Math

I have to vent about math. Zach's doing good, that's not the problem. He just HATES it! He starts to get very upset and frustrated as soon as we sit down to work. His short term memory difficulties pop up like every third day and I have to remind him...negative and a negative is a positive. positive and a negative is a negative. Which direction to go on a number line if your adding two negative numbers. He frequently slips up his multiplication and addition. He knows the difference of course but what he sees and what his brain processes are two different things. -5 divided by 25 can be so upsetting. But then...I say it out loud, Zach that's easy..-5 divided by 25 and he throws his arms up and gets upset with himself! It's ok...move on, I say. We celebrated Mother's Day today by working on two hours of Polynomial work. I had to stand by to remind him here or there about these small things, yet writing out the work on a long division polynomial comes very easy to him. That's how I know he's learning. I don't let the little things bother me. I just want him to know that.

Always looking

http://www.karifisher.net/

I found a new blog today that is written by Kari Fisher...not to be confused with the Carrie Fischer who portrays our beloved Princess Leia from the Star Wars series. I like to find and read any other information I can find about Dyspraxia. Of course, to me at this point, it is like listening to a horrible scratched record. (Don't get me wrong. She has a great blog.) It hurts my brain to read over and over again the symptoms, causes, and effects of this disability. I've SEEN it...I don't want to hear about it again from the beginning! I want to talk about what comes next...what outlook do I have to look forward to and how to deal with it. Of course I would help anyone who needed it.  Or maybe they just had a diagnosis and had questions. I want to spread the word and bring attention to it, but we need more than just what to look for from infancy...What can we do as the years go by? I'm proud of my son. He has Dyspraxia. He's going to be great. Just watch me get him there.

trying 3-D shapes

Today I was going to show you some of Zach's art work. Art, especially 3-D art is very difficult for children with Dyspraxia. But let me tell you, they make the coolest 2-D art you'll ever see! I started Zach in art class when I started homeschooling him in 4th grade and he has taken it ever since. I enrolled him because art is like occupational therapy. It keeps the brain connecting and thinking. 

Getting closer to the Finish Line

I've been down for awhile with a sinus infection and when that happens Zach suffers. I usually help him study for his tests, but with a horrible headache it makes it impossible. We trudged through spring break and did pretty well since I was able to micro-manage him. What I mean by that is being able to constantly say...""Did you get it done?....Are you doing it now?"" Like every 5-10 minutes I have to cross his path to make sure he is reading or writing. Otherwise he will space out and accomplish nothing.

With a renewed sense of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, being May and all, I am very upbeat about his work. I always get excited this time of year! I have a feeling of...You did it!!! (We did it!) Of course Zach likes to count down the days too! He celebrates his birthday Memorial weekend and what a perfect time to do so.

This Easter we went to visit our new baby niece, Abbie. Abbie is nine months old and lives four hours away, so we have missed quite a few milestones. She is adorable and she immediately took to Zach. Honestly she wanted nothing to do with anyone but him! I LOVED seeing it. I felt reassured that someday he would be a great Dad and that all the natural instincts a dad would need to be a great father. He took every opportunity to hold, feed, and adore her.