Thanks. My son is almost 11. He's on the spectrum but generally pretty high functioning. He's a pretty easy going kid and we rarely have issues with him. In the past few months we've noticed that he's more tired, eats more, etc so I think we're in the beginning stages of puberty. Lately, he's had more trouble with getting confused, getting "stuck" and unable to figure out what to do, unable to articulate his needs, etc. I figured hormones may be at play here but I think I'm going to talk to his Dr next week to see if I'm missing anything.

If you have a child with ASD, did he/she have more struggles or more pronounced autism symptoms at the onset of puberty? Thanks.

Has the Plasmacar been mentioned? That's a big hit here for all ages. This is an awesome thread. I have no idea what to get my kids for Christmas this year, so I definitely appreciate reading through the suggestions!

These are super cute and not expensive! They will be going in our stockings this year! Thanks!

We are currently listening to The Railway Children, but it's kind of dragging on. We only listen in the car though. Hope to be done this week, then I also have Cheaper by the Dozen out from the library. I bought The Phantom Tollbooth on CD because our library doesn't carry it and we loved it as a read aloud a couple of years ago, so we plan to listen to that soon too.

Thanks so much for sharing! :)

Oh yes. Another one who can relate here. Two introverted parents, three introverted kids and one very extroverted 5 year old. It's non stop. Her brothers are always asking her to be quiet. My ears physically hurt by the end of the day sometimes. Right now my three older kids are in school so it's just me and the baby home during the day. I love the quiet for those hours!

Hope you have a great year! I love the positive response from the principal.

Sounds like you are all set! My kids go to PS. My fifth grader has used the same backpack all through elementary school. Second grader has used his for 3 years. I only bought one for my kindergartner. School supplies were bought in one quick trip. I buy clothes on sale ahead of time so no need to buy anything new right now. I don't know, I didn't spend much time getting ready either.

Thank you for the reminder. I remember one weekend at college that my mom picked me up early on a Friday (even skipped a class) to take me and my sister to the beach for the day. 20ish years later, my mom is gone but that memory means so much to me. Good for you for skipping the chores and spending quality time with your babies. :)

My youngest turns two in a couple of months. I've started birthday shopping for her. Right now she loves a small backpack that she can carry a couple of books or toys in. She likes Lego Duplos, Little People, play food, balls, sand/water toys. She LOVES books, in particular Sandra Boynton books, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Duck and Goose and Where's Spot?

So cute and how sweet of your friend!

Yeah, that's why I asked. We're just starting 3A which starts with geometry so it's hard to gauge how he'd do with a more arithmetic - heavy section. He reads the section in the guide all at once then we've done a page at a time together, a couple of times a week, just squeezing it in when we can before or after school or on weekends. I'm mostly using it as something fun because he's bored at school. I was just curious how fast people are moving when using it as a spine but I can see how much that would vary now that we've got a little experience with it.

This is really helpful. Thanks!

Our school does not do IEPs for gifted students either. Both of my boys have IEPs for other reasons but nothing is on there about providing gifted services. My older son is quiet and just does what he's told, so they haven't had to work too hard to keep him busy, but my younger son is starting to be pretty vocal about being bored. Add his ADHD and anxiety and I do worry that he'll have some behavior issues. I have to say, our school is really trying to accommodate him, and his classroom teacher in particular is trying a lot of things to make it work for him, but I realize their limitations. Still trying to get DH to agree to Hsing, but I'm hoping that maybe he'll see that we could start with my second grader who seems the most needy right now and see where we go from there. Thanks to everyone for your input. I appreciate it.

Thanks! Got it. :)

Is there a way to read this without having a subscription? My pediatrician mentioned the same article this morning. I'd like to read and share with DH.

I'm afterschooling my 8 year old with Beast Academy 3 since he is bored at school. We're taking it pretty slow because it's just afterschooling, but I'm curious for those that HS using this curriculum, how much do you work through in a given day or week? Thanks!

Good for her!!! :hurray:

This describes my 5 year old daughter. Every day. Loud, obnoxious, annoys others on purpose, very dramatic and emotional. Very attention needy. It so frustrating! I'm following along for ideas but I think in my case, I just need to give her time to mature.

Thank you. These are some good ideas to ponder. :)

Bill - is your child doing prealgebra/algebra at school also? Are you doing AOPS as a more challenging/in-depth version of those classes? (We may have to do something similar, so I'm curious).

(X posted) Thanks everyone! I was hoping to get a feel for what others have experienced. The teachers at our school have said that they want to accommodate the advanced learners but in reality, they are offered a little enrichment here and there but it's not really challenging them. I don't know that I would expect more (I was a teacher once, I know what's on their plates!) But it is frustrating none the less. I appreciate the input. :)

(X posted) Thanks everyone! I was hoping to get a feel for what others have experienced. The teachers at our school have said that they want to accommodate the advanced learners but in reality, they are offered a little enrichment here and there but it's not really challenging them. I don't know that I would expect more (I was a teacher once, I know what's on their plates!) But it is frustrating none the less. I appreciate the input. :)

We like Ranger Rick more than National Geographic. Ask is also great (cricketmag.com).