Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Remembering Assignments

In total agreement with Polarbear on this one. Unfortunately, real progress has taken years rather than weeks or months, but we are dealing with brain damage issues so likely more severe memory processing deficits. Despite the clear medical documentations, there is really a limit to what post-elementary teachers can be made to do for a particular student and I personally did not want to waste all my "currency" on this issue. It was a matter of training DS to do the exact same thing every single time. Despite the school's preference/practice, we used individual color-coded binders for each class. I always made sure work to be handed in was placed in the front pocket, where there was a label in red to remind DS to turn in papers placed in the front pocket. In the beginning, there also was a sticky note in red on each paper to be turned in. A ton of scaffolding and hard work on the parts of parents/students.

Nautigal - that is a wonderful quote. I'm saving that one! Thanks for sharing the full thing.

DeeDee - both are lacking this year; I think that is why it has been so much worse than last year. Somehow 8th grade teachers as a whole have difficulty separating out accommodating for learning disabilities and toughening up kids for high school. Quantum - this is what we'd done in the past with some success, but the teachers have been quite uncooperative this year about fitting into "our" system and, instead, demanding that my son figure out how to deal with their myriad systems of organization.

My son's gifted teacher who has been the worst to deal with by far told him last week that he really needed to work on this memory thing and "get over it, because it's going to be a disadvantage when you're an adult."

My son, without missing a beat, asked him if he gave the same advice to kids in a wheelchair about not being able to walk as adult so they should start working on it now. The teacher said it wasn't anywhere near the same. My son said it was exactly the same and that just because a disability was in the brain and not visible didn't mean it wasn't a disability.

We worked with the Special Ed chair and decided to remove my son from his elective and put him in a special ed classroom the last period of the day. He is in the class as an aide to help with the 3 D-Level students, but he spends most of the period doing his homework. The aide in the classroom then walks with him to the teacher's lounge so my son can deliver all of the homework to their mailboxes.

His stress level is down, the constant yelling from the teachers has somewhat abated, so it is a fix for this year. But, oh, am I dreading next year.

We have seen this too. When the expectations rise, they rise for everyone-- which is only a good thing if coupled with continuing support for those who are not acquiring all the skills on the standard schedule. I would like to believe most kids can get the skills, or accommodate around what's not going to click into place-- but there is no point in believing in magic here, or in telling the disabled kids to "suck it up."

We do a lot of conversation like "because he has autism, you will see that he struggles with ..." and keeping them aware of his current organizational skill levels, so that they can't say they never heard about it. We also have special ed run interference for us on this with subject area teachers, so they hear it two ways.


I would raise this with Guidance department as well. Our DS has NINE passwords for various computer accounts/subscriptions/online textbooks, plus homework both on and offline. This is a mess for all kids, not just him. (It is just an extra special mess for him.) The school administration needs to know when this stuff is badly out of joint, whether for one or for all.


I would go to the district's special ed director and ask them to do some professional development for this teacher.


LOVE HIM. I hope my DS is that composed by 8th grade.


Next year=move to high school?

I would start the conversation with the new school VERY early. They can and should place your DS with teachers more likely to foster success; they can do professional development with those teachers to foster understanding of the disabilities; they can even give your DS extra support at the start of the year if that's what he will need. All that stuff takes time. My aim would be to have a plan in place by the end of January-- even if schedules are not set, etc., having everyone up to speed and aware will help a lot.

DeeDee

DeeDee - consider this a huge virtual hug. Thanks for all the input and thoughtful advice!

Thanks. Needed the hug today, as it turns out. These 2Es can certainly put a little gray in one's hair.

DeeDee

Thank goodness middle school and high school are all essentially the same for us! It's all in the same building and has the same administrators and some of the same teachers. If we last that long without going to e-school instead, we'll at least have them broken in. And even if we do e-school, we'll still be there for extra-curriculars.

Lisa, that was awesome that he managed that response when it was needed! I would think of it five minutes after I left.... And that sounds like a workable solution, the last-hour homework and walk to delivery thing. DS could use that.