My boys are like this. They were dxed dyslexic in elementary grades and will be entering grades 11 and 12 the upcoming school year. We have not had much success with drills and such. They have, however, gone on to be strong math students. They were homeschooled through grade 9 and then started taking classes part time at the high school, including honors math classes and then AP calc BC for older son. They are usually the slowest kids in completing math tests but they have done well in their math classes (A+s). I do the pressure of timed tests helped them become faster in computation. They have asked teachers for help in minimizing work time--for them they tend to over analyze each question and this was slowing them down too. Also, the honors math classes have homework every single night, and a fair amount of it. I frequently heard mild complaints about the amount of repetitive homework. This consistent work load and a bit of in class competition has helped them speed up but they are still not terribly fast and this does show in standardized testing. My older son will be taking calculus 3 and linear algebra at the university next year (his senior year of high school) and he received a perfect score on the placement test (he completed it online without a time limit). He loves higher level math (particularly abstract math--applied math, not so much) but still says he is bad at middle school lvl math. I would suggest he does a lot of the problems, even after he knows the concept. You could liken it to a long distance runner building up stamina. Good luck!

Are you able to find button up shirts that do not stretch across your chest but fit at the shoulders? This is my problem and I am only D cup size. Almost anything that fits across the front is huge and baggy across my shoulders and torso.

4H may still be able to help you get set up with robotics as a project area within 4H or as a stand alone club. They can even write grants for materials for clubs. You might be able to start a robotics club through 4H. This is what we did and we received an outpouring of help and resources. Also, if you do a fund raiser associated with 4H, businesses are often quite generous.

Good luck to your son! My son also recently had to create a resume, in his case for a summer internship. Once he started writing it, turns out he had plenty to say about himself! even though he doesn't really have a lot of EC activities. He mentioned relevant activities and a few achievements. This was for a STEM focused, paying internship with certain science and math classes required. I was not surprised he had to submit a resume.

Do you already have AoPS Algebra or Pre-Algebra? If they have progressed into the alg section of Khan Academy, they may be able to just start with one of the AoPS text books. You could address gaps as (or if) they become evident. Otherwise, I second ALEKS as a good assessment. many times you can find a free 2 or month trial.

I had to look! That picture of Tribble is heart melting! Sprocket looks like a seriously handsome dude too!

My kids were strong conceptually but weak computationally with math throughout elementary years. For them I think it was more than just being bored though. In any case, we didn't use a spine until around grades 7-8 when they started pre-algebra/algebra. Prior to that we did a lot of math discussions and used Khan extensively. One of my sons used saxon for prealgebra and then algebra and then went onto Art of Problem Solving. Other son continued to use Khan for algebra. They have not suffered from the lack of a math curriculum during the lower grades. They are now exceptionally strong high school math students, earning A+s in honors and AP math classes. Older son enrolled in math at the high school for precalculus and younger son enrrolled for alg. 2. Their teachers have consistently commented that the kids have strong problem solving abilities and creative (appropriately so) approaches. SO yes, I think you can use Khan as your primary math source for that grade. We did incorporate a lot of math into our lives also though-we watched documentaries, read a ton of math books and always asked math realated questions and then figured out the answers.

DS was able to enter some schools after he took the SAT as there is a short window of opportunity for the free ones after the test date. He waited until after he took the SAT just to be sure he hadn't totally bombed it and then only sent the scores to basically his safety schools: our state U and a school where he has already received a scholarship (but he would still have to go through formal admission process should he decide to attend). Gl to your daughter!

I have a rising high school senior and a rising high school junior, so we won{t be at this stage until next year. But, I have helped my kids deal with class selection and registration for DE classes at the University here. If my kids attend our state U, I expect to stay involved in helping them at least initially. The procedure was often downright confusing. We encountered situations where the details were glossed over, especially for class sequence and logistics of dealing with your account. Issues arise over not knowing the right questions to ask. If my kids go to one of the smaller schools we have visited, I am less likely to do much as they have faculty members acting as advisers who have shown an admirable focus in helping the students develop a realistic and interesting course schedule. I hope I continue to know what classes my kids take in college and what the kids think about them. I enjoy hearing about the materials they cover as well as little details about how the classes are presented. We chat a lot about their DE classes now. I know they will be busy in college...but still seems like a suitable topic for phone conversations as well.

I called our local state universities and asked them this question. They said we could include grades or not include grades for the fully at home classes. My kids have some DE classes )university and high school) with teacher assigned grades, so the Univ said only having grades for those classes was fine. They would still be eligible for the grade-rank-test score based auto scholarships. Call the university in question. I spoke to people in admissions and financial aid. I also made sure I talked to people who were more likely to know the specifics, be involved in these kinds of decisions.

:bigear: I am trying to decide on how to cover US History for DS next year. We have discussed developing a timeline based schedule with key points to cover while allowing flexibility over how he covers the material. I am thinking of using the free response questions from this syllabus as a framework: http://www.leeacademy.org/curriculum/AP%20%20United%20States%20History.pdf He would have more input over deciding how to cover the material. We will pick out some text books to have on hand, but I imagine it becoming more research based, with him knowing the points and questions he needs to cover, deciding on a way to cover them and then going over his studies w/ me each week. Also plan on gettting something along the lines of this: http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Thinking-Primary-Sources-History/dp/0825141443 ETA: We are also planning on mini-projects throughout the year with a more substantial end of the year project. I will probably show him some options posted online from various high schools and let him decide. Next year he will be a senior and taking challenging math and science at the university so I want to stay flexible.

Our door mechanisms were replaced in 2011 or 2012 through the extended warranty: http://www.siennachat.com/forum/64-general-discussion/9534-04-10-sienna-extension-warranty-coverage-rear-sliding-door-parts.html The number of factory repairs, even though they were free, has bugged me about the Sienna. Nonetheless, still a great riding vehicle and I don't regret the purchase.

We have a 2004 Sienna, purchased new, only has about 70k miles on it. It is my primary vehicle, I just don't drive that much. It is still a quiet and smooth driving vehicle. If we go on any family trips, we always take the van since it is much more comfortable for the family than DH's honda suv. I will say though, that we have had several safety recall issues/repairs and/or warrenty extensions due to identified problems. A seat belt, the rear hatch, the sliding doors, and most recently, the shift lock solenoid have all been repaired (free) due to known issues. DH's honda has not had any of these kinds of safetly recalls. It is a 6 cylinder and I get about 18-19 mpg in the city. We recently were told that it has a small (as in not needing immediate repair) power steering fluid leak which will cost around $900 to repair. Now we are thinking once the kids finish learning how to drive that we will end up getting a new vehicle, but not necessarily another van. Might be time for a pick up for me (great for hauling compost!). :)

No words can convey the sorrow. My most sincere condolences, Rosie. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Aldi is located almost 30 minutes from me, in an area of town I rarely visit so I don't shop there often. Also, it isn't a place where I can do all my shopping. But, their produce is much less--avocados, grapes, potatoes, for example, are all almost half the price at our closest grocery store. Maybe you already have a fairly discounted grocery store near you?

Kale chips. Tear up washed kale leaves, toss with olive oil and salt, dehydrate. They also have a pungent smell, but I love munching on them once done.

:iagree: DS used saxon for alg 1 and showing work, step by step, was a skill he had to develop that year. He also did much of the work mentally and learning to document each step was not easy for him. Him not believing it was necessary didn't help in the matter either. Now, three years later, he can, and does, show his work and understands the value behind doing so. :hurray: How is he with order of operations? Could that be a root cause of some of the problems with showing his work? Maybe mentally he can figure it out, but he may not actually know how to document it appropriately.

Oh my....I read the OP several times before posting and EACH time I read it as biomedical engineering. :blushing: :blushing: :blushing:

A while back I briefly looked at TAMU degree plan for electrical engineering for DS (we are not in Texas but DH is from there). As I recall, the students take an engineering class each semester; this may be a limiting factor for your daughter to accelerate unless multiple engineering classes can be taken each semester. They seemed to be designed to be taken in sequence although I did not spend a considerable amount of time analyzing the sequence. :) I remember a discussion about how this makes it hard for students to transfer into engineering and still graduate in four years even if they have had many of the gen ed requirements taken care of already. As your daughter's plans solidify, I also recommended talking to an undergrad adviser in the College of Eng in her desired area. DS has taken classes at the Univ here based on various recommendations, but it was only after talking with an ug adviser (physics, not engineering) that we gained the whole picture for how the classes progress. Here, high school students are limited in the number of semester hours they can take at the U. Your daughter may find she prefers taking one science and one math concurrently rather than two sciences...of course, she may prefer the opposite. :) DS did take it easy his first Univ lvl class. He did not find it overwhelming at all, and he probably could have taken on more than one class to begin with. Nonetheless, I am glad he did not end up in the opposite situation where he was struggling to cope. He took on more independent studies with coursera, so it all worked out. And on the veered off subject of weeder classes.... Just anecdotal, but DS took a "weeder" calc based physics at our state U this year. It was a large lecture with several smaller discussions. DS was often the only student out of over 20 to show up for his weekly discussion group. On Fridays the lecture was missing 1/3- 1/2 of the students. Going into the final, ~ 72% and above was considered an A (top 15%). I do not know any statistics for grades, drops, etc or if there was even a correlation between attendance and grades, but it was evident that a portion of the student body was not bothering to put in even the basic class time. ETA: I see you posted a proposed schedule. I'd be reluctant to cover science in grades 9 and 10 but not plan on including them on the transcripts. If something happens in grades 11 and 12 and she is not able to complete the equivalent of 4 years of science, she may end up lacking in science credits. I would strive to cover the subject adequately in any given year and assign a high school credit for the material covered. I'd also be reluctant to plan on calculus in grade 11 and then statistics in 12...then going into college, will she end up in calculus 3 after a year on statistics? Not sure what the math progression is for her intended field of study, but I'd want to make sure my student has recently taken the most pertinent math class. She could continue with her math sequence at the U as you mention. Best regards :)

:bigear: Also trying to decide on a US History plan for DS next year.

In some areas yes, in other areas, no. Older child (17) hated reading around ages 6-10. He now is an avid reader. He found geology, Ancient Egypt and electricity fascinating during the elementary years. He no longer has a particular interest in rocks or ancient civilizations, but he does love physics and plans to become a physicist. Younger son(16) used to love gardening and he now only does it to humor mom. Around age 8 he got into pre-programming with scratch, game maker, multi media fusion, etc. He now is learning java and plans to be a computer programmer or engineer. Both kids were into science from an early age and that interest has remained.

I am tired of people labeling any position they dislike as politically correct.

:grouphug: This sounds like a really tough spot. :grouphug: I have not undergone a strong change in faith or belief systems as you describe. I was raised in a non-religious family and briefly joined a friend's church in high school which I left due to the hypocrisy. As a young adult I self identified as an agnostic mostly because I felt a degree of uncertainty plus I had not delved into my beliefs or lack of them. With marriage, children and mostly homeschooling, I often found myself discussing religion and beliefs and I can now happily say I am an atheist. I believe in the great compost pile in the sky (or ground, but sky sounds better). :) Anyways, I did not have to over come the fear and intimidation you mention so I can't comment on deprogramming based on any personal experience. Sounds as though your family and work pressures have you cornered in a bit here. You are clearly having a mind set shift. I read your concerns about religion and I agree with them. But, not believing in a Christian god does not mean that you have to believe in something else. You do not need to fill it with another belief system or even a label. Being an atheist does not occupy a lot of my thought or energy (whereas I see following a faith probably does--which is fine for those who choose to do so). Basically, instead of trying to fill your lack of belief with some other system, I'd try to accept it as it is and not get too hung up on trying to identify yourself as something else. Are there any Unitarian Universalist churches in your area? Perhaps a leader of a UU church would be a possible sounding board for people undergoing changes in their belief systems. Sincerely wishing you all the best.

Here is a DIY air purifier w/HEPA furnace filters. I haven't made one yet, but have been considering it. http://inhabitat.com/diy-make-your-own-hepa-air-filtration-system-for-just-30/

This sounds a lot like some of the people in my life. Son, also a junior, was dxed dyslexic and then Nonverbal LD (which may eventually get tied into asperger's dx). My son does not completely "fit" the descriptions of any of these conditions, but I see aspects of all of them in him. DH still struggles with long term deadlines--he is definitely a "big picture" person and sorting out the logistics of many small details quickly becomes overwhelming. I am the Executive Functioner in our family. :laugh: They are both very slow. My FIL was the same way. Excruciatingly so. DH just cannot rush out the door. DS sets his alarm extra early so he has plenty of time to get everything together in the morning (my other son gets up at the latest moment possible --but he still also has aspie qualities). BTW, DS has taken the SAT w/o any accommodations and did well (>97%), but not as well as he expected, honestly, especially in math, which he considers his strongest area. Also, he was extremely reluctant to learn to drive. He finally finished driver's ed and it was rough going at first. He said the need to be constantly aware of his surroundings was draining ( an aspie quality I believe!). For all of them, I wonder where the lines are between LD's, Asperger's, Giftedness, etc. They blur together, overlap and intertwine. One family member may have one trait associated with a condition, while another family member has virtually the opposite of that particular trait. I have considered posting on this before, but I don't really know what my question would be! Is your son upset about his grades? Does he want to improve them? Does he have future plans beyond high school (college, career, etc)? If my kids were struggling in classes, I would ask them if they want help. I would tell them I am here to help--help them to achieve their goals and aspirations..sometimes even help them define their goals and aspirations. If he does have a goal, of some sort, then I'd work back to what he needs to achieve that goal. If he has unrealistic expectations for how to achieve his goals, then I'd look into some outside guidance-- mentor, job shadows, college prep talks, guidance counselor at the school etc. Sometimes a 'reality check' from an outside source can be useful.