Update:
DD appears to *finally* be on the cusp of a breakthrough in math! At age 12 with 5 years of math intervention under her belt numbers finally seem to be making some sense to her. Anytime she hears numbers she starts playing with them - almost like she is trying to make "math sentences" out of them. She will start writing in the air on an imaginary white board doing calculations (even erasing mistakes). Nothing complicated - basic addition. But this is HUGE for her. She says she literally sees brightly colored numbers on this white board as she works with it. I realized a few weeks ago that despite having a calculator accommodation since 3rd grade no one had taught her how to use it. She loves her math intervention but is unbelievably frustrated by her grade level math class - going through the motions but not understanding any of it. Yesterday she realized how frustrated her teacher is getting because she can't figure out a way to explain things so DD understands. DD begged me to try to explain. An hour or so of playing with piles of raisins and a calculator and DD suddenly understood that 1/2 is the same as 2/4 is the same as .50 is the same as 50%. She was literally giddy with excitement. She said she learned more in an hour with me at the dining room table than in 4 years of math instruction at spec Ed school. Big sigh...
She won't be going back to spec Ed school next year - we are in the process of trying to find a new placement. Math (along with becoming fully independent with AT) is the biggest issue she faces. We have our IEP meeting later this week so I need any input I can get on drafting appropriate math goals and objectives that will be easily transferable to a new placement. As always people are frustrated by math disability - no one really seems sure what to do with it.
She has really enjoyed the Camelot Math intervention and I think that program explains why she has suddenly made some big breakthroughs. Unfortunately she is just about done with it - there is only one unit left. Any idea for a follow up program? I hate to lose all the momentum she is suddenly gaining. Ideas on a prepackaged curriculum or just ideas of how to present math to a kid like her would be very much appreciated.
