Lol! That's great! Retail therapy at its finest. Watch it though...if you buy TOO much you'll need therapy for curriculum hoarding. ;-) (But if you're clever enough, you'll be able convince the therapist to join you!)

Thank you Angela, that's a good idea! I was thinking my kids should do their own though, in order to get the benefit of hands on. We have the review cards, and I was just going to discuss them briefly one at a time, sequentially, to see what they remember. Then they would put them in their book. (I haven't looked at your suggestions yet so this may not make sense.) What do you think?

Aww Shannon, thanks so much for the time and thought invested in your response. I truly appreciate it. Before I forget...can you tell me (again?) if TOG includes science suggestions? Clearly, I haven't spent much time looking at it. Yet. Out of all these suggestions, I realize that sooner or later, regardless of which direction I take, I need to --look more closely at our library. They have nice buildings but the whole library system is only about 10-15 years old, so some items may not be there. :-) --nail down my approach toward science. It's just a sticking point right now since I have everything else "worked out", haha, at least until we actually have to do it. :-) --look ahead for the next 2-3 years in regards to the above so I can start spending energy on doing rather than planning. Thanks again! I'll try to keep you posted. Do you have your notifications set to send you an email when someone posts here? This thread will probably be buried before I post much more.

Interesting! Also, I didn't realize all this other stuff was available. My experience has been limited to what I see at conferences and read about in WTM. To answer the question (quoted), I don't really have much experience teaching Saxon. OTOH, I used it for years as a home educated student myself, and in the latter grades, it was amazing how much the ACT tests resembled the Saxon problems. I scored much better on the Math section than I had hoped. My husband, who has taught a lot of Math, doesn't like the upper level Saxon though. He says it doesn't teach a student to conceptualize enough. I have used this for my older two, but we're not that far into it. I have the teacher guide, but (gulp) I haven't really used it. I prefer to teach the extra stuff (weather, measuring, etc.) during science. It didn't always work out that way but I didn't want to stop and do a Math meeting when my kids had their pencils poised and ready to go into the workbooks. We'll keep on with it this year at least. Our books are bought and ready to go; however, it is really good to know there are viable options if Saxon no longer suits us.

Even though you didn't see everything I said earlier, this was still helpful--especially your part about genetic components. You said it so well! Thanks. This is one reason I want to know what's going on. Another reason is because I want to improve our home life. (deep breaths Sarah, deep breaths) I know genius runs in dh's family. It's probably just a matter of time before someone is diagnosed with Aspergers or something. Anyway... Thank you ladies! I appreciate this. Sarah

A timeline? Completely forgot to do that this year! (SOTW 1, two girls.) But that would make an excellent review when gearing up for our new year. Thanks for bringing this up. I hadn't thought about doing a timeline until you did.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Saxon. Why?

I just noticed these in TWTM suggestions and am considering it for my science this year. There aren't too many Amazon reviews though. What do you think of them?

Oh thank you. This was so helpful. I think it's cool that we're both doing second grade this year. Can you tell me what you meant by UG and AG? I'm distracted now and can't seem to determine what they mean. I am so glad I asked about the "extra" books before diving in. I already bought the big encyclopedias and it wouldn't feel right to buy more now. Especially with my dh basically out of a job. :-).... Thanks again!

:D This was helpful. I coulda written the OP myself!

Sensory--touching, eating, smells, noises, ack. It all bugs him a lot and this is probably part of the reason he stays holed up in his corner. All. Day. Long. A psychologist friend has suggested a diagnosis but I wanted to hear what you guys have to say first.

No reading problems. At. All. Maybe some auditory dyslexia but nothing of significance. He doesn't get lost. Highly intelligent. Loves to read and play board games. If he's not doing that he's playing computer games or writing. He writes a lot. My concerns: *constant* computer games, poor sleep patterns, employment, social and sensory concerns.

Bump How did you pick between Charlotte Mason, TOG, TWTM, MFW, etc.? I would appreciate even a drive-by response.

We did first grade this year. Sorta. (See my other thread here. Now I'm trying to make sure I'm using the curriculum I really want to use. IOW, I don't want to be several months/years down the road and find out that with a little effort, I would have found something that works better. We have most, if not all, of TOG, but I'm not sure it's right for us. Upon looking at it, it appears to require certain additional books. We don't have the funds for that many books. (Or the time to round them up second-hand.) I think I'd rather be more flexible and take my chances at the library. Can someone compare and contrast the features of TWTM with TOG? What do TOGers to for science? TIA! I know the caveats and that I just need to jump in with what we decide. But I have this TOG curriculum here.....

The first response asked what I'm wondering. I guess I'm just thinking out loud. Again. :-) If my dh or I had an inherited and/or genetic medical condition, I think it would help to know that when raising our kids. IMO, it's the same with any learning challenges or different brain wiring. (I'm trying to be general since labels change and I'm not particularly a fan of them.) I am also, frankly, not sure of how to help my dh. When I joined this board, I agreed to certain things. One of those things was that I wouldn't use this for marriage counseling. I'm not exactly doing that; I just want help for my kids, and I feel that getting some peace about my dh would facilitate that. Little tidbits help: even learning the term "2E" was SO helpful. I learned that here. But since you all can't get into my head, and can just deal with practical things, here's my first question. Anyone out there with an adult ASD family member? Are the online tests (think FaceBook) for Aspergers accurate? What is it like living with an Aspergers adult? I hate labels when they are used as a crutch or an excuse to misbehave, or if they promote stereotyping. I love labels when they give someone confidence in dealing with someone else. I'm looking for that sort of confidence now. :-) For the children, S

Anyone with experience in this area? I'm beginning to wonder if I do....:-)

I agree. I have a homeschool business that goes crazy in August so we couldn't start then anyway. We're starting after Labor Day. Not sure when we'll take our first break. I think your girls will remember how they felt--happy and peaceful about getting to play longer--more than the fact that they started "late." You're doing good!

Slight hijack, but I just wanted to say I learned a lot reading this discussion. 1) having a 2E (new term for me) family member is a possibility. I am not going crazy. :-) 2) there are tests for executive function. 3) people with dyslexia (and maybe other problems) can be creative. Again, I'm not going crazy. This extra creativity could really happen. Carry on!

Katharine, thank you for answering. I am fascinated by all this, as we will hopefully be doing some of the same tests soon. My son tells me "Mom, your voice is too long" sometimes. He also has trouble with background noise. I wonder what they will find out. Thank you again. Best wishes for you and your son. I'm sure he'll do well--you're a good momma. :-) Sarah

I have NO experience with this but I just happened to pick up a book recently about it. I remember they had the girl hold a ruler in her left hand. It seemed to orient her. If you want more details, such as the book's title, let me know. This would be hard to deal with.

I am hesitant to post because I have not dealt with speech issues a lot. But Katharine, if I can ask this question--do you know if the people who evaluated your son accounted for the fact that he was learning two different languages? My best friends are bilingual--they speak English, and then also German, Russian, Ukranian, or other languages I can't remember. Their kids typically have a language "delay"--but it's not because something is wrong. It's because they are learning two different languages! I think their kids and I didn't even speak much to each other until the child was about five years old or so. I am not questioning the competence of your doctors, but I'm curious how they determine a bilingual child truly has a delay.

Ah, I was reading too fast. I thought you said "accomplish MORE" and that's what interested me. Never mind! Sorry! S

Get done what you can get done with the resources you have. If you live in poverty, have sick family members and a mediocre educational background you will be able to accomplish less than affluent, healthy, highly educated moms. This was all very deep...but the part I quoted intrigues me the most. Why do you say this? And, if not too personal to answer, what sort of experiences do you have to confirm this? I'm not asking in a disbelieving way. It just intrigued me beyond my ability to remain quiet. :-D Thanks always! Sarah

Hey, thanks! I'm having trouble finding some of these on Amazon. Straight Talk and LiPs have weird results...can you tell me if there is more to the title than what you gave? And do you have any details about Therapeutic Listening? I'm not sure if I'm looking at the right thing or not. Also-- it is so good to hear of other moms doing therapy at home. Maybe I really CAN do this!

I just discovered Thinking Putty on another thread here. Maybe you could read that thread, and I'd you like it, see if Rainbow has it?