Not a cd recommendation, but have you ever looked at the MindUp curriculum? I did it last year with my ds and thought it was very helpful for his anxiety. I plan to continue this year. Some reading on MindUp http://thehawnfoundation.org/mindup/mindup-results/

That is fantastic! I remember either ds's speech therapist or his educational aide telling me how helpful it can be to pair speech activities with a rhythmic gross motor activity like clapping or throwing a bean bag. I can't remember the whys behind it though. We had a small victory today as well! Ds8 who has HFA and a fair bit of anxiety, walked down the block and around the corner without me to retrieve the mail. He had to use a key to open up the box as well. He walked down there so confidently and was really proud of himself. He also appears to have come back with all the mail and the key, lol.

30% off till September 15, 2013.

Of course, it is not easy to hear from a doctor that your concerns are warrented, but I am glad to hear that at least the process has been started. I am in Canada as well. Dont forget to check out your local autism association they may have some helpful pointers in navigating, and hopefully speeding up, the dx process.

I agree with Lecka comments regarding his lack of interests. I also find it concerning that you mention he has trouble with changes. It maybe that you are seeing the most troubles with him at school time since that is most likely when the demands on him are the greatest. It sounds like you have been doing lots to help him. Maybe it is time to look for some professional assistance to see if they can help give him some more productive coping skills and overall improved emotional regulation skills.

Sigh, it is such a juggling act! Ds is just starting 3rd grade this September. I suspect we will run into this issue more as he gets older. Right now I put as much emphasis on the therapies, life skills and executive functioning stuff as I do on academics. Currently, we are keeping up with academics, if that changes I am okay with devoting less effort on the academics in favour of interventions. I try to double up and target as much as I can within our academic framework and day to day activities. For me the best way to accomplish this is to list out my goals in all areas of ds's development and then see how I can accomplish this lofty list with the least amount of effort. Writing those goals and the action plan really lets me see how much I am doing to target these weak areas and how much of our school day can be modified to fit in stuff that allows us to target challenge areas at the same time. I probably spend roughly 2 hours a day, mostly by way of play, targeting therapy goals and using the various ASD resources we have on top of our academic day. I wish I could fit in more, but that is about all I can manage on top of academics and shuffling him to and from therapy appointments.

I have a "this week I am learning" board hanging in the school room. I have all our subjects listed and I add the objectives for the week during our weekly planning meeting. Ds really likes it. He loves checking off what he has learned.

Fantastic!

I can't really add much to the wonderful advice you have already got, but I did want to mention a book I found to be a helpful read: Managing Anxiety in People with Autism. Good luck with ballet! Have you thought about maybe having her do a couple private lessons first so that she can get to know the instructor and environment before having to deal with the extra sensory and anxiety demands of a class? That is a strategy that has worked well for my ds.

First off, hugs! It is never easy to write out something like that. I do think you have some cause for concern and I think it is wise to seek an evaluation. The types of social difficulties you are describing definately fit in with a ASD dx, but obviously they can be part of typical development as well. That is why it is probably best to seek out an evaluation so that you can get some answers to help going forward. If you are looking to do some reading on ASD, Tony Attwood's book The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome is helpful.

This summer ds and i have been reading through The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Specturm Disorder http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Spectrum-Disorders-Parents-ebook/dp/B00AYULEVK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top It is very well done. It explains ASD realistically and with a positive and hopeful perspective which is deserved and so important to give. I have talked to ds about his autism previously, but this book seems to be helping him understand himself better. I also bought a few new books for this year that I am excited about using with ds. From linguisystems Practical Theory of Mind Games, and Move Time from the Social Thinking website.

I really enjoyed that book as well. I found it very helpful. I have had more time to read through Comprehension Connections and really like it. I will be putting it to good use this fall with ds.

I have been meaning to add Liping Ma's book to my list, thanks for the reminder! Simply Classical sounds excellent. Too bad MP's shipping to Canada is $35! Will have to see if I can get our local homeschool store to order some copies. Our PT has a special interest in kids with CP. Recently, I found out she is part of a research study involving those vibrating machines and there helpfulness with CP. I think there has been some other studies on them as well, maybe something to look at if you hadn't heard of that before. Good luck with the reading. It is a steep learning curve at first.

I have a couple books on my list, but would love to hear what everybody is reading these days! Currently, I am reading Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom, and Comprehension Connections. I am really enjoying Boosting Executive Skills, has some good points I hadn't come across in some of my other EF reading. Comprehension Connections looks like it has lots of helpful ideas as well. http://www.amazon.com/Boosting-Executive-Skills-Classroom-Jossey-Bass/dp/1118141091/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371917998&sr=8-1&keywords=boosting+executive+skills+in+the+classroom+a+practical+guide+for+educators http://www.amazon.com/Comprehension-Connections-Bridges-Strategic-Reading/dp/0325008876/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371918062&sr=8-1&keywords=comprehension+connections

You may like the Montessori apps by Rantek.

Ours has been great! Ds showed huge growth in his writing! He is writing a full paragraph now. Our learning coach assessed his writing to be a solid 4 on the grade 2 rubric. I am over the moon about that development. At the start of the year he was hardly writing a sentence on his own. We used PAL writing this year and will continue with SWI A for grade 3. Math with RS C has gone well, although I think we will need to spend some time this summer reviewing some things. I was planning on using the jump math workbooks, hopefully we make out okay with them... Our project afternoons have worked out well. We have been able to target lots of social growth and foster his executive functioning. He even managed to turn one of his projects into a little money making opportunity. We made a nuts and bolts board for one of our workshop projects and he was able to sell them to a couple of the Montessori preschool directors in town. His OT loved it as well and bought one and may have some future orders for him. It was a great opportunity to fit in so much learning. He priced out his materials, figured out how much to charge for his time, put together his presentation etc... I am hoping next year works out half as well.

Everyone has pretty much suggested all of the resources that I have found helpful for my son. All I can add is maybe look at the Hyperlexia kit from linguisystems as well. You may also want to look at both super duper and linguisystems for other materials that will strengthen his overall receptive and expressive language abilities.

There lots of great social skills books available from socialthinking.com My son is also 8 and has PDD NOS. This past year we have had great results with Big Picture Thinking and TeachingTheory of Mind.

That is wonderful!

I too find it troublesome that the SLP would suggest ASD but not give you direction as to starting the evaluation process. That said, I really don't think most SLPs would suggest something like that lightly. From what you have writen I really do think you should pursue testing for ASD.

I was planning on ordering this book this weekend, and thought I would check here first for any reviews. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937473112/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Oh that is a fine line to walk. Wish I had something helpful to suggest. Hopefully, the return to a more predictable schedule will settle things down.

From your posts, I get the impression she has some trouble around transitions in her day. If that is the case, do you think giving her some ownership/control of the order of her day may help?

Sorry it was a tough day! I noticed you said you are having more and more of these days lately, and it made me think perhaps her sensory diet could use a change? I have found for ds we usually need to overhaul his every six months or so. Right now he loves the ball pit so much at OT, I had to find a way to add it at home. I actually got a inexpensive pup tent and filled it 3/4 full with balls. It is working out great, as he can be submerged and I can move it about from side to side to up the intensity. It still always surprises me how little things like that can make such a big difference for him.

A book I have found helpful for ds is Social Rules for Kids-The Top 100 Social Rules Kids Need to Succeed http://www.amazon.com/Social-Rules-Kids-The-Kids-Succeed/dp/1934575844/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362452524&sr=8-1&keywords=100+social+rules+for+kids#_ I like that I can photocopy a page from the book and put it on the fridge and we practice that rule for the week.