That's terrible. That is very unprofessional and disappointing. For a student your son's age I would look for an ADHD or Asperger's "coach". It should be more practically focused and less expensive than a doctor. I hope you can find someone helpful.

Congrats!

My other suggestion is that you contact the local autism or Asperger's support group and ask for suggestions. The local parents will know who the good providers are.

Status is not a good reason to attend a school in the first place and it isn't a reason to stay. Did she choose the school for the status or was there something else about it that she liked? If she got into good colleges there is no reason to think she wouldn't be able to do so again. It is very early in the school year and if she's coming home every weekend she hasn't had time to get involved in campus or make friends. Whether she plans to transfer or not, I would encourage her to make the effort to try to connect with like minds. Even if she leaves that will still have been worthwhile. If she decided to transfer is she thinking of a particular college(s) that she was admitted to first time around? If so, it may be worth looking at their transfer policies so she can get an idea if they take transfers and what the deadline would be.

It sounds like you have a good plan to get another assessment. In that process you might want to make sure you are getting the appropriate testing to help with future concerns such as accommodations from College Board and from the disabilities office in college. Another idea you may have already explored... Look for an ADD or Asperger's "coach" in your area. Coaches can work on practical life skills and organizational kind of stuff. Some of it might be the same sort of stuff you've been doing but it might work better because 1. they may have special insight into what methods work well with students with executive function deficits. 2. They can come to it with fresh eyes - perhaps expecting more or different than you do after years. 3. They aren't mom so he might buy into it better.

Our son too the mathematical logic courses a few years back and they were fantastic. It was a very good foundation of thinking for college math courses. Unfortunately, they are considerably more expensive now.

There are some selective colleges that express concern about labs and would like to see a strong lab component for homeschoolers. That doesn't necessarily mean the student needs dissections, but that somewhere along the way you should be prepared to make sure they have a science lab notebook or reports they'd feel comfortable showing. If you are considering community college classes while in high school it may be a good way to document some lab science experience. It doesn't necessarily need to be for every year of science. Just as one example Oberlin College asks for three years of lab sciences including "evidence of science laboratory experience." http://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/admissions/first-year-applicant/homeschooled.dot

I hope her feelings aren't hurt. As much as I appreciate the safety of homeschooling and I'm not saying it is good for kids to be bullied... but it is probably a good thing for all kids to learn that just because somebody says something doesn't make it true. You can decide what you want to respond to and how you want to respond to it. Also, it is a good opportunity to learn how to cope when kids don't have the best social skills and may have not been well educated about the value of modesty.

And, that too for sure. Especially energy level is a huge determinant of who gets along.

It is tough. What helped here: Davidson Young Scholars Joining interest based clubs with kids stuff like chess, robotics, etc. From there being pretty directly about trying to set up playdates with kids who seemed like they might be a fit. More socializing with older people again in interest based clubs - astronomy, board games, etc. In many ways these have been the most satisfying relationships. Not exactly what I expected at the outset because I was hyperfocused on trying to get people the same age. For some kids that matters less than finding people who share interests. And, always keeping same age peers who don't share intellectual interests/ abilities in the mix. Family friends, friends from sports, etc. it is all worthwhile. Sometimes parents of young ones really worry if they can't find intellectual peers it will be terrible... really it matters more for some smart kids than for others, but for everybody having friends counts.

To do it right it is a pretty long evaluation that is much more intensive than a hearing screening. One place to look might be at an audiologist connected with a children's hospital or large university hospital. We found audiologists at both places that were capable of doing a more in depth evaluation.

I absolutely would not pull her out based on what sounds like a rumor. I think that would send all the wrong message. Really it is inevitable that eventually a child will be exposed to a kid who brags or puts other people down. It happens and it sounds like she has a potential opportunity to learn to handle it. Is your main worry that the girl might tell your daughter that she isn't smart and that would hurt your daughter's feelings? If that's the concern my suggestion would be that it is a good idea to have some general conversations about these topics without specifically mentioning the girl at co-op. What is bragging and why do some people do it? How does it make other people feel? How should you handle it if someone brags or puts you down? Separately, I think it would also be good to start having conversations about people have different interests and strengths. Aunt Susie is such a strong runner she's even running marathons now. Grandma has a green thumb - I really admire her garden. John knows so much about World War II you can tell he's studied the subject for years. These sorts of conversations can help promote the idea that there are many interests and many ways to be an accomplished person. So, you know what, it may well be that Katie at co-op is really good at math. Hooray for Katie, we are all good at different things.

For me I'd look less to the intellectual age or the chronological age and more to child's the social and emotional age. So that would be stuff like impulse control, attention span, ability to handle frustration, and ability to regulate emotions. For me those factors are probably more crucial than more intellectual milestones like the ability to follow multipart directions. Also, I'm of the mindset that just because someone can do something once doesn't necessarily mean they can do it all the time. Sometimes when I'm at my very best I can handle crazy multitasking - crying baby, doorbell ringing, stuff boiling on the stove, phone ringing all at the same time. If I'm exhausted half of that is enough to defeat me. Seems like it would be the same thing for kids. What they can handle at 10 am after a good nights sleep might be totally different than what they can do at 5 pm when they are hungry for dinner. ETA: From talking with friends about this I think it is much more common for parents to overestimate oldest or only gifted kids and to see them as much older than they really are. Regrets seem to usually fall with having expected too much emotionally too early rather than the opposite.

Ah, I get it. That's unusual about the concentration. Best of luck you. I hope you can find options that are affordable and enjoyable.

Did you mention before that you were considering premed or med school? If so, I would be careful about the practical cc program. Med schools like cc credits less and you may not be as prepared for the MCAT. When you decided to get your bachelor's it might take longer than two years. Debt is a very personal decision. Only you can really know how much the college experience and a four year degree are worth to you. I took out debt to get my degree (a little more than what you'd need to in current terms) and I have no regrets. It was worth it to me to have that education and that experience. It also paid off in full scholarships for graduate school so financially it made sense in that way as well. So for me to avoid the education to avoid the debt would have been penny wise and pound foolish. I'm sure many people have regrets about college debt - again, it is really a personal thing. One thing you might want to do to inform your decision is look at loan calculators and see what your payments might be like after graduation. There are a number of good calculators on the finaid.org site. http://www.finaid.org/calculators/undergradadvisor.phtml Another thing you might want to do if you have not already done so, is to explore options for more extensive visits to the dream school. That might include attending a day of classes and staying overnight in the dorm if you are considering living on campus. Contact the admissions office to arrange that. You could also see if you could sit in classes for the program you are considering at the cc. I would also talk to an adviser at the cc. Even if the lab sciences program is competitive many of your general education classes may be with less motivated students. CC vary a lot though so I wouldn't judge without a visit. Reading reviews online is a good first step but your personal experience would mean a lot more.

I say trust your instincts and move on. If he needs more review later you can do it. It is easier to add in more review later than it is to rehabilitate motivation in a kid who has shut down on school because it is too repetitive and not on the right level.

When it gets a little further into fall - when the new semester is underway for a while - you could try scheduling an appointment with a financial aid officer at the "dream" school. They may help you get a more personalized understanding of what your loan package would look like at 0 EFC and help you understand the types of loans you would be looking at and how the interest works - when he starts accruing and under what circumstances it continues. If you do this in October or something it is probably a time of year that financial aid won't be terribly busy and they may be able to help you understand the process better. Best of luck!

You know your situation best, but I would encourage you to define the area you are considering as widely as possible as it will give you the greatest range of financial aid options possible. When you say the schools are "giving you issues" what exactly does that mean. Most colleges want to get applications. Have you visited and spoken with admissions officers? Sometimes rumors spread about schools being difficult or unfriendly when in fact they are really willing to work with individual students. It is probably accurate, but of course that doesn't mean that's what your level of debt would be. Does the college have a net price calculator and have you tried it?

When we've made changes the only regret we've ever had is that we didn't do it sooner. Anyone decent will understand it is a matter of fit - sometimes it is a good one and sometimes it isn't. That's not necessarily a common the skills of that practitioner.

I would very strongly urge you to avoid the idea that there is only one right school for you and it is this school or community college. There are thousands of colleges out there and there certainly other schools you have the potential to like and afford. With an EFC of 0 it is particularly important that you look at the percent of financial need that a college meets and if they meet that need with grants or loans. Have you looked at the financial aid information on college board for the school you are interested in? What percent of need to they meet? Have you visited any other colleges? How close to home do you need to live?

Great that it worked out for your son and I'm glad you shared this information! We do hear a lot of negatives about the process and I have been concerned sometimes that keeps homeschoolers from trying to get accommodations even for kids who really need them. I found this link to be a helpful one: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/accommodations Could you tell us more about what sort of paper trail you kept. Was that based on testing or what did it include?

That was a fantastic and interesting to read review. I think it is great your son is seriously considering this option and there is a lot to be said for a school that is committed to making college affordable for serious students and who will go out of their way to make it a good experience. Ultimately at a big state school it really is on your kid's shoulders to make it happen. They have to have the initiative, but if they do the opportunities should be very good. Best of luck to your son as he makes his decisions.

Coming in late... The MetOpera has an online option which includes a 7 day free trial period and then has a monthly fee - which you can cancel at any time so it might be fun to do just for a month or two. While you won't be able to watch the two ring cycle performances that were on HD this year, you can watch the versions from an earlier productions. http://www.metoperafamily.org/met_player/index.aspx

He should ask questions he genuinely wants answers to otherwise it will come across as fake. So, what does he care about?... A few ideas: Particular hobbies or interests and how he might pursue them on campus, what people do on the weekends - do they stay on campus or leave, graduate school admission rates, what sort of advising do students get - who does that advising - professors or somebody else, how involved are students on campus - are most students in clubs or activities, will my first year classes be taught by TAs or professors, how popular is my intended major, etc.

Congrats. I hope it is a great experience!