Kids dealing with depression require additional support to see how failure can actually lead to greater success, not a downward spiral to defeat.


I remember helping my oldest son work on this concept when his Lego creations would never hold together as he imagined they would.  Each time they broke, I would ask him:  What was the weak spot that caused the break?  How can you rebuild it to make that part stronger?  What did you learn from the break?  How is your creation better now that you have rebuilt it? 


Guiding “I” – Increase in Character/Sanctification


Cyclical Perfection Wheel
One of the greatest illustrations you can give your child who is struggling with depression is this perfection wheel.  



On this wheel, perfection is achieved by being at the top of the wheel.  Once a person sins, they start moving down the wheel to the right.  What determines how big or small this wheel becomes, is a person’s realization of their sin, and need for repentance of their sin.  Once a person repents, and realizes their need for the blood of Jesus to cover their sins, then they are restored…made perfect.  At this point, God does the work in completing the circle and bringing that person back up to the top again.


“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:29-30 NKJV


This process is how God increases our character.  We realize each time we sin that we are inadequate and need God.  In turn, God shows us His adequacy and ability to work within our lives as long as we are submissive to His work.


Learning on the Wheel
Throughout this process, it is not God’s desire to shame us, but rather to teach us.  God alone stays at the top of the wheel.  Our human condition will always have us cycling from top to bottom and back to the top again.  The goal  is not to hang onto perfection, but to continually walk with God, learning and growing in our relationship with Him so He can restore us and teach us .


For children who struggle with depression, it is essential to help them see how life is a process which is molding them into the person God wants them to be through failure.  Each struggle, fear, disappointment, and difficulty is an opportunity to learn and grow.  And, it is God’s desire to make that process easy and light if they choose to walk with Him and trust His ability to work all things out for good.


The “I” Silver Lining
Throughout my childhood and into young adulthood, I pursued success only to be continually disappointed.  Each time I felt success was achievable, I soon realized it was even further out of reach.  Over the years the pursuit of success took me further away from who I had been created to be.  


I put on masks to fool others that my life was going well.  I heaped burdens upon myself that God never intended for me to carry.  I had lost touch with who I was and what I had been created to be.  


Not until I saw the beauty of God’s grace and forgiveness, and His ability to restore my broken life from the bottom of my pit, did I realize how wrong I had been in pursuing success over God.   There is so much truth in what Charles Spurgeon says about how some things can only be discovered from the bottom of a deep well and how affliction is what leads to greater blossoms and fruit.



God does His greatest work when life gets its hardest.  The factors which pull our children down, can also bring them closer to God and prepare for them an extremely fruitful future.  Helping children to see this hope in the midst of the darkness is one of the best ways a parent can help their child see beyond their current circumstances and struggles and move forward to the hope that God is drawing them towards.

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Healing Teaching

Posted on by Dianne Craft
Question: “I am a homeschooling mother of 4, (ages 7-12). I’m at a loss as to how to homeschool my son Nathan, who is 12 years old.  He’s behind in everything. It takes him all day to do his work. He freezes when he looks at his math papers. It takes him forever to write anything.  I know he’s smart, but he says he’s “dumb.”  I want him to be an independent learner, but don’t know how to get him there.”

 

Answer:  It sounds like Nathan has shut down on school work, and is giving up.  He is doing this because he doesn’t have any other strategies to move on past the “stuck” phase.  This is  the exact population I taught in my 6th, 7th and 8th grade Resource Room.  I called it my “Intensive Care Unit.”  All my students had given up on learning.  In spite of good parents, teachers, and effort on the student’s part, they met with more failure than success.  I knew that I needed to do something different than was going on in the regular classroom, using regular curriculum. They needed what I call, “Healing Teaching.”

 

What is Healing Teaching?

 

Healing Teaching is a teaching method in which the teacher comes along -side a child and gives him learning strategies.  It teaches the child how to use his brain, by modeling this with him. It sets up each lesson to ensure immediate success.  It takes many baby steps towards that success.  There is no “getting behind”, because the work is done together in a finite amount of time, with the goal to learn the material…not necessarily to do all the problems, or all the worksheets.  

 

The content of the grade level is never compromised, but the method of teaching is turned “upside down.”  As they are gently led to the right answers (and wrong answers ignored, versus pointed out), they begin to relax, and enjoy learning, and become confident in their ability to learn.  This is why I referred to it as my Intensive Care Unit.  I saw these wonderful students as having a severe case of the “learning flu”.  This process can easily be done at home, even with other siblings to teach.

 

Examples of Healing Teaching Methods

 

Leading to Correct Answers
We are going to use gentle methods to lead them to the correct answers.  For example, in my Remedial Reading class, my students came into the room, and folded their arms; resistant to any reading aloud, or any phonics program.  What to do?  I took away the non-essential parts of decoding…such as writing, tiles or remembering rules.  I wrote long words on an overhead transparency with the “decoding unit” that we were working on in color in the long word. I also had a picture of the decoding unit, and the sound it gave, taped on the overhead transparency.  If a student sounded out the word incorrectly, but used the decoding unit (like “au”) correctly (remember we had the “au” over the picture of a saw), I would say, “I agree with the first part of the word, now let’s look at that tricky last part. Then I would re-write the last part on the transparency, and we would see if we could find a little word in a big word, or some other strategy.  When we did that, the student found he could always decipher the word correctly. We never went on until we had questioned (together) each part of the word to see how we could tackle it (not a fast method…but a healing method). Their confidence grew, and after a week or so, they were asking to have a chance at the longest word in the list for the day.  You can see how by the end of the year they all tested two years ahead in reading!

 

Jazzy Spelling
Spelling was always hard for them.  So I showed them how to use their wonderful photographic memory.  We took the longest word, like “psychology” and jazzed up the letters, giving funny meaning, color, and even blood on some of them.  In only one session they found that they could not only spell that word, and the other words we were working on forwards, but they could just as easily spell them backwards. Using Healing Teaching they learned to believe in themselves as learners as they had the secret strategy to easy spelling.

 

Paragraph Blobs
Writing paragraphs or papers was not easy for them.  We tackled this job together. No workbooks, worksheets or curriculum.  We did this together on the board. We came up with an easy topic, drew “blobs” to put our ideas in, added one word reminders of sentences, and then added the transitions to this Right Brain Webbing method.  The students found that the paper practically wrote itself.   

 

Careful Correcting
When we were done, we “corrected them together” using an overhead transparency.
At first, they were terrified of this process, and did not want their paper to be used.  But, then they saw what I meant by “correcting”.  I began by giving them points for every good thing they had on the paper.  For example, if they started with a capital letter, they got a point, had an adjective in the sentence, they got a point, ended with a period, they got a point.  I read it out loud, ignoring any spelling errors, and just pointing out the good thoughts, words, or grammar, and giving points for all of that. At the end we added up the points together for prizes (like gum)…they loved it.  

 

Harvesting Mistakes
They soon were adding many adjectives to their sentences, and more sentences, until we were doing multiple paragraphs.  What did I do with their misspellings (which were numerous)?  I “harvested” them.  That means I made mental notes of the spelling words that we were going to put in our spelling list the next week, and “jazz up” the troublesome letters. They were beginning to feel smart, as they wrote longer, more sophisticated papers each week.

 

Nathan’s Success
Nathan’s mom reports that just by doing the math on a white board (no video or workbook), modeling how to do them and then making a “template” to put on the wall, that she saw Nathan smile all day.  He was getting things right without having to cross out a checklist in a workbook. Mom said she wanted to cry and even put it in capital letters in her email, “SMILING.”

 

Grace’s Success
Grace’s mom wrote me about her 15 year- old daughter who was having such anxiety about schoolwork that they had to technically stop schooling her because of the tears and frustration. Upon switching to Healing Teaching with each subject, Grace’s mom says that she is now doing all subjects, and enjoying school!

 

Emma’s Success
Emma’s mother contacted us because her twelve-year-old was spending a lot of time crying during the school day.   She was frustrated having to re-do her workbooks or because she was experiencing trouble remembering how to do a math problem she had just learned the day before.  We sent Emma’s mom a plan to switch Emma’s school day to include the subjects she needed, but with an entirely “healing” way to teach her, leading her to the right answer each time.  

 

Her mother called, and Emma told me that she now likes to do school.  She likes to write paragraphs, and loves spelling with her photographic memory.  She is remembering how to do her math problems because her mom has made a zany “template” of each process and kept it on the wall.  Her mom found the secret to helping Emma feel smart.  

 

Mom made the statement that she had to do an entire “paradigm shift”.  It is difficult to adjust to teaching to success by ignoring mistakes. But, pointing them out tends to wound our already wounded kids. Of course, we eventually want to correct the mistakes, but we wait until the next day, and incorporate that in the lesson, without pointing out the error.  This keeps the healing going.

 

Long-Term Success
We don’t have to do this forever; in fact, not usually for more than a year. Then they can go back to regular learning.  No more “getting stuck” for these guys!  Experience a “Success-Driven” school year.  It’s easy!

 

To see more of Dianne’s resources, visit

www.diannecraft.org

 

 

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20 Fall Special Education Homeschooling Activities

Posted on by Peggy Ployhar

 

It’ that time of year again, when everything is pumpkin flavored, field trips consist of visits to apple orchards, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches…and school starts to develop a routine.

 

I am all for routine, and so are most of our special education homeschooled kids, but sometimes it’s nice to add a touch of the season to our school lessons.  So, if you’re feeling the need to add some seasonal flair to your special education homeschooling, here are 20 ways to add some fall spice to your schedule.

 

20 Fall Special Education Homeschooling Activity Links

  1. Fall Candy Science – Ideas on how to use candy corn for a variety of STEM activities
  2. 10 Fall Movement & Sensory Activities – Both inside and outside fall activities
  3. Pumpkin Craft for Speech Activities – Craft and activity that can be used to work on any speech goals
  4. Fall Themed OT Activities – 30 fall activities to choose from to add a seasonal theme to your home-based OT
  5. Fall & Thanksgiving Themed Unit Study – Ideas for fall and Thanksgiving books, crafts, activities, studies, writing projects, and games
  6. Why Do Leaves Change Color Science Project – Using just simple things you already have in your yard and house, you can teach this easy seasonal science lesson
  7. Autumn Sensory Story – Lots of links and ideas on how to create a sensory storytelling experience for a child with multiple learning delays and/or who is blind/visually impaired
  8. Halloween Social Stories – 16 different stories to help teach children learn how to deal with Halloween social situations, as well as 2 videos parents will find helpful
  9. Fall Lego Building Challenges – 20 Lego building challenges all based around the fall seasonal theme
  10. Fall Tree Luminaries Craft – Easy craft project that turns basic jars into glowing works of art
  11. Leaf Preservation Ideas – Learn 3 different ways to preserve beautiful fall leaves
  12. Fall Sight Word Scavenger Hunt – Make reading more active, while working on sight-words with this great outdoor scavenger hunt
  13. Scarecrow Alphabet Activity – Help your child work on letter recognition with this fun scarecrow activity you can create with felt, a die and some stickers
  14. 20 Fall Speech and Language Activities – Lots of great fall resources on this post to help you work with your child on speech and language goals
  15. Fall Leaf I Spy Game – Free printable game of Leaf I Spy
  16. 30+ Pumpkin Learning Activities – Great list of many ways to use pumpkins to teaching learning concepts
  17. 40 Fall Fine Motor Activities – Extensive list of ideas on how to incorporate the fall theme into fine motor skills practice
  18. Fall Books for Speech Therapy – Learn how to use 4 popular fall books to work on speech goals
  19. Pumpkin Writing  – This cute craft and writing project will get your child writing with simple prompts what require short answers on how to step by step carve a pumpkin
  20. Fall Unit Study – This study contains ideas on ways to incorporate the fall theme when teaching literature, language, art, math, science, and even history to your child


For more fall SPED homeschooling ideas, make sure to check out our SPED Homeschool Fall Pinterest Board.  There are new pins being added to the SPED Homeschool Pinterest boards every day, so subscribe to all of them so you don’t miss a thing.

 

 

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Strength Through Fire: Marriage & Special-Needs Parenting

Posted on by Dyana Robbins

 

By Dyana Robbins

If you are married and parenting a special-needs child or children, you are likely well-acquainted with the marital prognosis bandied about in our circles. It’s not a kind one. Widely shared statistics tell us that the divorce rate for our families lies around eighty percent. Others decry that statistic, but no matter the number, special-needs parenting places great demands on a marriage.

However, there are wonderful things that special-needs parenting creates or deepens in an enduring marriage. I’m writing a series of articles on those things; highlighting strengths developed in the fires of parenting special-needs children and strategies for developing them. I’ll start by sharing a little of our experience and how our marriage has benefited through it.

Our Story
My husband and I married in 1995 and did not have children until 2002. These seven years provided ample time to know one another and plan for children. We both met career, financial and personal goals before conceiving and felt secure that we had laid the best foundation we could to bring children into the family.

Our marriage was well-prepared to support children, but the arrival of our first child threatened everything we had built. Our son was born without the ability to nurse or take a bottle. We spent many long weeks pumping breast milk around the clock, trying to rouse our son to eat, and then spooning the liquid gold into his mouth. Exhaustion and fear over his condition accelerated a fall into postpartum depression.

We beat back the darkness, our son improved. Then we welcomed our second son into the family two years later. Before long, I was battling fears that whatever was affecting my oldest son had also affected his younger brother. By the time our oldest was three-and-a-half, we had identified both our sons were impacted by autism spectrum disorders, among other challenges. Our family was struggling to get through each day and our marriage took some tough blows for the next five years as we came to terms with handling a reality that differed from our expectations and preparations.

As our sons are entering high school, we enjoy an enduring marriage and a host of benefits from weathering the early years of parenting. Here are some marital benefits of special-needs parenting we have discovered along the way.


Still smiling after all these years and lots of tears…. 


What We’ve Gained

Enhanced Sensitivity
Some of us are naturally attuned to the needs of others, while some people struggle to appreciate them. I won’t disclose who is who in our marriage, but we have both grown exponentially in this area. Parenting our children has required us to closely attend to the children’s needs and one another. Thriving together requires recognizing everyone’s needs and balancing them in ways not demanded by typical parenting.

Deep, Honest Communication
When our marriage was suffering, we learned to communicate more deeply, honestly, and quickly when problems arose. Beating around the bush is a luxury confined to times of normalcy and peace. Fighting for our family required honest, forthcoming communication. I developed courage to address unmet needs in myself and children and to express them well to my husband. This was a process, but we hashed out better communication skills and committed to using them.

Deeper Commitment
Our vows were expressed with a commitment to part only in death, yet I questioned them in our darkest times. As my husband struggled with our new realities, my understanding, compassion and forgiveness were lacking. I entertained ideas that it might be easier on my own and had to quickly combat them with truth. I chose to love him better and renewed my commitment to our marriage. He stuck with me through disillusionment, anger and depression. We look back on those times and marvel at how we’ve grown spiritually, emotionally and relationally.


Laughing More
There are many challenging and painful things we encounter, but almost all of them can be viewed with a sense of humor if we are willing to laugh at ourselves and our circumstances. Shared laughter helps us cope with stress and builds unity. Some of our biggest laughs have come from mining humor out of acutely stressful or painful situations. Given the number of those situations inherent to parenting special-needs children, we laugh a lot more.

Coordination and Delegation Skills
Nothing can mold a couple into a tip-top team like managing the schedules, needs and appointments of our families. Balancing work, therapy, school and life demands requires skillful coordination, a team mentality and the ability to delegate. I’m thankful for how we’ve honed these skills over our years of parenting; we can flat get things done.

New Ministry
In the early years of parenting, we had to divide and conquer to meet the challenges that kept coming. One of the few things we could do together in those years was encourage other struggling parents. It helped us stay connected to one another.

We have met many wonderful people through our family’s challenges: doctors, therapists, other parents and those with special needs themselves. These relationships give us a richer life and opportunities to share hope, comfort and encouragement even as we receive them.

These are a handful of the benefits we have enjoyed. I hope they encourage you to recognize your own. I’d love for you to share yours with me! My next article will address strategies for cultivating these benefits.


 This article has been copied with permission from Ambling Grace. 

 

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