yup! That's what I'm thinking about. Mite comprehends at a high level (6th to 12th grade), but expresses himself in writing at about 2nd grade (although some measures have said 4th grade 9th month). His sped team is working with him at the disability level (2nd grade) and he's been expressing a lot of frustration with that the last few days. "Mom! I already KNOW about paragraphs and indenting and finger spacing between words. Why is she making me do all that over again?" His verbal spelling is excellent. His written spelling is below age level. He wants to use words like "imaginative" or "mismanaged" and "secluded" but they end up amjntif or missmanuj or seeklud. So, his verbal expression is years beyond his written expression.
His IEp is very needs based, but I feel if he is to move forward we need to make it strengths based. We just don't know how.
He wants to write so badly. This week he was supposed to write a letter to soldiers in Iraq. He tried to write it in cursive. It was pretty much illegible. His teacher told him the soldiers wouldn't be able to read it; so, she told him to print it. He was devastated. He told me "I worked on it so long" and "cursive is so beautiful" and "I want to write it in cursive like everyone else did" and "I want the soldiers to have something beautiful in all the ugliness around them". (yup. but he's not gifted, remember!!)
When we sat down to write it tonight he had an hour and twenty minute melt down. (ugh) That is soooo rare for him. He finally got down to copying his letter -- about 3 paragraphs -- and managed to get it to legible in an hour and forty-five minutes. That's where he wanted to use the words mismanaged, imaginative and secluded. He finally just gave up on all but imaginative.
He wants to write in cursive. He wants to express himself in writing. He wants to be like other kids. He has a huge vocabulary and extraordinary ability to express himself verbally. He's stuck. So, am I. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. Aren't I asking the same questions over and over again on here? I feel so redundant and useless in this whole process.
I just can't figure out how to bring it together for him and the school just doesn't care.
ok....deep deep breath....ommmmmmm!!!
