Letter Matchup

Today we are matching letters. Our one-at-a-time lettering (here) wasn't doing much. He would know a letter for a week and then after starting the next letter he would promptly forget the first one. I was kind of thinking maybe he didn't see the connections. Maybe? Maybe he focused on the trees so much he didn't see the forest.

We don't do phonics because of his disordered speech. The sounds don't match the letters so that's all kinds of confusing. He can't sing the alphabet all the way through yet, but he can fill in a missing letter if you stop every so often. 

We tried sandpaper letters. He does like them and he sometimes will put the letters in order for his name, but he struggles with what they are. No way we could do the whole alphabet that way right now.

We tried typing words into YouTube which he LOVED (here). Playdough letters (here). Animal shaped letters. Body shaped letters. Letter songs. But all they just turned into games. I don't think he completely understands that letters make up the words. He will ask what a word says sometimes, but he isn't interested in how they're made. He wants to read but doesn't understand what reading is. And that is the kicker. Otherwise I'd just be content with showing him the letters and give him another year. But he picks up a book and wants to know what it says.

Sigh.

So we've tried all these handy ideas, and all of them above and beyond the pre-k curriculum I've bought and the idea boards I've snatched off Pinterest. Beyond what his teachers tried to do last year.

So we are trying this method: Visual Alphabet. 

I bought 2 packs of Appletters and lined up the alphabet, then had my Boy match the extras.

He did it. Which means we went through a lot of peppermints. A. Lot. Cuz we are still at the one-to-one reinforcement stage.

And it's totally worth it.

Because one day he will read and write. No matter what the Negative Nellies say.



There's a million ways to do this, and we've only tried a dozen so far...


Suggestions????

Letter A

We've had some success with the ''type it yourself into YouTube'' practice so I pushed the envelope today.

Play D'oh lettering.

Most Pinteresting Mommies know this one, but my guy hates letters. He does love him some Play D'oh though.

Well, now that he knows LETTERS = YouTube cartoons, he's a smidgin more pliable. Just a smidgin.

But here's the growth factor from the above little factoid that really blows me away; my Boy doesn't understand why we do things. Curse those "wh" questions!

But really;
 "Why do we wear shoes?"  Shoes and socks on feet.
"Why do we eat?" Apples and banana peels.

That's our language reality. So....
"Why letters?"  So that I can find my cartoons on YouTube like a big man.

Window. Opened.

Why answered.

Welp.... I jumped all over that like hotcakes. Spectrum Mom + Pinterest = Homeschool success.

Here's to ONE letter of success. One letter? Yup!!! I'll take it!



Hi there, Momma 'A' and Baby 'a'. How you doin'? (If you didn't read that in Joey's voice, you're doing it wrong; click here to become edjumacated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjQ1xD6UL-4  )

Lovely free printables found on Pinterest via http://www.123homeschool4me.com/ . Printed, added to slickies and put in 3 ring binder.

BAM!

'A' is for "ausome".

Momma letters, baby letters and squeakless learning.

Writing his name is coming along. Slowly. Very slowly. Painfully. Slowly.

So slowly that I've learned something new; Letters are not writing.

I am just starting to wrap my brain around this.

Letters are not writing.

Letters are the base of the pyramid of written, typed and most other non-spoken forms of communication.

Writing involves fine motor skills and squeaky sounds on delicate paper.

Letters are not writing.
Typing is not writing.
Writing is not reading.

And which do I want more? Writing or reading? 

So we are taking a mini-break from writing to learn letters. Not A is for Ant because Boy couldn't give a Hootie's Blowfish about Ants or Aunts or Alphabets. And no, he can't sing the song. So I'm trying a work around.

He learned the letter 'H'.

 "It's a line (finger down his chest) and another line (finger down the other side of his chest) and a line (finger across the middle). That is Hero Factory."

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Light bulb moment. I love light bulb moments.

"Yeah. That's called an 'H' and 'H' is for 'Hero'."

Now he's telling everyone. Our world is the letter H.

So progress a few to rainy day/not enough to do/Youtube day/Momma's beat day.

"What do you want to watch?" YouTube, I love/hate you.
"Hero Factory." Of course.
"Ok." (Starts typing)
"NO! I will do it! I will type it." (proceeds to find iphone's mini letter 'H').

Spectrum Mom mind blown.

I tried to help him with the rest but E & R.... they don't mean anything. They are rambling sounds that his little auditorilly challenged self just can't grasp.

Ok. Open up your brain.... think...

"Boy, what shows do you want to type into Youtube?"

"Hero Factory. Mixels. Thomas."

Type it up for him. Print it out. Let him follow the letters like he follows his Lego directions.

Problem solved.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-iqosn6ny4ZcEtjb0NsNVRpb2c/edit?usp=sharing

I thought.

But typing in himself he noticed the 'E' he typed came up on Youtube as 'e' and we narrowly averted a meltdown.

Ok. 

"There's a momma letter and a baby letter for each letter you type. They sound the same and they build the same words. You might type a momma and baby comes up. That's ok. They're the same letter."

Got it.

Problem solved version 2.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-iqosn6ny4ZQ3Y4ZmRPU1lucUU/edit?usp=sharing

If any of your kiddos are struggling, I hope you give this a try. It took me about 5 minutes on a computer doing pic searches for Google and copy/paste. Let me know if it works for you!!!!

What do you do?

I got asked.

 I knew it was coming because I was second in line. I had a full two minutes to think about it.

"I'm retired."

It was all that I could come up with. 

Until I heard "I wish I was retired, too." That lit my fire. 

Nothing makes you realize the absurdity of your own statement like a good reflection.

Plan B.

"I'm retired from ____. I'm a full time student. I'm a stay at home Mom to a four year old boy who is severely autistic."

It still wasn't enough though. 

"What do I do?"

Nothing really. 

I don't "go to work."

Don't go shopping.

Or out to restaurants.

Vacations.

Coffee dates.

Pedicures.

What do I do?

I wake up a half a dozen times a night to make sure my son doesn't get hurt during night terrors.

I chase him when he bolts, often grabbing him by the collar right before he runs into parking lots or streets. Because he won't wear a leash and he's too big for me to carry him around like an infant.

I hold him like a yogi-Jedi master-pro wrestler when he's having a meltdown. I strain back and stomach muscles doing it.

I make certain he doesn't eat cat poop and cat food. 

I decide which counters he can lick and which ones are off limits. 

I take him to occupational therapy. And physical therapy. And speech therapy. And behavioral therapy.

I hide toys in bins of rice.

I plan his sensory diet.

I practice PRIDE skills.

I laminate PECS.

I help him line up his toys so he is perfectly, ecstatically happy.

I write his name on bathroom walls with shaving cream and teach him to trace it with his finger. And I make him wait 30 seconds before he can rinse it off.

I wipe his bottom.

I turn his straw a perfect 90 degrees.

I read stories to him. 

I talk to him about the seeds in his watermelons and how they grow new watermelons. 

I tell him about G-d and I hug him and kiss him and tickle him.

I schedule play dates with children even knowing there will be fighting and screaming and meltdowns. 

I rub essential oils on him that I can't afford and I give him deep tissue massages even though it's my back, neck and muscles that ache.

I fail daily at teaching him how to comprehend danger or sing the alphabet or recognize sight words. I try everyday anyway.

I fail daily at teaching him how to ask for help or answer a question. I try everyday anyway.

I try. I fail. I research. I try again. And again. And again.

I read about and research everything he struggles with; SPD, expressive language disorder, receptive language disorder, lack of post rotary nystagmus, artic and phonological disorders. At night. In my quiet room. Waiting for the next time he needs me.

I live in an 18 hour per day time loop that is full of frustration and exhaustion and miracles.

I am determined that we will not survive this life.

We will conquer it.

I show him how to live in this world and I watch over him and guard him and teach him 24 hours a day. Not because I am super human or paranoid or have nothing better to do. Not because I need to be needed. Not because this is the way I thought it would happen. Or because this is the way I planned my life.

I do it because I'm a Spectrum Mom.

And that's what we do.

RAWR.