How much of a difference will it make for his future plans? How much of a difference will it make for the whole family? The second plan sounds like a better fit (by a lot), but if the first is adequate to get to his choice college.... and if the benefits of a better schooling environment will be counterbalanced by too much effort for mom... just saying all these enter the equation to some degree.

For a young child, attending an early education program and aftercare may just be too much. Especially for ND kids, PDA or not. No rule enforcing training will help with that. I'm not saying that it's a bad idea in principle, but that it will not work or may make things worse. Are we talking 8+ hours in the presence of multiple kids, teachers, noise, demands, sleep now, eat now, play nicely with the others now, stay still now? The kid may be in burnout.

How about a second language? It's time consuming, useful, can open up life experiences.

I grew up in a small town outside the US. We had a TV, but it wasn't on all day and the kids' programs didn't last more than 2-3h, plus another 1-2h of family shows later on. I could walk outside and play at the sidewalk for a couple of hours. I definitely got bored. I daydreamed or walked to my mom and asked for the next group of books I would be allowed to read. Or read the ones I got from the library. At some point we got a Nintendo or something similar that I shared with my siblings, so I probably wasted 1h or so per day for a year on it. I also liked to just stroll around the neighborhood and daydream more. Unfortunately, DD can't walk outside alone to meet friends or daydream. I think the most boredom she experiences is in the subway, but she doesn't consider it as such. She studies the other passengers or the maps, etc. We usually do the wordle together, for a few minutes, but it's no "here is a phone to zonk out".

For those observing Gen Alpha: when do parents stop using strollers? In contrast to issues that require executive function and have several layers of complexity, this is straightforward. Do parents trust a 4yo or 5yo or 6yo to walk for half hour? Because I have seen many that do not.

Agree with the above (I have yet to read the article). Wanted to add something tangential, but related. There is an underlying assumption, way of thinking to that: that young people today should aim, hope for "happiness". Partly related to American toxic positivity, partly to social media, probably partly to many other complex factors. But to me this hyper vigilance is just a piece of avoiding hard, problematic, issues, in a sense life. The playground hyper vigilance is the same as removing "triggers" from books. Life is hard.

@Penderwink, when someone mentions Blyton, I strongly suspect they are not Americans!

Thank you! Our library owns The Letter for the King and The Secrets of the Wild Wood, but I would never have discovered them myself!

We have access to two large library systems with extensive collections. However, the actual physical locations that we visit tend to be small and cramped, so what one sees on display is the same mass series over and over, mostly fantasy or elementary/middle school drama. Neither DD nor I are especially interested in either, hence the need for some inspiration and request for recs. I think what appeals to her is realistic fiction or literary non-fiction. She is essentially interested in real people (or realistic fictional characters) and their life and their countries and a true good story with plot twists. Not surprisingly, she likes the classics. What is the modern equivalent? Extra points: 1. Some literary value - beautiful language. 2. No sassiness. Ideally: Translated fiction or non-US authors. DD is close to 9, but an excellent reader and can handle complex and long text, plus some of it will be shared reading. We are OK with discussing subjects that some people consider inappropriate, death, war, etc. but yeah, it's still a child.

I don't have experience with medicating young children, so I won't comment on that question. However, regarding the recent changes in school.... it sounds like a burnt-out child to me. It's totally possible for a child to like, or even love, the other kids, teachers, the whole experience, and be stretched out thin at the same time. It's very common for a bright girl to try to please those around, until she can't do it anymore. Maybe she could for 2-3 months, now she is overtired. How long is her day - does she stay for after school? How many kids in the class? How many transitions? Not that it matters, one's limits may be within what is considered "normal" for most. If you are hesitant on the meds, could you give her a long break as a first step? Start the holidays 10 days early? Pick her up early? Keep her home every Wednesday or Friday?

As others said, this depends on the field and the requirements. Sounds like you got it sorted and maybe it wasn't a very long or complex assignment. But for something more long-term and expanded, reference management software is worth the learning curve and time investment. Something like Endnote. It converts styles from X to Y, may be able to automatically import references (depends on the field and source) and, above all, very important, super handy, will automatically update the ordering and in text references when you delete, move around, insert, etc, etc, text.

My kid read all Raina Tegelmeier's graphic novels, well younger than 7th grade (I read them too). They are in the kids' room in our public library. I wouldn't have picked them up for her myself, and I do think they are more appropriate for 11-13 yo, but when she did, it wasn't an issue. None of them created a big splash. I can't recall much aggression or anything else that problematic. Edit to clarify: the library has a separate teen's space. These books are in the younger kids' space.

https://www.govisland.com/things-to-do/recreation/the-yard It's basically a junk yard. Every child I know who has been there absolutely adored it.

I don't have a high-schooler, but I have some thoughts - please ignore what is irrelevant. Learning a language is a time sink. Developing fluid comprehension and practicing pronunciation, and eventually shifting from translating to thinking in a new language takes practice. Many, many hours. Some people progress faster, but time investment is necessary. For this reason, one should look for opportunities to practice a language within other activities. Does your child play video games? Play them in Spanish. Do they like dancing? Join a class for Spanish speakers with a Spanish speaking instructor, etc. Favorite show? Netflix offers dubbing in numerous languages. There are many subtle issues, like changes in the tone of voice, accompanying facial expressions or body posture that are absorbed during exposure, rather than studied. As for your first question: what is the language appeal for this child? The opportunity to communicate with others, people and/or civilizations? Or is it the linguistic aspect? Structure, relationships, history? If the first, for someone who knows English, Spanish and French, adding Italian or Portuguese or even a Germanic language (German, Dutch, Scandinavian languages other than Finnish) should be rather straightforward. If the latter, maybe exploring an unrelated language will be more useful and interesting. One should also be realistic. Depending on where you live, plan A may be far easier than B. Finally, if the aim is to communicate with foreigners, I would recommend investing some time in getting familiar with their culture. Some knowledge of French history, literature, art, social hierarchy, politics, values, etc may matter more than a few more words.

I have a child with JIA in my close family (not my own). Diagnosed at age 5 or 6, had multiple peripheral joints affected. The most prominent was one knee, but several others, mostly in the legs and hands too. Has been on methotrexate for a long time and for a period of time had also eye issues (iritis). It's been a long haul, many doctors appointments, but kid has attended school full time and has a fulfilling life. Now early teens, is still on treatment, but has far fewer symptoms.