Book Sharing Monday

The Mis-Labeled Child, by Brock Eide, M.D., M.A. and Fernette Eide, M.D.

"In the Mislabeled Child, the authors describe how understanding a child's unique strengths can be used to help overcome obstacles to learning. The book gives much-needed guidance and reassurance to anyone who works or lives with children."

This book has been a tremendous help to me. WIth chapters on: memory, visual problems, language problems, attention, autism, sensory processing disorder, dyslexia, Dysgraphia, math issues, and challenges that come with giftedness - it pretty much covers everything!

It explains everything is great detail in a very user friendly way. Then offers ideas for treatment, both at home for parents, and reccomending which professional to see when necessary.

Really this book helps to take the guess work out of things. For anyone learning about Sensory Processing Disorder, I thin ktaht the explanation is the best general overview I've seen . I've read several books on SPD, and this short description really firmed things up for me and somehow made it all make a little more sense (it's a tricky thing to wrap your brain around - no pun intended ;) )

I read it ages ago, but pulled it out recently again. I've just started Mr. S with Grade 1 (we loosely follow the Waldorf curriculum which doesn't start introducing reading and math until the children are around 7.) Mr. S was diagnosed with a fine motor skill delay, as well as sensory processing disorder. I'm realizing just how much this is going to affect the way I approach his homeschooling , so after a very busy summer (when is it not busy really with 5 kids?) I'm playing catch-up and revising my plans. While we will most certainly be doing written work and drawing, he will need me to be flexible to keep him feeling positive about learning. We'll be doing a lot more working with the letters in a physical way, molding them out of modeling wax etc and a bit less writing. I will add in physical exercises and some Brain Gym activities as well. This book is helping me to get a clear picture of where specifically to go with Sascha as far as therapies go. I know from his previous assessment that a visual processing disorder was suspected - he's old enough now I think for an assessment with a Developmental Optometrist. He'll also need to see a good OT again - both of these things will require travel unfortunately, which is why we haven't pursued them yet. I think that the SPD is at play with his difficulties as well.

I find that I am able to get a lot more out of assessments of any kind if I go in knowing my stuff - that way I can talk with the person and if they are heading off in the wrong direction (they've just met him after all) I can give a little more information that might help them better understand him. I can also ask informed questions and progress happens a lot faster.

In the mean time I've got loads of ideas from this book and others to keep us plenty busy in the mean time while we're waiting for the assessments.

There is so much information out there to wade through on pretty much any topic - I love it when I can go in knowing which book is *the* book to start with - love that :) This is one of those books.