Just sharing a cute pic of the boys from the last day of school.
I can't believe how fast this year flew by. I mean, there were days dealing with homework battles and uncooperative kiddos in the morning, that I just couldn't wait for school year to end. And yet now that this school year is over, I'm sad to realize that I no longer have 2nd grader and a 5th grader... I now have a 3rd grader and a middle schooler! Waaaah! Stop growing! Where does the time go?!
But this year was big for both boys.
I think Grant finally got the "hang" of school. He's one of the younger kids in his class and was maybe a little immature starting kindergarten. But this year he grew leaps & bounds... from barely able to write a cohesive sentence, to writing meaning paragraphs! And from not really understanding what spelling is all about, to being one of the top spellers in his class! And from barely reading to being ready to tackle chapter books! Comprehension is still an issue, but I know that will come with time. And math skills are moving along nicely too. SO proud of you Granster!
For Ryan, big steps forward this year in terms of assessment & finding his "niche". In February I took him to the Family Means Center in Stillwater, MN to have a neuropsychological assessment done. Found out that Ryan is what they call "Twice Exceptional"... both exceptionally gifted AND with a learning disability. He has Asperger's Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. I know, sounds like an oxymoron to be both gifted and disabled, right? But with new diagnosing tools, experts are finding that there are more children that fit this diagnosis than they realized. And many fall through the cracks. These children who are obviously bright are seen as lazy because they don't get their work done on time, their desk in a disorganized disaster, etc.
The reality for Ryan is that he is a VERY creative and intelligent thinker, scoring in the 98% percentile in both math and reading. But the Asperger's causes him to have difficulties with "executive" functioning... organization, self care, time management, social skills... definitely explains alot of his challenges. Obviously, there is a wide range with the autistic spectrum, and Ryan is on the high functioning end. Still, the diagnosis does explain alot.
With the new diagnosis we were able to get an Individual Education Plan (IEP) at school. Ryan now checks in with the Special Ed teacher 1st thing in the morning & last thing before he leaves, just to help him stay organized and on track. He's also been given more "study hall" time to allow him to stay caught up. Made a HUGE(!) difference at the end of the year. Eased the homework battles and made Ryan feel more successful because he wasn't continually "behind".
The challenge going into Middle School will be to get him the gifted education that he thrives on with the compensation he needs to feel successful. Most schools aren't very good at this yet. They have programs for gifted OR disabled learners. But they haven't worked out how to incorporate the gifted students with learning disabilities. I foresee this as an ongoing battle through the rest of Ryan's school years.
I'm SO proud of Ryan! He understands his challenges and is actually excited to be "unique". After all, Albert Eistein is thought to have had Asperger's Syndrome too. He was "twice exceptional" just like Ryan. And Ryan thinks it VERY cool that he thinks just like one of his heroes. :)
Recent Comments