Phoenix Learning Resources

I have referenced my joy at having some learning resources to turn to for my son. These were given to us by The Wizard some years back, and when I dug them out several months ago, I was thrilled to see that I could still order things. This website is straightforward, just like their materials. There is not a lot of “fluff” or clutter to distract me the student from the main concepts.

Their reading comprehension series has questions to answer. I know someone who likes to do homework who may love these!

I also like that there are so many levels to choose from. We have ordered several paperback books that are high interest/low level. They offer many great classics, such as Robin Hood and The Trojan Horse. The science curriculum is fabulous, too, and we used that years ago. The stories are factual and interesting, without a lot of fanfare. I am thinking of getting a new one on my son’s level, just for fun, since he is very interested in science. I may just read them aloud.

I recently ordered a critical thinking workbook for N, and I will let you know how that goes. There is so much to be had here! Take a look and see what you think. I would love to work for a place like this. It combines all my loves – reading, gaining information, learning new things—all at one’s own comprehension level.

Check it out at Phoenix Learning Resources.

What the Wizard Said

As I mentioned, there were parts of these visits with the developmental guru that were very helpful and enlightening. He clearly did not have any expectation that families would be doing much besides his “program”, but I am sure that plenty more than myself balked at the requirements of his prescription.

The Best of His “Suggestions”:

1) Patch N’s good eye (he has strabismus) for increasingly longer periods, but not more than 2 hours at a time. Of course, this was supposed to be off and on throughout the day, between and while we were doing other various and sundry exercises. Don’t try this at home, folks! Someone (like a Wizard) needs to look at your kid’s eye and tell you to do it. I do think we avoided surgery this way, although he does still have weakness here.

2) Bombard with language! When the child is playing in his room, put on a recorded story. This can be one read by you or anyone else. He emphasized abundant exposure to language. Also, if the child is nonverbal, make a recording of commonly used words, saying them slowly. (“Juice”, “potty”, “Mommy”, “bed”, etc.) It can’t hurt, right? If the child is saying one word utterances, up the recording to two word phrases. (“Want juice”, “go potty”, “love Mommy”, etc.) And upward. (N still listens to his vast collection of Adventures in Odyssey stories on CD. What a boost these have given his vocabulary!)

3) Use exfoliating gloves for increased periods of time for sensory desensitization. N really did not like this at first but grew to tolerate, then kind of like it. Again, this is something that would have to be started for just a very short amount of time and built up. I would also ask a professional about it. They also taught us some deep pressure and massage techniques.

4) Improve auditory processing and memory by having your child repeat a series of numbers back. This one is so hard and we hated it (I would love to pay someone to do this today!), but it has lots of merits. You gradually increase the number of digits you say (then you yourself cannot actually tell if they got it right because you forgot it, too!), and also decrease the speed at which you say them, so there is more time to have to remember. Tricky!

He gave us a whole lot more than this to do. I really got burned out doing a lot of this stuff and started feeling less like a mommy and more like a circus trainer. (Not that my kid is an animal to be trained, but rather like we did not have a relationship except for this stuff. And it could be rote and often too all-consuming.) Again, this may be more due to the personality of the circus trainer.

The best thing I got out of the Wizard was a wonderful resource for reading. I dug a box out from the attic just a few days ago, because I am ordering N’s Language Arts curriculum for him to work on at school. I found the company’s name on an old book, looked them up online, and found a dizzying assortment of great choices for him! I am so excited that I could still access this unique line of books.

Off To See the Wizard

I don’t even remember how I got started on the idea of more therapy. (If you know me and remember this, please let me know.) It seems like N was around 4 or 5, about the time that I really should have been maxed out on therapy for him. Maybe I was thinking about that being a window of time that would make a big difference developmentally or something, but I did research and discovered a developmental guru of sorts (aka, the Wizard). I wanted an outsider to take a look and see how he thought things were going with N. The evaluation would not be cheap, we would have to travel 6 hours, and the ongoing “exercises” and recommendations would be nothing short of boot camp for us all. So, I skipped on over and signed up!

Actually, while I was in the researching phase, I visited with a mom who had an older child with Ds, and she mentioned a period of intensive therapy for her daughter several years prior. I was about 80% sure we were going forward when I found out that she had done something similar. When she told me that they pretty much turned her house into a gym and had a revolving door with all these volunteers coming in to work with her daughter around the clock, I knew that I could not do that. So, my version looked more doable, and I pressed forward.

Then, I ran into The Lady At The Park. I knew of this woman’s background as a formidable advocate for her daughter with autism. She was most admirable and strong. She was well-versed, articulate, and a mover and a shaker in our special needs community. Since I was gathering information, I thought she might be a good one to ask about this venture, and for a few short minutes, I could not believe my good fortune in running into her. I introduced myself, and we spoke about our children while we each pushed a swing. Then, I got right to it. Had she heard of this organization and what did she think of the idea? She said there were dozens of them out there, did not know of this one in particular, but did not think it would be something she would do, all in a dismissive way. I asked nothing further, and soon they prepared to leave. As she walked toward her car, she said something that stunned me. It was, “Mainly because, you know, no matter what you do, at the end of the day, my daughter will still have autism and your son will still have Down syndrome.”

I wondered if she honestly thought I did not really know this. Was she being snarky? Did this stun me because I did not know it was true? No. It stunned me because I felt that she thought I was looking for a “cure”. This is not something I have ever felt powerful enough to find! I simply wanted to help him in every way I could, and if there were things we could be doing to help him develop, why not?

Despite my chat with The Lady At The Park, we decided to go for it. (And after we returned from our first visit to see the Wizard, I called her and told her that my son no longer had Down syndrome. . . Oh just kidding. I have this kind of nerve in my dreams.) I am conflicted over whether we would do it again, though. All of the exercises are done at home by the parents and several are done multiple times per day. Part of me says it was really worth it, and part of me says that I nearly killed myself with compulsivity. You see, I am not really a type “A” personality (probably not even a B+), but I do enjoy a list. And I don’t let go until it is done. With this program, there is always a list and it is never done. So, if they could modify the curriculum (!) for parents who are somewhat compulsive, or if you can flush a list, I would tell you to do it. Just do it in moderation. I will tell you more about what the Wizard said next time.