What are Executive Functions?
Executive Function Skills is a buzz word term in recent years. Parents of kids with special learning needs are often told by teachers, psychologists, OT therapists, and other professionals that their children lack executive function skills. Kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other learning issues have various difficulties with eight common executive functions. But…what are […]
Tips on How to Homeschool Through the Holidays
Every year homeschoolers in the US face the hectic time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. New homeschoolers often try to continue doing academics right up to each holiday and worry about how to get it all done. You can survive holiday homeschooling! Here are tips on how to homeschool through the holidays that I figured […]
Teaching the Meaning of Subtraction
When primary students have worked on addition, we start to introduce subtraction. Since addition is putting things together or more people joining with others, we usually begin with subtraction as things taking things apart or things going away. Some kids have a hard time making the shift from addition to subtraction. Sometimes the issue stems […]
Book List for 4th Graders and Older Students Ready for Reading Level 4
Students who have learned to decode multiple syllable words are ready for literature at a bit higher level. The transition from Grade 3 books to Grade 4 reading level requires a shift in several ways that frequently requires explicit, direct instruction in comprehension strategies for tweens and teens with language-based learning issues: 1. Rapidly recognizing […]
Why I Use Formatted Description Writing Prompts
For older students with language-based learning issues, writing can be a nearly impossible task. I frequently hear from homeschool parents that teaching and evaluating writing is one of the biggest challenges in homeschooling. When it comes to teaching a kid with a learning disability to do writing, parents often don’t even know where to start. […]
Grade 3 Reading Level Chapter Books for Older Students
As veteran homeschool mom, I am always seeking out “living books” that spark a love of literature. As a learning specialist, I am always searching for books that will nurture comprehension skills for both fiction and nonfiction. I teach many students with dyslexia, autism, and kids with other reading difficulties. So, I try to keep […]
Six Syllable Types and How to Begin Teaching Syllable Division
Teaching systematic, multisensory phonics gets kids started in reading decoding and spelling. But as your student makes progress gaining fluency, many homeschool moms ask, “What next? How do I take my kids from sounding out one-syllable words to reading bigger words with syllable division?” The answer is to teach syllable types and rules next. Many […]
What is the difference between vision therapy and visual processing cognitive training?
If you have a child who struggles in reading due to dyslexia or other reading disability, you may be wondering what you can do to make the learning to read process easier for your kiddo. One of the first options that many parents consider is tutoring or extra help for their child. Typical tutoring takes […]
Great Chapter Books for Older Struggling Readers – Grade 2 Reading Level
I am in the process of updating my lit lists for homeschools of kids with special needs. Since I mainly teach older students with dyslexia, autism, or those who struggle with reading, I am always on the lookout for books that fit one of the many language arts goals in the individual learning plans for […]
Why Teaching Touch Math Points Is Important for Kids Who Struggle in Math
Scene #1: A 12-year-old who can read is still practicing addition and subtraction with regrouping, has been introduced to multiplication but can’t seem to memorize basic facts. Scene #2: A 10-year-old has practiced skip counting and memorized the x1, x2, x10, and x5 multiplication facts but can’t hold on to the three times facts or […]