Is there any hope?

Question

I have been homeschooling my daughter since October. She is almost 10. I learned when I took her out of school that she never learned how to subtract, and they were just pushing her on through. I have been teaching her subtraction everyday since then, and she still doesn't even sort of know how to do it. She has atypical Autism, it is a mild high functioning form of Autism. Am I fighting a losing battle? Is she ever going to figure it out, or do I need to say s***w it and just move on. She is doing algebra now, but still can't subtract. The only reason I keep pushing it, is because it is something she will HAVE to know how to do to survive in daily life.

Answer 1

Not everybody can learn the basics.

there is hope that she will learn.

It is more important that she understands the concept of subtraction-even if she can't memorize all the facts---(that she knows she is taking something away and ending up with less)

Maybe you can consult with a tutor-just for the Math...

Answer 2

Try using math u see. You can get it cheap from ebay or used homeschool curiculum sites and boards. It is great for some children with problems, my daughter loves it. THey give you a free CD for an overview of the program

www.mathusee.com

Answer 3

there is always HOPE , it is always darkest before the light comes out.

i am a teachers aide who also subs. i work with autism and ADHD students...  i think both are easier to work with then regular students personally

get ALOT of work books. make copies at the library or if you have a scanner.  walmart has basic math books back in the toys, where the kids' books are, and they arent that expensive.  on the front cover it will say the grade/age appropriation  but if you feel she is not up to par i would pick an easier level.. practice practice practice..  can you afford a tutor? have you checked with her school she was in to see if they have tutors (some have afterschool tutors) to where you could take her to one?  is she not comprehending that if you have 6 and you take numbers away from it you will have less than what you started with?  its hard to do this over the internet.. but have you tried this... instead of writing numbers down like 4 minus 1 = 3   try objects....   balls for instance. put 6 balls on the table. say here you have 6 balls. if i take these three away how many are left here? and have her count the remaining balls.   blocks work. leggos if shes doing BIG number subtraction like 100- 86= X    you could put a 100 leggos on the table in front of her and have her take 86 away and count the remaining.  

i hope this helps in some small way..

Answer 4

Your daughter could have a learning disability on top of the autism.  If you want her to learn to subtract in school, make sure it is on her iep and you have regular progress reports that show percentages gained.  That doesnt mean you can teach all things to all kids. You do whatever it takes to help them succeed, and then you COMPENSATE for their weaknesses and prepare them for life outside the public school. I wish her luck

Answer 5

If she is doing Algebra she can subtract.  How about teaching her in an Algebraic formula?  All subtraction is, is adding a negative.  If she understands Algebra, she will understand 15 plus negative 10.

Answer 6

She needs the social interaction with her peers more than she needs subtraction - as long as there are calculators and other tools - I would just focus on subtraction as a part of something else like algebra. It may be that her issues might be that it is a big deal.

I don't know where you got the ter of Atypical Autism, I've never heard it and have been in the field for a very long time.

Answer 7

How can you do algebra without subtracting? Maybe try some unorthodox ways of teaching it.

Answer 8

Learning the basics (such as subtraction/addition/etc.) is easy for anyone.  There is always hope.  10 years old is still young.

Answer 9

Actually, my daughter has been described as atypically autistic, by someone who has been in the field over 30 years, and was trained at the TEACCH. From the NAS "Atypical autism - people with atypical autism do not share all three main areas of difficulty. Atypical autism may not be noticed before three years of age." My daughter was actually dx'ed at age 2 with PDD-NOS, but speech did not come forth, and so she was diagnosed as severe autism/atypical.

My daughter is ten years old, when I pulled her out of school to homeschool, she did not know any math at all, and was only reading to the extent that I taught her. If you handed her a ruler, she would just look at it blankly. The school had trained her well though, she could "do" touch math, the problem was that none of them had been trained to do it, and they screwed her up entirely. Just be thankful she can't do any math at this point, she doesn't have to unlearn it.

The trick with my daughter is that she is a very visual (and tactile) thinker. She has to see it to understand, so we did a ton of math with manipulatives. Legos, m&m's, get the book starting at counting (to teach the concept of using the book) and move up. We just finished the twizzler division book. we had so much fun...so yes, there is hope not only that she'll learn it, but that both of you will enjoy it.

And by the way, socialization is overrated for neurotypical kids, the socialization at school is way past inappropriate for autistic kids, so don't let anyone guilt you there. There is plenty of socialization with grocery shopping, paying bills and playing at the park. My daughter is so much more relaxed, that she can now play with any kid, rather than so stressed out waiting for someone to bully her. At school, they just cannot teach the social interaction, even with a social skills class. Wish you lived by me....we could chat sometime!