When I adopted my daughter, we learned that she has FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). I have been homeschooling her since 2012 when the educational psychologist who assessed her recommended homeschooling her, saying that the school she was in did not understand how much difficulty she was having, nor were they doing the things that would help her to improve. He recommended I learn a phonics-based reading program, and I became a trainer (this was in the UK). He also recommended using Cogmed (to increase working memory). When I moved to the US, I had the opportunity to become a coach for Cogmed.
I have tried many curricula, and it has been frustrating. This past year at the homeschool convention, I spoke with Andrew Pudewa, and he recommended some neurodevelopment. I searched high and low, and amazingly, this year, HSLDA brought on board Carol Brown from Equipping Minds. They wrote about her in a recent newsletter. I quickly realized that her work would probably help my daughter, and we started in early September.
I have been amazed at my daughter’s results and want to share this with as many people as possible. I have seen that the problem is not with most curricula now … it is with my daughter’s need for greater cognitive skills. With this hope and the fact that this work would not be done in public schools in such a comprehensive way – more people would be able to stay homeschooled. I know that school is not the place for my daughter. I have been told, and because I taught in a high school in England before homeschooling my children, I have seen that it would not be a place for her. However, I also believe many people struggle with children who “get stuck” at a level and can go no further or struggle greater. I believe Carol Brown and her work would help many of them.
Suzy
