Anyone have info on math difficulties for PANDAS

[Priscilla]

My dd has issues with writing out the work for her math problems. She can do the calculations, it is just frustrating for her to write it out. She gets them right most of the time. It is hard to explain to her teacher why writing out the work is hard for her, and I think she sometimes thinks I am just giving her the answers. She is really doing the work! It is just too frustrating to get her to write it out. I saw something in a post not long ago about the spacial functioning (or some other area) that makes this difficult for PANDAS kids. Anyone know where I can get some info on this to present to her teacher???

[T_Mom]

I would take the approach that Pandas involves basal ganglia inflammation which affects the ability to write (including both written expression and basic handwriting.) Dr K has this noted on his website, and I know I have seen it in a few online "info" sites as well. Don't worry about substantiating it -- it is true, that is enough. You can take examples of pre and post writing if that helps-- The teacher should be seeing the same issues at school, or will soon. I asked for time and a half on tests and for them to accept my writing HW as necessary. So far this has been a big help.

[matis_mom]

My dd has issues with writing out the work for her math problems. She can do the calculations, it is just frustrating for her to write it out. She gets them right most of the time. It is hard to explain to her teacher why writing out the work is hard for her, and I think she sometimes thinks I am just giving her the answers. She is really doing the work! It is just too frustrating to get her to write it out. I saw something in a post not long ago about the spacial functioning (or some other area) that makes this difficult for PANDAS kids. Anyone know where I can get some info on this to present to her teacher???

I don't have any articles for you but I can tell you it is PANDAS related. Maybe if you find like a general article where it mentions "cognitive inability", but it's really more that than. It's lack of focus, it's getting lost going from point A to point B. At his worst, my son could figure out his Math, but somehow could not get through the page. Something happens to idea on the way from the brain to the hand...

[lyme_mom]

My son had problems in math when he was being treated for lyme. Dr. Jones told me that it is one of the areas that can be affected by lyme. He is doing well in math now. When he was sick he told me that he "couldn't think" or remember things. He also had trouble in Spanish with verb conjugation and I think that is b/c conjugating is a little like math-its a formula. Anyway it went away with treatment.

[MomWithOCDSon]

My DS has had the same issue, and it is worse during exacerbation, though he would generally prefer to just do the math in his head and write down the answer, rather than "show his work." Once we figured out his higher level of writing difficulty is directly correlated to where he is in his PANDAS, I was able to copy a time line of writing samples from his math notebook and then present them to his teaching team as "evidence" of the legimate change in his skills in conjunction with his health.

 

Does your DD have a 504 Plan or an IEP? If so, you can make accommodations in this regard a part of the plan. Our DS has a number of accommodations designed to help him with math and handwriting in general; he generally gets half the number of homework and test problems the other kids do because it's so hard for him to do the writing required, especially for the more complex problems, and it takes more time, too. He's also permitted to use a computer for word-processing worksheet/quiz answers and papers in other subjects, and he even has the right to request an opportunity to verbally respond to in-class assessments, rather than write them out.

 

Finally, his accommodations also provide for his dad or I to scribe his dictation for homework assignments during those times that he's really struggling with the writing; this even works with math, so long as your child can clearly speak the equation, and you have an example in front of you from previous work or a textbook of how the equation should lay out and look. Our DS is now 13 and is in advanced math classes, so it can get more challenging with the algebra, but thankfully he doesn't need that kind of help from us too much anymore!

[smartyjones]

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Edited October 29, 2010 by smartyjones

[Megs_Mom]

My dd has issues with writing out the work for her math problems. She can do the calculations, it is just frustrating for her to write it out. She gets them right most of the time. It is hard to explain to her teacher why writing out the work is hard for her, and I think she sometimes thinks I am just giving her the answers. She is really doing the work! It is just too frustrating to get her to write it out. I saw something in a post not long ago about the spacial functioning (or some other area) that makes this difficult for PANDAS kids. Anyone know where I can get some info on this to present to her teacher???

 

You could also try going to an OT for an evaluation. Our daughter had issues "seeing the mid-line", and they documented what issues that could cause in school. We then used that document to educate teachers, so it was not just her mom saying "she can't write the math problem, but can do it in her head". By the way, I consider this to be a sign of brilliance ! I am amazed at what our dd can do in her head, while I need a piece a paper & a formula to do the same thing. It's so great that she can do the calculations - her issue is just the logistics of accomodation, not the brain fog that some experience with neurological issues.