Assessment 2019-20: Brother

How grateful we all are that Brother's school year, that came in like a lion, went out like a lamb!

In the beginning, we were holding on with our fingernails to what routine we could.  We ended each day sweaty, worn, and bleeding in heart, body, or both.

I spent many hours researching and considering schools for Brother to give the rest of us a rest and spread out the responsibility of care, but in the end, we chose none of them, and for now, we need none of them.

Part of the solution was surely, surely getting Brother off meds that hurt his brain.

I believe that another part was Brother's baptism and confirmation in January. Without going into a long list of pros and cons and considerations, we felt in our hearts that it was better to go ahead with this saving ordinance than it was to wait.  My eyes have seen and my heart has felt that this was the correct choice for Brother's well-being.

I trust that he is better for both physical and spiritual reasons.

And ABA therapy.

This year was part of our long, long, long journey to approval for ABA therapy.

Not that Brother has actually worked with a therapist other than for assessment--COVID-19 has prevented that.  But the parent-training and data-collecting has been very helpful, as we've found some patterns and brainstormed behavior-intervention plans that have at least been worth trying . . . even if they haven't been miracle cures.

In the end, Brother has had what I consider to be an academically successful year.

Academics

Reading:  Brother used The Beginner's Bible and Sonlight's I Can Read series.  In the beginning, it was a challenge to get him to read at all, and it was such hard, hard work for him.

In The Beginner's Bible, I would read a story to him a couple of times over a couple of days, then on the third day, he would read it with a great deal of help from me.  In the early part of 2020, we were able to switch to reading one story a day, taking turns reading pages.  By May, he was reading whole stories on his own.

The I Can Read series was good for Brother in that it has so much repetition, and he needs every repetition he can get.  We made full use of the word list book that accompanies the story readers, and Brother worked hard for every word/word pattern he learned.

After he finished those he read aloud to me the following list of books:

Little Bear
Frog and Toad are Friends
Frog and Toad Together
Owl at Home
Mouse Tales
Hill of Fire
Are You my Mother?
Titanic:  Lost and Found

I would not call Brother a confident or fluent reader yet.  He has the skills, but they are hard for him to access, and reading is still a matter of sounding out most words, so it takes a lot of energy, and it does not bring him much joy.  However, he is quite happy to take a book he has already read and go over it again and again.

Repetition is his best tool.

So I had him work on several phonics/spelling books this year:

Core Skills Phonics 1
Explode the Code 2
Explode the Code 2 1/2 (he's not quite done with this one, so I'll have him finish it on a "bored" day)

Review, review, review.

Math:  Brother started the year finishing up Rod and Staff Arithmetic Grade 1.

Then he moved to Rod and Staff Arithmetic Grade 2.  This level has 5 workbooks; Brother is approximately 2/3 of the way through the 3rd book.  It is a highly repetitive curriculum that works for Brother.

He's good at math . . . he's got a mathematical mind that likes patterns, rules, and predictability.

Crocheting is both soothing and satisfying for Brother.   It appeals to his order-hungry mind.

Handwriting:  Brother completed Copy Book 1 by Memoria Press with tolerable success.  Brother wants to write fast--not carefully.

It shows.

We're working on it.

Self-portrait in Cheerios.

Brother participated meaningfully in Morning Meeting and Academy for as much of the time as he was capable.  He missed many sessions of each due to hospitalizations and behavior interruptions, but he did his best.  He's hungry to understand the world around him, so he's a great student.  He shares delightfully quirky insights that make the rest of us think again about what we understand.

Brother is also part of my Little Kid Read Aloud group at bedtime.

PE:  He rode his bike, hiked with us, dug in the sand pit, learned to shoot a basket, helped in the garden, learned to jump rope with a skipping step, ran races, played tag, initiated sit-up contests with his brothers, initiated races with everyone who would listen to him, climbed trees, walked on rocky shores, learned about core muscles, and did a thousand other healthy physical activities outside.

Recently he's begun to do a strengthening routine in his room before he gets dressed--push-ups, sit-ups, stretches, and other invented activities.  His dedication is quite charming; it is, however, frightening in its implications for when he's dangerous.

He wants to be "the strongest."

We can't really afford that.  (But I've discussed this with his ABA therapist, and she's looking for a self-defense/safe restraint class for us to take.)

Brother also participated in as much of our American Rhythm year as we were allowed to have.  He's a leader and a good example of diligence in class.  He cares about doing his best for the nursing home residents, and he is polite to and interested in the people who watch our shows.

He did start the year in the "Stripes" group, but decided within a month that this level was too hard.  He happily returned to the "Stars."  He was a good example to the younger kids.

Showing off a creation made during a play therapy session.

I don't really know how to define this year for Brother in terms of grade-level.  At the end of what would be his 2nd grade year based on his age, his skills and accomplishments are spread over an approximately 3 year space.  I think my best bet is to wait before trying to define him by grade level and just keep helping him develop at his own pace.

I hate answering the "Does he have an IEP?" question on forms.

Legally he doesn't.

In reality, he does.

And he's making solid progress academically, emotionally, and spiritually.