A Hard Day's Night

This post has nothing to do with the Beatles. I actually pretty much dislike the Beatles across the board. But it's what came to mind as a title, so we're going with it. Because today was hard. (Yes. The word hard is the only correlation you get. You're welcome.)

Youngest boy. I don't know what to do when it comes to school. There are days when he just seems to shut off. Today was one of them.

We switched to the online math and it was great last week. Today though, it pushed him over the edge. It's review. It's stuff he knows how to do. But the process of transcribing the problem from the screen to the notebook was...a lot. I worried it might be. Ocular motor/tracking struggles being what they are and such.

So I had him read it off the screen and I wrote it for him.

And that worked. Sort of.

So, I thought, let's try the calculator. It's a valid accommodation for ADHD. I don't love it. But also? Success in life doesn't mean you don't use the tools available. So we did that for a while and he liked it (although the screen to calculator and back tracking was still a struggle.) But then the computer needed you to add 3 digit numbers with carrying and SHOW the carrying process. Which if you're using a calculator you don't get to do.

So we moved to adding columns with the calculator instead of the whole numbers and switching between them was a shut down of fairly epic proportions. And when he's shut down if I try to get him to tell me where he's struggling (because he's just sitting and staring) he simply stutters until he gets so frustrated that he curls into a ball.

Right there with you, buddy. Right there with you.

We eventually got through it. Sort of. We did at least finish math. And we got through language arts orally. But then when it was time to read, he just sat there again shut down. Staring at the letters seemingly incapable of even trying to make the first sound in order to progress beyond that.

I tried setting that aside and switching to something else but everything we tried ended the same way.

And I'm kind of at a loss. I know hubby will be like "Send him to public!" But no? If he can't do it in a one-on-one situation what's going to happen when there are 29 other kids vying for the available help? Also? I can't fathom the bullying that he'd get. So that's off the table as far as I'm concerned.

Maybe we need to get him reevaluated for an additional/different/new/something diagnosis? Neurology? I just don't know. 

And it's heartbreaking. For both of us.