I have a nine year old little girl with autism. When we are doing her homework she gets frustrated and crys an
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What behavioral interventions and work prompts are her teachers doing with her at school? Ask if you can sit in and observe so you can do the same thing for academic work at home.\n\nShe will calm down greatly when she has similar expectations and prompts across environments. Your behavior responses are probably different from her teachers, and this confuses her because homework is schoolwork is something that should happen just-that-way-that-it-always-happens.....
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you need to be PROACTIVE Have her sit down at the KITCHEN TABLE eg someplace without distraction (tv radio etc) where you can warth her study DON'T HOVER but keep an EYE out.  If she looks lost or confused tell her to focus and ask where she is and check how she id doing.  Don't just say how are you doing pick a few things out of her homework and ask her to explain them to you.  Have HER in a sence TEACH YOU.  what she learned.  if you work late let her start her homework late so you can watch her do it or if that isn't an option ask to see her homework at night and go over it with her B4 bed.  YOU MAY HAVE TO EXTEND HER BEDTIME.  This is OK.  ADOLESCENTS CAN FUNCTION ON LITTLE SLEEP MUCH BETTER THAN CAN ADULTS. besides the sleep cycle (circadium rythym) of a teenager is such that they want to stay awake later. it would be better for her, if she is your average kid, if you let her stay up to do the work.\n\nYOU MUST KEEP ON HER.  IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A PARENT!!!!!!!!!
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Try being a little bit more strict, not to the point of being harsh though. Just let them know that you are their teacher, and they need to stay on task. Also be consistent with your punishings. For instance, if one week you punish a lot of children for talking, and the next week you slack off a little bit, then they may get the idea that its okay to talk whenever they want to. Hope this helps. =)
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I understand your worry.  How disabled is your daughter?  Is it possible for her to get along in a group home with others with her same condition where they have people to help and monitor the situation? Maybe to start introducing her to prospective situations or people now so that she is familiar with them.  Do you belong to a religious community?  Since I don't know how much help your daughter needs its hard to think of ideas but you are welcome to e-mail me - I will try and help you think of ideas for the future.
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Wow I don't know if I should tell you this... Get her on nutritional supplements as soon as possible. My sister's boy was the same way... he won't eat anything until he is ready to pass out from hunger and he is really not well behaved. He gets violent at the drop of a hat. He has no control over his anger whatsoever, he will most likely be kicked out of school this year (he is ten now) for bashing his classmate over the head with a heavy object, he has to take anti-psychotic medication just to act (somewhat) normal. He is a bright and funny kid, he just can't control himself at all. You should seek professional help, and I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Best of luck.
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My son has ADHD, in the worst way. It is very very hard. Especially when he has a schedule to follow. Most tasks are very hard for him to complete because he is so easily distracted. He is 7 and is on medication, and even that isn't 100% effective. You take a deep breath, and tell yourself they are not doing IT to irritate YOU, they just can't help it. \n\nGood luck, let me know how it goes.
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I have a daughter 17 which came to live with me last year. Her grades suffered for the last semester of the year. We sat down and talked and I started let her live more as a young adult rather than a child and the grades have improved. She still had guidelines but were alot less stringent. Allowing a child to grow a little bit helps alot. I was guilty of not wanting my kids to grow up and I was the problem which I realized. I have bit the ole tongue and let her fall a few times but it has helped her grow more.\n  I also have a son who is 12 diagnosed with ADHD(5yrs) I have spent time at the school sharing information with the school on some of the do's and dont's of a ADHD child. Some teachers listen but some are still blind to ADHD. I have encouraged that the teachers become more aware of ADHD and ADD. But what can we expect because our teachers who are molding the grown ups of tomorrow are not paid enough. Educators which care move on to higher paying jobs so that they can support their families and not have to deal with parents who send their kids to school for  baby sitting.\n  We as parents have to be more involved in our school system with support as well discipline.
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There are several excellent programs designed specifically to help autistic students (and their families) cope with thier differences. Here are some links:\n\nhttp://www.teacch.com/\nhttp://www.autism-resources.com/papers/TEACCHN.htm\nhttp://www.spedusource.org/AutisticSpectrumDisorders.html
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When my daughter wakes up and starts playing with her toys, gets her mother to run behind her to make her eat. Sleeps peacefully on her father's shoulders...\n\nWish I was a kid like her with no worries and no deadlines <sigh>\n\nBut then I feel sad that within a year or two she will start the tiring journey called Study-Work-Pay life......\n\nWish we remained as Cave-men... <sigh> \n\n.:Fishie:.
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My little sister had Downs Syndrome and she is also 5 turning 6 in June. I love her so much. she has just been a blessing from God. When she (your downs child) starts to want to talk, be patient, and have more conversations with her. try to put her in a advanced class with other kids, because kids learn from each other. therapy's is what my little sister benefitted the most, so see if you qualify for Medicaid that help with health insurance to pay for therapy's. play therapy, speech therapy, music therapy theres so many! but most of all, dont give up. yes downs kids need more attention and take a lot of caring for especially because the chances are very few  Downs kids ever  live normal lives. but the point is that no matter what, have hope. every time you see your childs face, it must bring you joy because thats exactly the way i feel when i look at my sister. she has that metal capability of a 3 yesr old, even though she's 6, but they way i see it, even if i do end up having to take care of her when im older and my parents are too old to take care of her, i will. Downs kids are stubborn, happy, one track minded, artistic, flexible, and truly amazing. one thing that you will REALLY gain from this experience is learning to be patient with them.
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Gifted children often do have an obsessive, perfectionistic element to their giftedness. Some do have full-blown OCD. Your daughter is not alone in her current difficulties, and neither are you. This is not a reflection on your parenting... the fact that you are asking for more information and want to help her, and have been trying to help her, shows what a wonderful parent you are. \n\nYour child needs counseling, and you need to connect with other parents of gifted and of OCD and/or Anxiety kids to have regular support for both stress relief (nothing like hearing "yeah, me too" to make you feel better) and to get parenting ideas.\n\nIf she is having difficulty concentrating, and it just started recently, she may be also experiencing Generalized Anxiety, which given her obsessive streak may be a more likely cause for distractibility than ADHD (which doesn't really "pop out of nowhere"). A quick test is to give her a little caffiene (1/2 cup medium-strength coffee, or a can of Mountain Dew). Does she get agitated? Then she does not have ADHD. If she calms completely down and suddenly "finds her focus," she has ADHD. In any case, you should see your doctor and get a referral to a pediatric psychiatrist. This is NOT an automatic "lets go get meds," but the tapping of a specialist to help coordinate your counseling care and to monitor her symptoms. But don't close the door on the idea of meds, either. OCD and Generalized Anxiety are chemical imbalances, not a matter of willpower. Medication is a tool to help alleviate symptoms so that she can learn adequate coping skills. You wouldn't deny her insulin for diabetes, would you? The difference is that, IF the doctors suggest medicine, it often does not have to be a lifelong committment. As she builds coping skills, she may be able to go off them, too. If they do not suggest medication right away, they certainly will be able to provide you with specialized guidance in helping your daughter overcome her stress and find her productivity again.\n\nDoes your state have funding for gifted programming?  In my state, New Mexico, Gifted children are served under Special Education. This means that we also have excellent programs for children who are gifted who are also experiencing challenges ("twice exceptional" or 2x). \n\nThere are some professors at the University of New Mexico who are leaders in the field of gifted education, and 2x programs (I was lucky enough to have some instruction from them at the last education conference I attended).\n\nYour daughter should be receiving extra services of some kind. Is she or has she been in a gifted program? Is she currently receiving counseling, either privately and/or through the schools?
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I  have a child who has anxiety; has had symptoms for as long as I can remember.  I take more time with her, continually reasure her, I have her stop what she's doing for a minute and have her do breathing exercises, focus on calming down,etc...  I suffer from attacks, and finally got meds to help, but with a child, I'm very hesitant to resort to drug therapy if it can be avoided.
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I agree with the poster who said make sure you have things written down.  You didin't explain how old your child is or what type of problem you are having, so this might not even apply.\n\nMy daughter had a problem when she was in seventh grade.  She never did learn cursive writing (still hasn't learned it and she now has an undergraduate degree with a double major and is working on a masters).  In 7th grade her teacher held her work up in class one day to show all the examples of what NOT to do in a writing assignment.  Then he went on and told the next class about it as well when someone came back into class and said that my daughter was crying in the washroom - he explained to them why she was probably crying. He also made a sarcastic comment to her as she was leaving that day and she made a nasty comment back to him then.  She was in tears when she got home and very upset.\n\nMy response to her was that she needed to write a letter to the principal and explain what happened and why she was upset.  I told her she needed to give the teacher a copy of the letter because you can't make a complaint about someone in writing without giving them  a copy.  Her letter was two pages long.  The end result was that the teacher had to apologize to my daughter.  \n\nSo my advice is be diplomatic and follow sensible channels.  Be calm.  Put things in writing if they are not resolved with the usual contacts.  If your child is old enough (by fourth grade they can usually state their case quite well) make sure the child is involved in stating the case and the problem.  If there is a meeting my preference would be to have the child there and let him explain what is wrong.\n\nIf necessary get the principal involved.  Hopefully you won't have to take it beyond the principal.  Most principals want a peaceful school and like ot get issues resolved.\n\nI hope this helps.
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Do you mean that when you do homework with your father assisting you that he gets mad?  Is he getting mad at what you are saying relating to the subject?\n\nWhen I help my son (age 9) I get irritated when he doesn't buckle down and focus on the material.  He is ADHD, so it can be quite a challenge redirecting him and it takes patience.\n\nWhy not say to him, "Dad, I need to do this work, but getting mad at me won't help me learn it easier.  Can you try to be a little more patient and I will try to focus on the material I am learning a little better".
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Take her to a doctor.  It's possible that she has an infection of some sort.  It's also possible that she's acting out because of some sort of trauma (stress, abuse, being abandoned by her parents).  This isn't normal behavior for a healthy 9-yr-old.\n\nGood luck!
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Talk with her and her parents to find out exactly what issues she has in both subjects.  If possible, look at her report card.  \n\nOnce you know what areas you need to target, go on-line to find worksheets, puzzles, games, etc. to help her in those areas.  There are tons of free websites for teachers to use.  You can even print review questions for most books you may want to read with her.  One of my favorite sites is http://www.edhelper.com.  It has math, reading, language arts, etc.  Many worksheets are free.  To be honest, WalMart has some pretty decent workbooks at that age level, too.   They won't be quite as expensive as a traditional bookstore (which is also a good source).  \n\nMost importantly, be kind, be patient, and be encouraging.
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I have been teaching for 12 years at the elementary level.  The best thing to do is to have the public school screen your daughter.  It could be both LD and ADHD, neither, or something completely different.  Rather than guessing, it best to have her tested and know for sure.  This is especially true since she is in Kindergarten.  The sooner you know exactly what you're dealing with, the sooner you can get services and get things under control.  You should know there is a federal law that dictates your rights in this area.  It is called IDEA.  You can internet search this law to get the scoop but basically you have the right to have your child tested by the public school for FREE and if your child qualifies then the public school must also provide services for FREE.  But many times it takes constant vigilance to get the testing done.  There are so many kids that are tested that the schedule is booked months in advance.  So you have to have patience but make them do what they say.  If they say that they will test in May, make sure they do it.  Many times they say they will test at a specific time and if no one checks on them, it does not get done.  It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.  And remember if you don't speak up for your daughter, no one else will.  You are her biggest advocate. \nIn the meantime, you might ask her teacher how you could help at home.  Your daughter's education is a partnership and she will only truly be successful if you all are on the same page.   Hope this helps!