Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Need ideas to help dd12

Dd12, just started middle school and is not doing very well, primarily with executive functioning skills. She has an IEP for dyscalculia and dyslexia and receives most of her help with math. Out of the six teachers she has only her math teacher has emailed and acknowledged that she has read dd's IEP. Surprisingly the only class she's getting an A in and not feeling overwhelmed is her math class. Math has always been a struggle and she's doing really well in it. She also has minimal homework that takes her only 15-20 min tops and most of the work is done on paper.

The rest of her classes she's floundering (minus art). Her school is nearly 100% online which is great for me to keep track of but with her minimal computer experience she's struggling. She is doing her school work but having a hard time navigating between all her classes online and finding assignments, notes, powerpoint presentations, etc... She has messed up several times with turning (uploading through the online system) in her work and thus received a lower score for work being late. I've shown her multiple times and she keeps forgetting how to do it (I think due to low WMI and PSI).

She also seems to be spending too much time on homework even with her dictating her responses for me to type. One of her accommodations on her IEP is a reduced workload for the beginning of the year and I don't think this is happening in her classes besides math. This is something I will address with the sped teacher and should be an easy fix (hopefully).

But I need ideas on what to do about her having trouble getting stuff turned in, remembering what she did in class (what was covered, turned in during class time, etc)... she just isn't remembering this stuff and because I have no way to tell online if it was done my hands are tied. I wasn't there in class to know. She is doing the work but forgets to turn it in, forgets if she's turned it in, or doesn't turn it in correctly.

Eco21268 just had a thread about this... you need to add to the IEP support for turning in work and using the planner.

DeeDee thanks for the reply. I'll look for the thread.

I just feel so bad for dd because she's doing the work (often well in advance of the due date) but not successful at getting it turned in. In addition to the online calendar showing assignments dd also wanted an actual, physical agenda. I found a good one that lists the subjects and has a separate place to fill in for each subject and she is using it. Not sure if she's getting everything down in it. But she really is trying, she's just not successful.

I have a kid like that. It is so difficult, and it is very necessary to have the right support so that the missing skills are learned and applied throughout the day.

I have described our deal in my recent posts, I think. Cannot write much now but will check in later to see if you found what you needed.

Ok, I found Eco's thread but it sounds like the homework turn in issue is related to actual hard copies. Aside from math (which is the class she's doing well in so far) all of dd's homework is typed up and turned in/uploaded electronically. The online computer website/system they use lists homework on a calendar and when you click on each subject's 'homepage' it will list upcoming assignments. There is also a grade page for each class showing what has been entered for a grade but sometimes it will show a zero for an assignment because the teacher hasn't entered it yet.

Even I'm overwhelmed at keeping track of what has been done (at home) and what still needs to be done because there are so many different pages to go through to find what you need.... from notes, to study guides, text, power point presentations, etc... Not to mention sometimes teachers will list an assignment on the weekly agenda page but that assignment won't be on the calendar assignment page.

So the ideas in Eco's thread won't help us much.

That sounds pretty overwhelming, no wonder DD is having trouble managing.

I have absolutely no smart ideas to help but it is a big plus that she is actually wanting to manage a planner--that may help, she can jot down things as she sees them.

DS has extended time in his 504 plan and we use it almost exclusively to troubleshoot the EF issues--not because he is especially slow to complete assignments. It just buys time for us (me, really) to discover if there is a problem, in time to fix it. Does your DD have an extended time accommodation?

Maybe I have one semi-smart idea. The way my DS is using his planner is pretty un-useful, because he just writes random nonsense on the day of class, instead of what he's actually supposed to accomplish. I think it would be good to write the assignments on the due dates in the correct space in the planner and then cross them off when they are turned in (not just completed, but submitted).

Does the school use some kind of "drop box" in the electronic submission process? You are supposed to be able to see if an assignment is submitted through our school's "Canvas" system, but not many teachers use this where we are.

Does your DD have face-to-face classes, or is the school entirely online? What's below pertains to face-to-face schooling.

Possible accommodations/supports:

--need all teachers to read and follow IEP. Who is in charge of this in a largely online school environment?

--DD checks planner with teacher before leaving each class (or weekly, if it's all online); this is to make sure that the planner entry is complete and it's clear what needs to be done. Can have teachers initial planner to confirm it's been checked.

--Support in study hall or at the end of the day for *using* the planner: in a brick and mortar environment, an intervention specialist goes through planner and confirms what needs to be done, making sure all necessary materials come home. This person can also help with navigation/checking assignments online.

(Do you even have access to IS support? How is special ed managed at this school?)

--Emailing/submitting work *when it is done* (not later). If work is completed in study hall or in class, it should be submitted then.


Tips:
--School probably knows that navigation is impossible. Ours did. They are gradually improving it (single login instead of a dozen) but it is slow going.

--We have not found solutions for the "is it no grade because teacher is grading, or because the kid forgot" issue. One could write into the IEP a chance to make up missing work (grace period).

--Ideally you want enough support happening at school that you are not running the show from home. DD has to learn to own this stuff; which means she has to be directly taught the necessary skills, with support to see that they generalize.

Sounds a lot like my 12yo.

It is very hard for a parent to stay on top of these things. Our school is not 100% online yet, maybe 50% if that. But our 12yo with executive function deficits has issues with writing assignments down, and understanding what the assignment is actually asking. He is very literal, and too often the written assignment is unclear (even to us parents).

In his IEP, we have an sped person check each day that all his assignments are written down properly. We also have reduced workload for some classes because he takes forever getting things done. We've found that teachers resist reduced workload even when it is in the IEP, and you have to stay on them about it.

Also, he is prone to anxiety, so there are certain assignments that he doesn't want to talk about. That makes things complicated.

One thing that we have been trying is to sit down with him and make a homework chart each day after school. We go through his assignments and online materials to make sure we know what needs to be done. He doesn't have to start on it right away but once we know what we're dealing with we can plan the rest of the day.

Been there, your daughter isn't alone with these struggles. In fact from your description I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't alone in struggling with this at your school. Do you know other parents in her classes? Have you been to a back-to-school night and met any of the teachers yet?

DS had these issues in 6th grade and he had only one teacher. It was for a gifted class but keeping track of what was due when was complicated. Some assignments were assigned at the beginning of school either weekly or the book reports will be due on X dates. (One a week you will do X and turn in on Y day). Other homework was due daily, other stuff given 3-4 days. You were supposed to have a classroom buddy and if you were absent ask him or her for your missed assignments. (A social disaster for DS) And the teacher introduced each child having his/her own laptop/tablet in that class that IMO made things more confusing.

My guess is an adult needs to have a conversation with each of these teachers so they can get the rhythm of how the work is assigned and understand what is due when and the idiosyncrasies of how each teacher assigns work. This adult can be you or perhaps the resource specialist at school but it needs to be someone who has time to supervise her frequently. These conversations would be best done in person but if they have to can be done by email.

Good Luck.

If your daughter has face-to-face classes (or even if she doesn't, actually), take a look at the HOPS program for teaching executive skills. It is research-backed, and designed to teach kids in middle school who have troubles in this area. It is somewhat expensive, but I was able to get a copy through interlibrary loan to "try before I buy." It is a very structured, week-by-week plan that doesn't try to do everything at once, and is designed to fit with teachers' and administrators' busy schedules. Even if it needs to be modified to fit your online school model, having a starting place to modify from sounds like it would be useful.

Good luck.

That looks like something that my DD could use - thanks for sharing!

I hadn't even thought of inter-library loan! Great tip--thank you.

I'm looking at the HOPS program, too, mountainmom, but was hesitating because of the price (and my mountain of only somewhat useful books). Maybe we can share war stories...I mean tips...as the year progresses. It sounds like our children have similar challenges with organization. It's a really difficult problem, and hard to watch helplessly as they TRY so hard but can't get the darned assignments submitted!