We knew that our son had some learning disabilities from early on. Trying to get the correct diagnoses though took a bit longer. He was diagnosed with several learning disabilities including ADHD, Anxiety, NF 1 and Dysgraphia at the age of eight. It was another year and a half and a second opinion to get the ASD diagnosis.
We then found ourselves in the land of the IEP going to tons of meetings and trying to find the right set of adjustments the school could offer so he could access the curriculum as easily as his non disabled peers.
It was countless meetings and a lot of trial and error. Though no matter what we seemed to try he fell further and further behind and the schools gave him inflated grades to pass him along to the next grade. Though they had assured me that they were following his IEP and allowing him to retest orally for a better grade which I assumed was happening that ended up all being a lie.
I realized the depth of this lie when kids were sent home for distance learning and my son couldn't do the work I had gotten for him that was grade level. So I tried the next grade down he still struggled. He ended up doing some of my daughters work which was yet again another level down and he did amazing. Once we filled some of the holes he was missing he began moving back up through the levels at a rapid pace.
That was when we decided to homeschool and we found Timberdoodle and it was everything I could hope for it to be. Here are a few reasons why I love Timberdoodle and why it is perfect for my ASD child.
1. Timberdoodle Is Well Rounded
Timberdoodles is a company that has been around since 1985. It is family owned and it shows with it's absolutely fantastic customer service. They don't print their own curriculum which gives them the chance to really search everywhere and find the best of the best available curriculums out there.
They also cover everything. Almost all of the boxed or online complete curriculums out there cover reading, writing, arithmetic, science and history. Timberdoodle however include the fun stuff too. All of their kits can include Art, Critical Thinking and STEM/STEAM. They also include great learning games at every level which is great for quick brain breaks between lessons or a way to keep your child engaged if your like me and teaching kids on different levels.
Some of new most favorite games have come from Timberdoodles including Tenzi, Ultimo, Gravitrax, Gobblet Gobblers and Fischertechnik. All of these items have helped my son develop skills that he can use to help him as he works on his core subjects.
2. I Can Customize To Fit His Needs
If your child is like most children they have a unique set of talents and weaknesses. As I searched countless curriculums I noticed a sad trend. Most of the boxed curriculums I found were very limited with the ability to customize levels in different subjects or if they could you lost the ability for the bundled discount.
The beauty of homeschooling is the ability to teach your child at their level not where someone says they should be. With Timberdoodle my seventh grader can do English and Math at sixth grade level, Science on level and History in which he excels on an eighth grade level. I get to do all this and keep my bundle discount. It makes me happy knowing he is getting the levels he needs to succeed and I am saving money on a great curriculum that works for him.
3. Scheduler
All Timberdoodle curriculum kits come with a scheduler. With it you can determine how many weeks you want to schedule for and add in vacations. It comes preloaded with the courses for each specific grade level but just like your curriculum kit you can customize for the particular levels and subjects you chose to do.
Any homeschooler will tell you the importance of a schedule and especially with an ASD child having a schedule they can be the difference between success and failure. The thing I like most about the scheduler for Timberdoodles is the schedule is set up by the week. So whether you want to have a four or five day school week or whether something comes up that causes you to miss a day of school you know what you need to do in order to stay on track.
Knowing what to expect day to day and week to week has helped to make the transition smooth for my son. Schedules are so important for ASD kiddos and the Timberdoodles schedule has the right amount of rigidity and flex to work with every household.
4. Timberdoodle Gives Us Confidence
As stated above the curriculum kits are well thought out and put together. All the lessons while in depth are short and can be completed quickly. The teacher manuals are full of great information, tips and tricks to give you a strong foundation on which to give you the ability to teach the material well.
With the lessons being short your child will be able to complete them quickly thus giving them confidence as they continue through their lessons. The lessons seem to build on each other perfectly so there is the repetition kids often need to gain mastery.
Timberdoodle sells curriculum that works for both me and him. Parenting a child with ASD can be hard enough and homeschooling adds its own set of challenges. Choosing Timberdoodles has made the transition so easy. Having so many fun things to do and play with has caused him to love to learn again and sharpened those skills he lacks or struggles with because of his disabilities.
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