So discouraged, have a child who extremely struggles with math: suggestions?

I’ve always used a timer for my kids’ math lessons. We did 20 minutes a day at that age.

I wouldn’t even worry about geography if she is struggling with it. She has plenty of time to learn geography. That way she wouldn’t have to struggle so hard with 2 subjects-just one. I don’t think we started formal geography until 5th grade in our homeschool. We did keep a globe or map handy sometimes to look up places we read about in other studies but it was very relaxed.

I don’t know why I didn’t mention dyscalculia in my posts. My son probably has the same disability and I plan to have him tested. My health has made this past year a challenge so testing hasn’t happened yet.  My husband had some of the same problems in school, still does to a degree. He was labeled the “problem child” in school and had zero help when he was young. I didn’t want the same for my son so starting over, going slow, using tools, tutoring, etc. is what we have done so far.

Let us know what you come up with and how things are going when you can.

My daughter has exactly the same struggle……math, along with dyslexia and other issues I won’t get into. She is a complex case, because she was born with some neurological problems due to a mild CP. But, she is very smart in certain areas. She has struggled with math from the beginning. She is now 12, and in 6th grade. We tried so many different programs. Three years ago, I had her to an education consultant, out-of-state, who specializes in dyslexia and math. Even her recommendations only helped a little.

I finally had her tested by a neuro-psychologist a few months ago. He explained how the vertical and horizontal connections work in the brain. The vertical connections have to do with hearing information and being able to spit it back out. My daughter did well in that area. The horizontal connections are when you ‘get’ the concept, or the meaning of a story. My daughter did not do well in that area. He didn’t give her an official diagnosis of dyscalculia, but she fits. Basically what he told me was that she will probably never understand the relationship between decimals and fractions. He recommended that we work on areas that will benefit her in real life, so she can function as an adult. He said to work on time/sequence. (She does not have a good concept of time) This will help when getting a job, needing good time management. he said to let her use calculators. he also said to focus on checkbook math (add/sub) and money. My evaluator also mentioned measuring, which we have been working on fractions, for cooking.

I have Math On the Level. I am finished with textbook/workbook programs where you start at the beginning and work through. It just doesn’t work with kids like this. You come to lesson where they just do not get a concept, and you can’t move on until they get that concept. Some of those concepts may never be understood. I feel like we have wasted a couple years trying programs like that and then we hit a roadblock. With Math On the Level, you can choose which concepts you want to work on. The concepts are taught through games and activities before any written work is done. Just yesterday, I met, online, with Carlita Boyles, the lady who developed Math On the Level. She is the sweetest lady. She used to teach children with learning disabilities before homeschooling her children. She understands what is going on with these kids. We talked for an hour or so. After getting results and recommendations from the psychologist, I asked her if I could discuss things with her and if she could help me get something set up for my daughter, based on those recommendations. She was very helpful. My problem was that I was trying to teach too many different concepts. She recommended that I take one area, and focus only on that for at least a month. So, instead of trying to teach time, budgeting, AND measuring, just take one for a month. I would do a little of one for a while, then a little of another, and it was not working to make sure it was sticking. So, we are going to begin with time and work on that for a month. This is along with review of things she already knows, so she doesn’t lose those.

If our children are struggling, we need to stop worrying about everything we think we need to be covering, and focus on the areas that are most important, so they can make it in the real world. Maybe your child is not to the point where my daughter is, but I said all this to encourage you, and to maybe help you in deciding what and how to teach your child. I have had a burden lifted, knowing it is okay to proceed in this way.

That was very encouraging, psreitmom.  Thanks for sharing.  We don’t focus enough on real-life measuring, time management, and budgeting money.  These really are helpful things they will use, no matter their career.  I need to discuss more about my choices when shopping.  Have you also found the use of living math books to help, with Math on the Level?

my3boys – Sorry. I didn’t realize my post on place value was to someone other than the original poster. Hope it was some help to you.

Wings2fly – Math On the Level would probably be considered living math, so I have been using the ideas from those books for the most part. I have been considering getting a Life of Fred book to see how my daughter would do with that. That may not be considered living math, but she likes funny stuff, so I don’t know if it would click with her or not. Math On the Level does have us do 5-A-Day practice problems, so it would be used more for practicing what she has already learned. If we don’t practice on a regular basis, she will forget some things, and then it is discouraging to reteach something she should already know. That’s why my focus now has to be on what is most important for her in the long run.

I completely agree.

We did Saxon math for 3-4 years before I realized that my son learned what he needed, or so I thought, because he did so well on the tests, etc. But to take any of that outside of the page, literally, it did not make any sense at all. It was as if he didn’t realize that what he saw on paper is what we use in real life, it’s just on paper. My dh is the exact same way.

A friend recommended MUS and we began at the Alpha level, I think. Maybe Beta; I don’t remember. Either way, we had to get the place value down. He has it now and I believe has a good understanding of it. But that has taken years. And any explanations outside of the concept at hand just adds confusion/frustration. I tried giving real life examples, charades, games, you name it, and it only brought confusion and when I was finished he’d not even know what we were doing all of that for to begin with.  I’m trying to explain something but I’m not sure I can….argh.

My son doesn’t usually pull from already known concepts to solve problems like most people would. It’s like the well of knowledge is not there to draw from, even if he just learned the concept. I say “usually” because sometimes he surprises me and himself…that is a breakthrough moment and is usually remembered.

Have to run…this is a very helpful thread!

I just wanted to mention that if anyone looks at Math On the Level, it seems pricey. I hesitated buying it at our convention almost two years ago, and I even told Carlita, who was there at the time, that I needed to think about it before making a decision, just because of the price. But, deep down I knew this is what my daughter needed. It was a lot to put out at one time, but now that I have it, I will not have to buy any math curriculum for the rest of my daughter’s school years. MOTL goes from K to pre-algebra, so knowing my daughter will not go any farther than that, in the long run it is reasonable. I am set in math for the next six years:)

I don’t know how it compares to other curriculum, but I have seen Ronit Bird math recommended and used a lot for kids with dyscalculia.  It is actually written specifically for dyscalculia.