Learning

It's hard to watch your kid struggle.

I've shared a bit before that academics haven't been an easy road for my girl.  Yes, she's only in first grade, but the year and a half has felt much longer!

In the years leading up to this we've definately foreseen that focusing and attention issues would play a part for her, but didn't know to what degree.  We had no worries about her intelligence.  She is bright and imaginative and very expressive, not to mention a social butterfly.  But how that translates at school has always been the question.

Since starting Kindergarten we noticed her struggling with certain disciplines (primarily in reading) but it was a time of big transition.  So aside from taking advantage of the specialized reading help available at school, we recognized that it might just take her longer.  And that has carried over into this year in first grade.

But it's now the end of the 2nd marking period, and clearly something is still blocking her from moving forward.  She has made some progress, but is noticeably struggling and frustrated.  While it's true that kids are pushed to perform earlier and earlier these days, I've been thankful for the school that she is enrolled in, and their efforts to provide the extra help she needs.  Yes, the process can feel long sometimes, but being a parent means you need to be an advocate, and it does us no harm to have to stay on top of things. 

Through formal and informal evaluations conducted by the school and us, the best we can determine so far is that she is having retrieval issues (the concepts are there but pulling out the correct word is difficult) , some short term memory difficulties, she's a visual/right-brained learner (but most of curriculum is auditory/left-brained oriented), and she probably has ADD.

So, the last two months have largely been dedicated to gathering information on what to try next.  I've had very timely discussions with other moms, home and public schoolers, the special education teachers at Natalia's school, and again and again I've seen the kindness of God.  In the times where I've lacked answers and just wanted the issues solved already, He's quieted my heart and my whirlwind thoughts.  When I've struggled with comparing my child to others and discontent has threatened to take root, He has made me aware of the blessings that are disguised in this hardship.  When I've doubted and feared that I can be the parent I need to be in this season, His joy and assurance have steadied my limbs.  And He's given me a good man to stand beside...a tremendous means of grace!

So...what are we doing?

Well, one resource shared with me on brain integration therapy has yielded some helpful things.  When I've felt completely at a loss to even know what questions to ask, Dianne Craft's website has allowed me to determine Natalia's brain, eye, and hand dominance, along with corresponding factors that can help or hinder learning.  A good look at focusing/attention issues were included, and I appreciated her practical tips (such as using more right-brained strategies and her encouragement to adjust expectations), but also that she recognized the dilemma of natural vs. popular medicine. 

In keeping with the very real possibility that Natalia may need medication for her heart condition in the coming years, we're trying to avoid mainstream "go to" drugs for her focusing issues unless nothing else works.  If we don't have to add to her health equation we don't want to.  We're not purists, but there are alot of options out there that are non-chemical.  We figure that it can't hurt to try.

Another thing we're trying are these revamped sight word flashcards.  I must confess that because this type of thing is right up my alley, I enjoyed the challenge and task of making them so much that even if it only makes practicing more fun for her, it was worth it!  But we're also hoping they help stimulate both sides of her brain and make those pesky sight words stick!  :)

The idea is to represent the single word within the image or with a short phrase.  (Double click on the images if you want to view them larger.)