Since he wants to go and the public school can provide so many of the therapies, etc. that he needs, I would send him to the public school for next year and see how it goes. With intense kiddos (I have one), sometimes you just need a break from them so you can put your energy into having managing them when they are home. And you don't need everything to be a battle. as you said he cooperates "when he's in a good mood." If school doesn't work for him, then try homeschooling him. I would not do the 2-day per week school. Kids like this need structure and routine and switching back and forth between environments is difficult for them. Plus most schools of that type (speaking from experience) are not willing to make accommodations, be flexible for different types of learners, etc.

This was me.

This was me.

My 4 kids are all now in school. I wish I had been more open-minded to school when my kids were young. I did not consider their personalities(one extreme extrovert, one sensitive/adhd child, two others more easy going, my personality (introvert), our lifestyle/demands of husband's career on me, etc. My kids are thriving in school and it has been especially good for my child with learning difficulties/adhd. She really did not do well with the lack of routine at home as much as I tried to create routine. She needed the structure of school and she needed someone other than her mom to challenge her, encourage her and be the taskmaster. She has done so much better in school and I wish I had sent her to school from the beginning. My oldest wishes she had gone to full time school at a younger age. She absolutely loves being around other people and getting out of the house every day. My other two are thriving at school and enjoy it, but do occasionally miss being home. They are no doubt getting a better education at school though because they work much harder for someone else. They are in private schools, but I would not hesitate at this point to put them in public schools if we couldn't afford private. We all need a break from each other and relationships have improved between me and them and between the siblings in many ways. It has also been extremely beneficial to me to have quiet each day and time to exercise and take care of all the needs of the household. Homeschooling was a stress on our marriage as well and I am a better wife and mother without that added load. Yes, I miss the free time, being able to sleep in a bit more, being able to travel when we want to, being in control, etc. But it would take a lot for me to homeschool again, as the overall benefits and health of our family have far exceeded the downsides of school. My best advice is to not make a decision in fear and to not be afraid to try something and see if it works. Your health and well-being is extremely important, just as important as the education of your kids. And most likely they will enjoy school and do just fine. If not, you can always make a change.

I agree that a full neuropsych eval is the best idea. We did do that and we did occupational therapy, intensive gymnastics team (were able to drop OT after this), cognitive behavioral therapy for 5 months with the neuropsych's recommended psych, read and implemented Explosive Child, and the intensive dyslexia tutoring. We also had the blessing of a school that while challenging in its curriculum, recognizes and will make accommodations for kids with learning differences. It is a classical school and so felt very familiar to her. We also knew that her teacher would be an extremely loving and experienced teacher of 30 years who was excited to help us help her be successful. Middle school could be a different story, though the school goes through 8th grade. I totally agree that that just putting a child in school is probably not the only thing that should be done. I just wanted to point out that for some kids, the routine and consistency really helps, in addition to other things. My daughter knows that she can go back to her CBT therapist any time if she wants to talk. I am also keeping meds in mind as an option if ever needed. In our case, the psych's top rec was to have her in a consistent environment and do the anxiety therapy. We had other family dynamics as well where she was always under the microscope of her two older super achieving siblings. School has been good for her as she is not comparing herself to them and they aren't getting a front seat to all her academic work.

I also was going to say my friend has a son who is also like yours-schoolwork is easy, but he had anger issues, meltdowns, etc. They also put him in school for 3rd grade and he is doing so much better not being around his siblings all day and getting to shine academically in the classroom. He rarely has behavior issues at school and he and his brother are actually playing and getting along when they are home together so much better than the past several years. Her ped. said she has seen a lot of kids like that and she really thinks that many kids with anxiety need the structure and consistency of a school routine.

I have a child like this (four kids total). Last summer after 2nd grade, we had an evaluation done at a neuropsychologist to test for dyslexia, adhd, psych issues, etc. I had spent about 2 years previously trying to figure out what was going on and had entertained all sorts of possibilities. The dynamic in our home had been difficult and negative for quite a while. Relationships between this child and siblings were poor and the relationship with me was also suffering. It was also affecting my health and was a stressor on our marriage. The neuropsych diagnosed this child with mild dyslexia(why schoolwork was like pulling teeth), mild adhd (hence emotional reg. issues) and anxiety. He recommended cognitive behavioral therapy for the anxiety (temporary), an intensive dyslexia tutoring program over the summer to get reading on track and help schoolwork not be such an issue and then EITHER doing meds if we continued to homeschool, or putting child in a full time school where child would have positive peer pressure, mom could just be mom and not the hammer on everything in her life and she would have structure and consistency. We followed all his recs and opted to put this child in school rather than medicating just to continue to homeschool. We ended up deciding to put all the kids in school as I needed a break after years of this and my oldest was really wanting more interaction and to get out of the house-total extrovert and I am a total introvert so we were always clashing). This child is still an emotional kid and always will be, but is absolutely thriving in school, both academically and socially/emotionally. Meltdowns and oppositional behavior are a pretty rare occurrence now, whereas a year ago, it was a several times a week thing if not daily. It was exhausting and I didn't respond well. The Explosive Child DID help and when we met with the neuropsych, he also recommended it. Dr. Greene also has a podcast that I have listened to some and it has been helpful as well. Susan Wise Bauer's talk about homeschooling outside the box kids from last summer also was so encouraging to me. I especially liked when she said if you need to choose between being your child's teacher and being his mom, always choose mom as no one else can be his mom, while many other people can teach him math, english, etc. It was hard to give up my identity as a homeschooler after 6 years, but its been a big blessing to our family. I am a better mom to my kids now that I have a break and I am not so worn out all the time. I also like being able to be the sympathizer when a teacher is unfair or difficult, rather than me always being the bad guy handing out the assignments. Whatever you decide to do for school in the future, I would highly recommend you get an evaluation from a psychologist. I wish I had done it a year or two sooner.

That sounds like one of the symptoms of dyslexia as described in the book Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz that I just read. I am not an expert though and I know symptoms of different things often overlap.

We are contemplating doing one online class for 6th grade(Jumpstart Latin) and possibly more for 7th grade (WHA Great Conversation, Intro. to Expository Composition, Latin 1, maybe Prealgebra). I will have 4 students total, so I am wondering how much if any of my time will be needed to help my older ones on non-class days if they use this option for 6th, 7th, 8th, etc. They are both strong students and pretty independent, but I am wondering if they will need extensive help with assignments on the 3 days they don't have class.

I agree.

Thanks Silverbrook. My guess is someone else is ahead of us in waiting for a cancellation, but that should help us move up the list to get in sooner than August. Do you mind sharing which doctor you chose? Or did you just take first available? We have done the developmental optometrist already to rule out the need for vision therapy, etc. Lots of rabbit trails to go down!

I am wondering if anyone has a ped. neuropsych to recommend in the Houston area and if anyone has any knowledge of any of the following neuropsychs at the Children's Learning Institute: Dr. Mary Prasad or Dr. Linda Ewing-Cobbs. Thanks!

Ok, thanks I am also wondering about Dr. Mary Prasad or Dr. Rosie Polifroni

Can anyone recommend a pediatric neuropsych. in Houston? I am also specifically wondering about Dr. Ewing-Cobbs at the Children's Learning Institute.

I don't know anyone who has had a neuropsych eval. I have had a hard time finding reviews online. I have asked a few people who I think may be able to make a recommendation so maybe that will help. Several people have recommended the Children's Learning Institute in general, but no one has mentioned a specific doctor.