Becoming a Sherlock Homeschooler Getting to the Heart of the Matter Texas’ Special Kids Presents: © 2005 Texas’ Special Kids

I. Introduction You have concerns…something is not right in your home school…but what is it? Is the concern with your child / student a… Matter of the Heart? Is there something else at the

Goals for this workshop: Like a doctor diagnosing a disease, we begin with basic symptoms and increase in potential complexities; take a temperature before doing an MRI. Provide tools to take issues from the forest (big picture) down to looking at the trees (specific issues that may be of concern).

II. Physical or Emotional A. Physical 1. Eyes- is the child having difficulty seeing in order to read / function? 2. Ears- can the child hear well? Affects: Ability to follow direction Perceived disobedience (was the direction heard?)

II. Physical or Emotional (cont.) B. Emotional Distress Have there been any major emotional factors that may be having an effect on the child’s ability to focus on academics? Examples: (Extreme physical / emotional event)

III. Communication Communication is a two-way street… input and output. A.Receptive Language- what the child understands but may not communicate understanding. 1.Does the child hear? 2.Does the child understand what he is hearing? 3.Does he respond to direction? 4.Can he understand increasingly complex communication? Can he follow sequenced directions?

III. Communication (cont.) B. Expressive Language- Ability to communicate Needs, Wants, Feelings, and Concepts verbally. 1.Begins with 1-2 words 2.Sentences 3.Paragraphs 4.Asks questions for information. Note: Receptive language may be far ahead of expressive language, so…

III. Communication (cont.) C. How do you know what the child understands (if there is limited expressive output)? 1.Read the child’s behavior 2.Watch his eyes. If you suspect this is a behavior issue, especially if the child is non-verbal or behind, consider the following:

Sherlock’s A B C ’s of Behavior - Antecedent: What immediately preceded the concerning behavior? - Behavior: What do you see / hear? - Consequence: NOT punishment, but What does the child get or seek out of the behavior? Is the child trying to communicate?

IV. Sensory Issues Basic Definition: Dysfunction of Sensory Integration is the brain’s misinterpretation of sensory information. For a more in-depth explanation, see The Out of Sync Child, by Carol Kranowitz

IV. Sensory Issues (cont.) A. The 5 Senses of the Body Most only consider the 5 basic senses of: The other 3 include: 6. Proprioception- joint compression, sensation in the bones and muscles. 7. Tactile- we touch to identify / feel, but tactile is how it feels and is received. 8. Vestibular- balance issues.

IV. Sensory Issues (cont.) B. Input & Output 1.Input- the Sensory Nervous System does not receive information properly. a.Excess Input: clothing tags, sock seams, buzzing lights b. Lack of Input: spinning (feeds vestibular), visual stimulation (lack of nystagmus- connected to vestibular system). 2. Output- Response not appropriate to the input or setting (examples: screeching when trying to communicate, spinning, shut-down [over-load])

Sherlock’s A B C’s of Behavior - Antecedent: What immediately preceded the concerning behavior? - Behavior: What do you see / hear? - Consequence: NOT punishment, but What does the child get or seek out of the behavior? Is the child trying to communicate?

V. Academics There are several levels of academic progression: A.Developmental Readiness / Pre-Academics 1.Auditory processing 2.Gross / Fine Motor muscle development 3.Orientation to space, location, direction (left/right, up/down, in/out, ect.) 4.Time / Sequencing

Critical to Development retend- Creativity/Problem solving anguage- Listening / Talking ctive Movement ou! Social Interaction

V. Academics (cont.) B. Level 1 Academic Skills 1.Decoding a. Reading silently b. Reading aloud 2. Computation a. Mental processing b. Verbal or Fine Motor expression

V. Academics (cont.) C. Level 2 Academic Skills 1.Comprehension- does the child understand what he is decoding? 2.Composition- can the child express in written form what he is learning? These two skills apply to both math and reading. D. Level 3 Academic Skills 1.Synthesis- can the child put together the different skills and reach one new goal? 2.Analysis- can the child use the skills to analyze a new situation using all skills concurrently.

VI. Medical Issues If you can rule out all else, OR you see multiple issues in multiple areas, consider a consult with a medical or psychiatric professional** to consider the following (in alphabetical order): Attention Deficit / Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD) Anxiety Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder (Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD), Asperger’s Synd.) Depression Early onset Bipolar Disorder Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Oppositional Defiant Disorder **The representatives of Texas’ Special Kids are not qualified to diagnose any medical issue listed above…please seek professional advice in the appropriate field for accurate medical diagnosis.

VII. Willful Disobedience OK, so if none of the aforementioned possibilities seem to apply, are we talking about a matter of the heart? Willful Disobedience can be defined as a child having exhibited the ability to obey a specific directive, and no interfering issues* are present, but the child chooses to act contrary to direction. *Issues such as Sensory Dysfunction, Communication Problems, medical issues, stress / emotional distress, etc.

Conclusion We have come full circle in asking the question: Is my child’s apparent academic struggles a matter of the heart, and if not, what is at the heart of the matter? You know your child best, and honest, tough answers to some of the questions posed here may lead to some answers that will help you get your child back on track. For specific direction on a particular issue, come by the TSK booth and visit with us in person, or write us an from our website and we will reply with a personal response.

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