Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Putting training on Efofex & other AT in the IEP

I need my son to start using some kind of program for math like EfoFex. He is in accelerated math and has a scribe but he REALLY needs to be more independent. Next year, 5th grade, they start Pre-Algebra. But, as much as we (the iep team and I) talk about this need for a software/AT/app to help him access his curriculum in meetings and such, it never really happens. And, yes, he has had an AT eval and all he got out of it was a blue tooth keyboard. I am so frustrated with how to get him access to his curriculum with technology. I know it's possible! But we never seem to get there. His IEP is fairly useless in the Assistive Tech because the paras and teachers need training in it as does DS at school with the curriculum from professionals. So, I am complaining/brainstorming about this with a few others on my Facebook group and a member pipes up and says the problem is you have to make sure that everything is specified, that AT training for teachers and paraprofessionals is included, that the IEP states who is responsible for training the teachers and the student, that it has to be allowed in every (or specific) class, on all tests, including state standardized tests, etc., etc. or teachers just find it too much trouble to figure out and use and it doesn't happen. I am thinking "Oh my gosh, this is exactly what is happening!" because nothing is specified in his iep about this. There is nothing in the iep about it specifically just a vague reference that the school will explore AT and apps to help DS get access to his math curriculum. Could I try putting in the iep something like (and just really roughly paraphrasing here), "my son needs software to help him access his math curriculum. AT-person (I'm thinking of specifying the AT consultant in the district who did his AT eval) will train my son, his 1-1 scribe/para and teacher on how to use said programs"? Does any one have any experience with doing this? Any insight? Thoughts?

That sounds good. I think it needs to be very specific and include training. What is EfoFex? We have the same issue and the AT people haven't even tried anything for math. One of the ladies said she tried something for advanced math and couldn't get it to work. She is still going to look into the situation, but I'm wondering if I should suggest EfoFex or how that works. I find this whole situation bizzare, how no one seems to know what to do about math. Surely there have been kids before us who can't write legibly but are still able to understand advanced math?

Blackcat, here is link to Efofex website: http://www.efofex.com/ Apparently it is not useful until Pre-Algebra. A few parents on the facebook group I am in say it has changed their child's life. Polarbear has talked about Efofex as well.

Thanks! I'll check it out. I think DS is being put into either pre-algebra or algebra next year so it might be helpful.

Yes! I actually printed it out and have it as a hard copy!

Spaghetti, this is so incredibly helpful! Thank you so very much!

What did this look like? The training, I mean? Did you just buy the software and watch the tutorials?

The thing w/ the finger writing--is that called Notability? I am emailing suggestions to the AT team. So far they have tried Dragon and Google Docs or something for speech to text and DS prefers Dragon but they have to give him 10 prompts to make corrections.

I also suspect this is a large part of what's up. FWIW, we've found that there is a higher level of knowledge of AT out there (in our district) among the AT folks who help high school students rather than elementary, so it might be worth asking at a district level for some help.

FWIW, neither ds or I thought efofex takes any specific training other than working through it on our own, but we're also math geeks so that might make a difference. DS first got efofex and used it when he was in pre-algebra, with no training from anyone other than looking at a few things with me.

OTOH, fwiw, ds didn't stick with efofex past Algegra - once he got into geometry he felt that, for him, he wasn't gaining anything in terms of time using efofex vs using handwriting. I don't entirely agree with him .... plus part of ds' issue with efofex had to do with using it at a time when it wasn't largely ported to the Mac (and ds not only had a Mac for a laptop, but he was using an iPad for almost everything else and he prefers the iPad for most of his work, except when he needs a large screen for reading from online textbooks). SO ds quit using efofex. HOWEVER... his mother is making him try it out again this summer.... not because I'm a tiger-mom (I am like the total non-tiger-mom lol)... but because his math homework really does take forever, and he's frustrated with how long it takes him to complete his homework during the school year. And... personally I think he's been beyond lucky that his math teachers think they can read his handwriting up till now... I'm guessing he's not always going to have teachers who can handle messy handwriting

So... that's where we're at - we have efofex, we found it easy to learn, didn't find it easy to use necessarily at the time ds was working in it (but that was mac-pc, not the software itself), and haven't worked with it for a few years.

Also, just for a totally random non-software note - fwiw, when ds was around your ds' age, he had a huge huge struggle with copy errors impacting math - switching or dropping signs, switching numbers etc. That's part of the reason he began using the computer (plus it saved him roughly 2/3 the time to finish his homework). However... as time has gone by... he no longer makes the copy errors frequently. He *does* make them from time to time, but he's gotten better at checking his work and also they just don't seem to happen as much. And when they do, he tends to now laugh at them as in, "yep, there goes my dysgraphia again!"... a

OK, I'm rambling now. I'd better get back to what I'm supposed to be doing at the moment

Best wishes,

polarbear

Does efofex work for algebra...i.e. showing your work solving equations?

And what works for regular daily math. I.E there are problems in a pre-algebra textbook and the teacher wants the kids to copy them in a notebook and show their work? DS doesn't show any (or very little) work and what he does show has copying errors and is largely illegible. So what are we supposed to do about regular, daily math? I think he is going to be put into the course that comes before high school Algebra next year (or that's my guess at any rate). We need a plan.

Someone periodically will think about the graph paper and try to get him to use it but he completely disregards the squares. It is useless. Doesn't the mod math just go up through long division? I think the sp.ed teacher tried it last year and it was too fussy. He is not particularly slow when he writes, but no one can read it. He doesn't care that no one can read it, so these apps like mod math seem unreasonably tedious to him when he could do the handwriting faster.

So, as far as I know, Efofex is not helpful or useful until pre-algebra. Having never used it yet I have no idea how well you can do elementary grade level math on it but I have waited until DS was starting Pre-Algebra to start looking into the Efofex because I heard it just was not useful until then. Maybe someone else with more experience could chime in on that.

Modmath and Math Paper were both a disaster for my kiddo at school and that experience is the reason why I am being really pushy about getting some sort-of district AT person familiar with the technology to come in and train and why I want it in the IEP that they need to do training for both teacher and student and that my son actually needs to learn and do a certain number of problems in class with the technology (with support). Because the teachers just couldn't figure out how to use Mod Math or Math Paper, they were ticked off that they couldn't scan in worksheets or whatever to Math paper. They would just leave him to try to figure out the apps and it would take DS so long and he would get so frustrated, etc. Disaster. That's why we NEED to do something different this time because this will happen YET AGAIN and the only person really losing here is my kid, ya know? So, his math grades really fell this year because I think the scribe is sort of getting in the way of his really learning because the work is multistep now and more complicated BUT he can't not have a scribe because he really can't write all that either. Or when he writes its becomes so illegible (lining up is bad, etc) he makes mistakes . I am just watching him really fall in this area and it's so pissing me off. I just can't sit by and watch it happen again.

I think if you get ModMAth and MAth Paper you need to do the same as I am trying to do for it have a slight chance of working. Because no one could bother with either when it came to my son.

It quite honestly sounds like it's not worth messing with (modmath or math paper). DS is so impatient w/ anything that is tedious it's not even worth it. Right now he gets by with showing minimal written work and in the long term I don't know how happy they are going to be with that or how long he can get away w/ it.