We have several methods for helping him deal with these challenges; I’ll share just a few. Luke’s mind requires associative learning—I must find some way to connect new information to a “file” already stored in his mind. Without associations I might as well be Charlie Brown’s teacher, harping, “Wah wah wah wah wah.” This process looks different for every lesson but often involves having him do something related to the lesson (experience) or using a piece of media (a DVD or computer game) before presenting the “formal” material. One recommendation I will offer is a website called time4learning.com. Their service does have a monthly fee, but I have found it well worth the investment. Luke enjoys the interactive lessons, and after he completes them on the computer he is better able to attend to and make sense of my lesson on the same topic.

The verbal processing and working memory challenges are huge obstacles for him. We actually had an educational psychologist confirm this through vigorous testing. On a visual-spatial test, which required no verbal processing, he scored in the superior range. However, on verbal processing and working memory tests, he scored as low as “borderline retardation.” Now, the psychologist was quick to point out that nothing about this boy is “retarded,” but these results show the great discrepancy between his intellectual potential and what he is often able to produce. To help him with this, we use study methods such as acronyms or songs to help him retain information (he learned our phone number to the tune of “Fur Elise” by Beethoven). We turn Bible verses into “charades” by giving physical actions to the key words. I have a visual aid for every single concept of our school day, no matter how minute. It is amazing to see how differently he responds when I provide these supports, as opposed to assuming that he “got it” simply because I said it.

As for assessing him, I have a dual process there. First of all, I like to know what he truly learned, so I bypass the processing challenges by allowing him to “free flow” through narration. This is a Charlotte Mason technique that allows the child to simply tell the teacher what he or she has learned. I type as he narrates, and he’ll “edit” me; he has become quite good at this and often comes up with details I myself had forgotten. On the other hand, I also want to teach him how to answer formal questions, so I create quizzes based on what we’ve learned each week. It is fascinating to watch him recount the information in great detail through narration, only to completely fail a simple quiz on the same subject matter because he has not understood the questions. We are working on picking out the key words of a question, reading over all the multiple choice options before answering, and using cues (e.g., songs, acronyms) to aid in recall. Sometimes he does well with this, sometimes not, but there is progress, and that is the big picture. One thing I can attest with complete certainty: had we left him in that public school setting, he would not be doing anything near grade-level work.