The door is shut for homeschooling ds 9 with Aspergers, at least for the foreseeable future. He is doing well in school and on an accelerated track at least for math. I will probably supplement Language Arts and read great books after school with him and my other two dc (whom I homeschool) but he really needs specific training in the area of social skills and maintaining relatiionships, organization, etc. He only receives special services for one hour a week and definitely needs more. I do not want to have a new ARD just yet, I want to see what I can do with him. Any suggestions for activities, curricula, lessons? I already have Michelle Garcia Winner's Superflex program. It has been difficult letting go of my dream to homeschool all three of my children but I need to focus on the future and doing my utmost to help my ds. I appreciate any help! Jen

We've had our son evaluated by two different school districts from two different states, FL and TX. They both seemed pretty thorough, although the eval in FL was moreso. A whole team including a psychologist evaluated him for autism, learning disabilities, speech, IQ and occupational. He was evaluated to have Aspergers by both districts, which we agree with but we think there may be something else going on so we are going to get him tested by a neurologist. If you know anyone in your son's district who has been through an eval you might want to try asking them.

Unfortunately we have not been saving for a replacement car. Now our '03 Honda Odyssey with 116K needs its timing belt replaced and transmission rebuilt. Estimated cost =$5000. Looked at Kelly's Blue Book and van is only worth around $5000. Hubby is concerned we won't be able to find a replacement vehicle that will be any kind of improvement for that little, since we need something that seats 6. To replace it we would wind up spending $8-9K. Our emergency fund is already low but we have enough to cover the purchase. Should we pay the $5000 to fix the minivan or buy another car? BTW we are debt-free and plan to stay that way so a loan is out of the question. ^^; thank you in advance for the advice... Jen

I second Austin, TX. Cedar Park, a suburb, was named one of the best cities to raise a family a few years back. Austin inner city has pretty high real estate prices, but the suburbs are EXTREMELY reasonable. Texas in general has a low cost of living. Texas is probably the most homeschooling friendly state in the U.S. Austin has a large active secular homeschool population as well as several large Christian groups. ACC has a great dual enrollment program and there are tons of enrichment classes around town. Even the YMCA has homeschooler friendly classes. (Almost everyone does) Beautiful scenery, tons of recreation, parks, etc. And some really unique funky festivals and activities. (Did I mention the city's unofficial motto is 'Keep Austin Weird'?) The only downside I can think of is the dry HOT summers. Coming from the sauna that is Houston I prefer dry heat, although not the wildfires.

It was a challenge for me to read as well. I had to write an essay on it and had to re-read it three times to figure it out. Of course, it's been decades since I've had to write an essay on anything so I think my brain had to re-stretch. @_@

:iagree: Our church's children's program is really good with the application side. And we have many good conversations as well. DH has been reading the Children's Story Bible in the mornings for about 2 years and they are going through it for the 3rd time. I think it's time to teach them how to read the Bible for themselves. Next year we will be using Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History. (You can preview it at Amazon here.) It is simply lists of inductive-type questions for 196 passages in the Old Testament that give the main parts of Israel's history. I plan for us to read the passage together and go through the questions orally at first, hopefully having the kids eventually read the passage silently and come together to discuss the questions. I also plan to include map work and a timeline as well, either homemade or purchased. BTW, you can purchase the guide as a PDF for $8 from Greenleaf Press (www.greenleafpress.com) We will probably use this for two years and move on to the New Testament after that. HTH!

^^^ This is the problem, they have a large family and although they have two cars, this was their van, the only vehicle in which they all could fit. If they wanted to go somewhere as a family they wouldn't be able to. I'd offer them the use of my minivan but I don't think all of them would fit. Wow, a week's rental of a van. It may be more expensive than the repair. :(

The collision shop guy told me how they had to sand, use some kind of filler, primer, and some number of layers of paint and each step had to dry. I thought it sounded like a lot because the written estimate only included 2.5 hours of labor. If anyone has had a major (24 inch) scratch repaired (totally repaired not just buffed) can you give me an idea of how long it took?

:iagree:I tell you what, I sure could use a drink right about now!

Thank you Valerie and the rest of you for your kind words. We took ds to neighbors to apologize and he couldn't do it. (too embarassed, he was really red and couldn't look anyone in the eye, so at least I know he does have some shame) DH and I are still deciding upon the consequences. The scooter he was riding was actually a friend's, so we will probably put away his bike instead, and find him some work to do over the summer. I like the idea of having him be responsible for paying 10% of the bill; I think that would be a realistic goal to shoot for by the end of summer. It has been frustrating dealing with the neighbors as they have not been communicating clearly with us. If they gave us a receipt today we would gladly (ok not so gladly but willingly) write them a check. For some reason the mom is doing the communicating and she does not seem to know what's going on. I had to call their collision repair guy myself and talk to him about the estimate and how long he expected their vehicle to be in the shop. He told me at least 5 days and yes they seem to be expecting us to pay rental car fees although she didn't come out and ask me that when she called. Now I'm not sure if they expect me to contact the car rental places myself or what. I know this is going to sound stereotypical but I really feel like the husbands (hers and mine) need to step up and resolve this. However that does not seem like it's going to happen so I get to sort all this out myself. :glare: About the insurance- this is what our agent told me. Our homeowners policy MAY cover it but 1) our claim would be under the deductible of 1% of the home's value and 2) it would be a liability claim and be on our record for 5 years, during which it would be almost impossible for us to change insurances, because no insurance company would underwrite us. So we are definitely paying out of pocket. Our relationship with our neighbors is important to us since this is a relatively tight-knit cul-de-sac and although we are the newcomers everyone seems to watch out for each other here. I am so thankful our neighbors are Christians and seem to also want to do the right thing and don't feel the need to involve police and insurance, which would've escalated this situation way beyond what it is now. It's uncomfortable, awkward and a bit of a financial blow to our family, but 'this too shall pass!'

Oh yeah. Definitely there's going to be an adult outside when he's out front for the foreseeable future. I'm not going to beat him over the head for this incident, but I think he can learn something about responsibility even at his age. :001_smile:

Thanks for the responses. I just wanted to make sure we are doing our due diligence regarding the situation, but I agree that it would probably be better for our relations with the neighbor to just accept the estimate they got. After reading several responses it looks like it's pretty reasonable. DS is grounded from playing out front for a week and must earn back our trust to regain the privilege of riding on any wheeled toys after that. We still need to take him to the neighbor to apologize. In fact, I don't think he's actually closely looked at the scratch (since he's been staying inside since the incident.) I think doing some work for the neighbors sounds appropriate, and I can have him offer as part of his apology. If the neighbor declines he can do some work for his dp's.

He was riding his scooter too close to the vehicle and left a long scratch. (He was specifically warned NOT to go near the car.):glare: DH and I offered to pay for it. It looks like our homeowner's insurance is not going to cover it, so we will have to pay for it out of pocket. Today the neighbor gave me the written estimate from the collision shop: $547. My question is: does this sound reasonable? Should we make sure they have gotten multiple estimates or bring someone out to do our own? We've never been in this situation, so any advice is appreciated. Also, should we get DS to help pay for it? Obviously, earning the money to pay for all of it would take a prohibitively long time, but I want him to learn a valuable lesson about taking responsibility. Right now he has no remorse whatsoever. :( Thanks in advance for your help, Jen

Does he draw comic art? Take a look at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Does he create logos and other abstract art on the computer? Many colleges offer graphic design degrees. Does he create characters and backgrounds on the computer? He might enjoy being a game artist- google Full Sail University. (Both of these are expensive.) If he's good enough, he can freelance for companies, comic writers, etc. Actually, that would be a good way to develop his portfolio. Good luck!

Just got an iPad (1st gen). What apps do I need to really make the most of it for homeschooling? I'm not talking about subject specific learning games. I heard there was a PDF reader that I could draw on top of. that would be very helpful. Any other apps you find indispensable ? TIA!

Thanks everyone for the advice....I love this forum- got responses within seconds! Anyway, I just realized that since my dd began doing independent work at age 6 and is a very good independent scholar, I think I just expected ds to do the same when he got to that age. I think we will make a few changes so that ds and I can complete his math together. :)

Suzanne- Where can I find the audio download? Thanks....

Hello Everyone, I was hoping to maybe glean a little wisdom from the more experienced teachers here.... DS does most of his work in the morning when we are all around the table, although he does get distracted easily. In the afternoon, I want him to complete what he doesn't finish in the time we allot for school. Usually it's a couple of math or language arts pages that he has to do. The math questions at least can be challenging but I don't think they are out of his reach. I've told him he can ask me if he needs help. He has pretty much all afternoon to do them. He knows he doesn't get to do anything else until he does them. He routinely misses Taekwondo, snacks, TV, and a couple times dinner (tonight was one of those times.) When asked why he didn't do his math, he states "I forgot." (This is after upteen reminders, including being asked if he knows the consequences and repeating them to me!) :banghead: I've got other things to do...I don't have time to sit with him and monitor. Is he being stubborn or is he just not ready to do independent work? Any ideas to help him focus? TIA for any advice that can help solve this, it's really building up a lot of frustration for both of us. --Jen

I've discovered that they while these books are okay for most, they are not for our family. It all boils down to what a PP mentioned- discernment. My 1st grader ds just doesn't have it. I allowed him to read the first one because although he reads on a 4th grade level, he is intimidated by chapter books and he begged me. After reading it, he announced in Sunday School that his sister was a 'hot girl' and begged me to allow him to attend public middle school so he could be bullied (?). Don't get me started on the Cheese Touch. :rolleyes: Yes, my ds is a very literal, concrete thinker and I have to be extremely careful with what I allow him to read and watch. His sister, on the other hand, is much more level headed and I would probably allow her to read the books if I didn't know ds would sneak them away.

We've been using Mvelopes for at least 5 years and I can't imagine keeping our budget without it. It's about $13/month. (I haven't heard anything about a 'Premier' version.) It does have a bit of a learning curve. I just learned how to use it this past year as dh has been sweet enough to handle our finances in general. It isn't just an online envelope budgeting tool. You can pay bills, link bank accounts, generate expense reports to see what you're really spending in each category. My favorite feature is the 'split' transaction, where I can highlight a transaction (say, a recent Wal-Mart purchase) and assign parts of it depending on what categories I spent money on, for example, if I bought pet food, auto maintenance, clothing and groceries in one purchase. I would say the only downside for us is that since it is virtual, it is just not as painful as taking real cash out of real envelopes, so that we do go in the red sometimes in several categories. Also, it can be a pain if you let the transactions pile up. Imagine sitting at your computer with 70 transactions to assign and a stack of receipts, not a fun way to spend an evening! :glare: HTH,

:iagree:I was really stressed out at the end of last year when dh was not thrilled with our progress. I have a chronic illness and we get less done. I've decided to focus on the more important subjects and to 'pad' our schedule with a generous timeframe. :iagree:Me too. I've learned more about forgiveness and grace since I started homeschooling than in all my previous life. It's been such a growth experience for me spiritually and emotionally. Prayer and a reduced schedule has done wonders for all of our attitudes here. This past week was our first back from the holidays, and also the first that my 4 yo ds joined us in school (briefly). It actually went really well. I've been paying a lot of attention to having self-control as well (it's the topic of the month in my kids' Sunday School) so that may also be helping. I'm really happy with our week, although if I compared, which I don't, we may not have gotten nearly as much done as others. :)

Everyone, thank you for your answers. Jenn,:grouphug: It is very hard when a close family member rejects beliefs you hold so dear. I wonder why there have to be so many differences, interpretations, etc., why God didn't make it more clear. Although I'm not sure He could've made Himself any clearer in the Old Testament, and yet Israel still rejected Him. :001_huh: Although the faith I was raised in does not believe in a 'second chance' of redemption once a person has died, I think every human must have an opportunity to accept or reject Christ, and if they do not receive the opportunity in this world (or they are unable to process it) then it logically follows they will have an opportunity in the next. But that's getting into theology, of which I'm a poor scholar. ^_^;

I attended a women's spiritual retreat while pregnant with my first, before finding out the gender. There were praise dancers, one of which was named Jessica. I had a 'revelation' of sorts that I would have a girl and name her Jessica, and she would dance. I got two out of three, although she does dance, she doesn't formally praise dance. I didn't even know I was preggers with my middle child until I was 19 weeks, so I didn't even get a chance to predict his gender. And I had no idea about my youngest. That reminds me, he just turned 4 yesterday so I need to change my sig!

:iagree:Same over here. And FTR, we're not Mormon. Maybe it's a Southern thing? I know the cafeterias down here serve Jello down with the salads.

Whew! Finally got to the end of the thread and realized it's winding down. But I do have a few questions myself that have bothered me for a few years. One of my best friends from HS is LDS- in fact my family and I almost joined the church. My friend and her family befriended us and helped my mom (a single parent) quite a bit. They invited missionaries over and we discussed LDS beliefs every night for a week. but of all the differences in doctrine, we couldn't bring ourselves to believe about the three levels of heaven- it was explained to us that only 'Saints' would occupy the celestial level and be able to spend time with God, whereas our relatives who were not LDS would not only be separate from God but we would also not be able to see them. I vividly remember crying and explaining to my friend's dad why I couldn't join their church. Is this truly the case? Also, at the very end of the thread I came across this: I am wondering about this too, because my friend's sister left the church and converted to 'mainstream' Christianity, and her family shunned her for years. It seemed like it was a BIG deal, and it made me very sad for her sister. :confused: Well, I personally believe there are people who are Christians in the LDS church, and people who are just outwardly following the rules, just as in any other Christian church. It all boils down to having Jesus Christ as one's Savior, Master and Lord, which can be discerned by the fruit of a person's life but truthfully we'll only know for sure about ourselves, that is, until the sheep are separated from the goats. ^^; I do have some other issues with Mormon doctrine, but they are outweighed by the things I think are cool, such as the kindness (which I personally directly experienced), charity, willingness to enter politics (which many churches eschew) and most of all, you guys seem to be big Sci-Fi fans! :thumbup1: