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HELP : My Son Struggles With Patterns and Numbers
Q
My son , who is 13 years old , has spastic cerebral palsy , high functioning autism , and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ). He also has dyspraxia . His vision is poor , as he has myopia with poor depth perception and poor visuospatial ability .
My concern , and hence need for help , is that due to poor logical reasoning he is weak in mathematics . Since he was very young he used to cry and scream looking at patterns and long sequences of numbers , and this still continues . He now also screams while doing geometry and graphs . He doesn ' t understand orientation in geometry at all .
Today , while doing frequency distribution in the data handling section of his schoolwork , he was crying continuously and asking : “ Why so many numbers ?” ( there were 50 numbers ). I have downloaded a special graph paper from the internet for him because it is impossible for him to use the regular graph paper .
How can I help him to calm down during geometry and graphs ? How can I ease out the stress and tension in his mind which arises when he sees patterns and figures ? Please help me .
Thanking you , Prodipta
A
Hi Prodipta ,
Your son sounds very bright . My first question is about your son ’ s vision . Does he wear glasses ? Has he been screened for services by a teacher of the visually impaired ? Students with poor vision often benefit from raised line paper , including raised graph paper . Also , graph paper that has been outlined with a black marker helps some students .
You might want to consult a teacher of the visually impaired regarding issues surrounding graph paper and other materials . This may assist with lowering his anxiety when dealing with patterns , sequences , and graph paper . There is also a possibility that he might benefit from large print .
I ’ m not sure how much your son ’ s arms and hands are involved with his cerebral palsy . An occupational therapist might be able to assist you with securing his paper to his desk so the paper doesn ’ t move while he is attempting to graph his geometry data .
Giving your son " breaks " during his geometry assignments may assist with his challenges in this subject . Rather than crying and screaming , remind him to ask for " assistance " or for a " break ”. While dealing