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DS, almost 7, is in LHFHG and does fantastic in the skills areas of math, reading, Thinking Skills wb, and handwriting; even bible verse memorization and science are great. But in the areas that require listening, comprehension, and thinking we are have struggles. It's like his brain has shipped off to Neverland. He has no clue what I've read and can't discuss on any level and can't answer the questions. Very frustrating.

I've discussed the problem with him and explained what I expect - i.e. I'm going to read and then we will talk about it or answer some questions. But that hasn't changed anything. He still draws a blank at the end of the selection. I've even tried breaking down the reading into smaller chunks (gone as far as one sentence at at time ) but still it's a problem.

It makes facing that part of the school day a dread. I have worked our schedule so that he starts with all of his skills areas first as that seems to ease him into the day better. Then we sit down somewhere (sofa, my bed....wherever comfortable) to do History and so begins the frustration.

Is this to be expected with boys this age? Is there some other approach that might work? I'm open to any advice.

Narration and comprehension/discussion are areas that can be hard for some children to develop. I do believe temperament has something to do with it as well. We have struggled in this area some with my son. In his case I think it is because he feels uneasy and unsure with it, and tends to lean towards perfectionism anyway. I have found if something continues to be a problem then we have a hard time coming up with anything that resembles improvement. Sometimes a fresh start is good. With my son I have tried to let him have small successes to gain confidence. I will sometimes say, "I am going to read a short section of the story and then I want you to tell me your favorite part." Or afterward, "I didn't like...., was there a part you didn't like?" I might also comment at the end, "Wasn't it funny when...." That will often get conversation going. It might be well for you to just read the sections for a week without requiring anything (fresh start). Then slowly ease into conversation starters, maybe avoid actual questions in the beginning. Just let a conversation go and make it fun. It will come, but progress can be slow. I have seen gradual improvement with my son and once I found a way to address narration and comprehension questions without him having to look at me and say "I don't know" things started improving from there. I know my son really does know because he can narrate wonderfully if it isn't required of him. I am sure others will have some good ideas. We are not real far along in the process (Beyond) so that is what I have learned so far.

I asked this question a while back and someone told me to have dc follow along with the reading. This did the trick with my dd. I had trouble with her retaining if I just read to her but she could always answer the questions pertaining to things that she read herself. I don't think this is all that uncommon, I was a bit of a daydreamer myself . HTH

I have noticed that if I let my sons draw or color or play with some kind of putty in their hands while I am reading, that they actually listen very well. I don't know, but it might help your son. I am amazed at how they can listen and draw at the same time, but they can! I have noticed though, that if I let them draw just anything, they don't listen as well. I have them draw something pertaining to what I am reading. Hope that helps!

Thank you all for sharing your ideas and experiences. It is so helpful to hear from others with similar situations.

Today I tried some new approaches with ds. During History I tried to elaborate a little throughout the story and explain things a bit hoping that might help it "sink in" better. He did show some improvement in retaining the general idea of the information. The details were still shady but I was happy to hear him being able to at least tell me something about what he had just heard. I did go back and re-read a part to help him answer a question and I'm ok with that if it will help train his ear. Hopefully we will be able to slowly move away from that but I'm seeing we need more of a "hand-holding" method right now.

Later, for Storytime we trekked outside under the sycamore tree. We had to read two chapters today as we weren't able to get the last one from the previous week in. For the first chapter read it was the typical set-up - asking him to sit, listen, pay attention.......very frustrating. Mind you, I have dd and my other ds in the mix so I've got to rein them in as well during this time.

For the next chapter I let ds swing himself on the rope swing hanging in the tree while I read. Heck, why not? Nothing else was working. Result? WOW! Huge improvement in what he took in! Not that he could recite the whole thing but he actually was able to answer a couple of the questions and when challenged to think a little deeper he actually put in a little effort.

Also, after doing his reading lesson today I asked him to tell back what the little story had been about. He was able to do it no problem. I then asked him to recall a story from a leve 1 reader he had read over a month ago. He was able to tell me alot about it - more than I even remembered!

So my conclusions are these: He is a very tactile and hands-on kinda guy. If he can see it or touch it it makes sense in his world. When he reads something himself it makes more sense to him than if I read it and he only hears the story/information. I'm thinking he is also what I've heard called a kinesthetic learner - does well when in motion. But I need to research that more. So this was a good "A-ha!" day for me. The Lord revealed some very helpful truths and I am so very thankful. I'm hoping I'll be able to take this new information and use it for ds's advantage.

That's awesome Whitney that you are finding what works! I have a kinesthetic learner also. It was difficult for me to accept at first that she needs to move to retain. Having her color,draw, etc. while listening really helps her retention. As she as gotten older, she has gotten better at retaining without as much movement, but it's her style so we go with it! I'm glad you are finding what works well for your ds.