If you have health insurance, start with your primary care provider (that way, any referrals to specialists are covered). You would likely be referred to a neurodevelopmental psychologist (that's who diagnosed our oldest son). He was 5 at the time. It took months to get an appointment, so be prepared for that! Anyway...they talked to us for a good 30-45 minutes, taking a case history and all that (so write down all developmental milestones and when they were achieved because they'll ask you all of that). Write down any concerns you have about her and be sure to mention those. Then, after talking to us, we left to go into the waiting room and she did some testing with my son, which he loved, btw!! Things like puzzles and other things like that, engaging him in conversation to check for language delays and so forth. And then, we were notified in the mail that he was autistic (no 'warm and fuzzy phone call' I'm afraid...just boom, he has autism). With my daughter, we went through ChildFind because she was younger (2 1/2) and it was free and run by the local county health department. With your daughter being 8, your only options are the public school system (don't go that route if you can afford to do otherwise!!!) or the medical field. I hope this helps!!

Perhaps she could benefit from a reading curriculum that isn't phonics-based? I have two children on the autism spectrum (my son, who is 14, and and my daughter, who is 6). Alpha Phonics was great for my son because it doesn't look 'baby-ish' (he was also 8 when we used it and he didn't want anything that looked like it was written for a Kindergartener or 1st grader) My son couldn't tell the difference between the short-vowel sounds (ba, be, bi, bo, bu, etc.). Alpha Phonics uses a word-ladder approach (ball, call, hall, tall, wall, etc.) He loved it!! And he learned to read very well. I used Alpha Phonics and the 1st grade Pathway Readers for the first year (that was 3rd grade, I believe) and then we moved into Sonlight Core 2 in 4th grade (which uses books like Frog and Toad, Dr. Seuss, etc.) With my 6 year old, I'm using Pathway Readers and workbooks. Pathway Readers use alot of sight words, and my daughter, who went to public school for Kindergarten and learned how to read some simple words (like 'come', 'go', 'see', etc.) can already read a few of the sentences. When I tried to work with her using Explode the Code, she didn't have a clue how to blend, even though she knew the individual letters and their sounds. So I ordered a new set of workbooks for the 1st grade Pathway Readers, and a set of the flashcards that you can order to go with it and it's working well so far!! I hope this helps a little!!

Your position is right, Erica! A person can only choose when God enables him or her *to* choose. Which logically means that there are others whom God has not chosen (that's where the debate becomes sticky). BUT we're to share the Gospel with ALL because no person can know whom God has chosen (and that person merely hasn't heard the Word from others). God elects and chooses ... we are merely the 'sharers of the message'. Another way to explain free will and election is .. if God could choose you, and you could not accept -- or God could not choose you and you could accept Him -- that would make your will greater than God's will and that would be impossible -- with Him being God and all that. :) Hope this helps a little!!

Born and raised in the Presbyterian church --- still a firm Calvinist For several years, I attended the PCRT conference on Reformed Theology in Philadelphia with RC Sproul and Alastair Begg and Michael Horton. Proud reader of the Credenda Agenda. I used to be in the Christian Fellowship / Debate chatroom on a server called Prodigy years ago...I had several good friends (Borg and Credenda .. I was GraceAlone) and we were often in the center of massive predestination debates .... Hmmmm..... I wonder how they knew we were reformed???? :rolleyes: Ahhhh...I have since matured. Sometimes I miss having a good ol' religious debate on whether or not we have free will :D

My boys are die-hard Star Wars fans....of the "regular movies", if that makes sense. They're very unsure about seeing the new movie, because it's animated. What's your opinion about the new animated movie? Did your kids like it, especially if they adore the 'usual ones'? Thanks in advance!!

My boys will be thrilled!! They loved the first one!!

hs - stands for home school mama - that's easy! inva - in Virginia Boring ... I know! :sleep:

I have two children on the spectrum. My oldest son (14 yrs old) has high functioning autism / Aspergers and my youngest daughter (6 yrs old) has a more moderate form of autism (although she's pretty high functioning) My 14 year old, when he was younger, was very sound sensitive. He didn't like loud noises at all. Thunderstorms would send him into the bathroom, where he'd turn on the water, and the fan, and wear a walkman with headphones to drown it out (he still doesn't like thunderstorms, but he no longer hides in the bathroom!). He's obsessed with Star Wars, videogames, and Legos. In a way, it can drive me up a wall .. but, on the other hand, when he gets together with other boys, it gives him something to talk about that they enjoy as well.... almost a connection, if you will, so that makes it tolerable! He has an amazing memory!! He loves to memorize dates, places, presidents, etc. He needs to go on Jeopardy or something. I can give him a year and he can tell me the president who was in office at the time in the blink of an eye. When he was younger, he could recite Spongebob episodes, from beginning to end, without any mistakes, from memory. He can be very talkative -- in the extreme, but he's gotten better about it! He does have the traditional Asperger's clumsiness and often drops things or walks into objects (he's also tall for his age and that makes it more challenging, too!) He's a very good worker, but he can be easily overwhelmed and is something of a perfectionist. He loves art and he can draw very well. Now...my youngest daughter (age 6). She has language delays which complicate hers (as opposed to Asperger's). She's very bright, very visual, and also has an amazing memory. When she was very little, if you told her you were going to the bank, and you didn't turn down the right street, she'd scream. She doesn't like crowds...and she can be overwhelmed in new situations. She's very routine-oriented and can handle most things, if she's warned about them ahead of time. She loves water and art supplies (playdoh, paints, crayons, etc.). She has many typical autistic traits that my older son never had (such as flapping her hands when she's excited). She has numerous parroted phrases that she uses all the time (since true conversational language is extremely hard for her). She enjoys learning...and loves to 'do school'. Math is her favorite subject. Hope this helps a little!

Oh yeah!!!! Die hard Redskins fans here!!! I also love college football! I've been an Auburn fan for years (ever since my cousin attended there back in the 80's) My two boys have a family feud going...my oldest son loves UVA and my younger son loves Virginia Tech -- so that makes Saturdays very interesting around here!!! (The same thing happens during basketball season! My oldest son loves North Carolina and my younger son loves Duke!)

Wow!!! What a story! I'd never heard that before! Thanks for posting!

That is SOOOO true!!!!! I kept telling the nurses that I was having the baby NOW and pushing NOW and they were just standing around, blinking at me like, "Yeah, right." Finally, my doula snapped out, "What part of N-O-W do you not understand?" And that got everyone's attention. Every nurse on the maternity floor came running into my room. One of them said, "we don't often get to see a natural birth." The hospital where my daughter was born had a 90% epidural rate.

I did for my last birth. I found a doula through my LaLeche League group who was trained in hypnobirthing. She worked with me during my pregnancy, and gave me a book, but I don't remember the name of it. I would highly recommend finding a doula who knows how to do it. And it worked out very well!! I actually slept through most of my labor!! I would say that I only felt pain for maybe...15 minutes out of the entire thing, and that was during the pushing stage and that was because my daughter's arm and hand came out along with her head. But my doula was incredible!!!! I wish I had one for my other three!! She was sooo encouraging! Always there with a kind word and a cool washcloth!! It was very comforting!

We used Abeka K5 math last year and my daughter LOVED it!! She loves math and she loves workbooks, so it was always the subject she wanted to do first (it still is! We're using Abeka Math 1 this year)

No, it's not necessary. We completed R&S English 2 orally anyway. I didn't start having them write anything until R&S English 3.

The Stand Duma Key (that's one of his newer ones...it was very good!!) The Tommyknockers

My advice would be to find something they can use together for science and history -- something that's designed for use with multiple ability levels / ages, so that it can be 'customized' for the needs of each one. And then let them use their own books for math and English, so they can each go at their own pace. And if they have different learning styles, that can be accommodated also (maybe one learns best with phonics and another one learns best with sight reading....or maybe one needs manipulatives for math and another one enjoys colorful workbooks, etc.) My boys aren't twins! In fact, they're 5 years apart in age...but my 14 year old has autism and my 8 year old is very advanced for his age .. so I try to find a science and history program that's geared toward a 5th to 8th grade age level and then it works for both of them. They love it and it saves me time (since I also have a 1st grader to teach). They each have their own math and English books, geared toward their learning styles and ability level. Hope this helps!

My 17yo is at the community college two days a week and she homeschools the other three days a week. It's easier for her to do her studying and schoolwork in her room. She's in charge of her own schedule. I check in from time to time to make sure it's done and that she doesn't have any questions. My boys (14yo and 8yo) do all of their seatwork at the kitchen table, but prefer to do their reading in their bedroom where it's quiet. My youngest (6yo) does all of her schoolwork at the kitchen table.

"Reach out with your peelings, Cuke." :smilielol5: ROTFLOL!!!! My boys LOVED it!!! Thanks!!! :D

May I just say that this thread is very encouraging to me!! I have no advice, as I'm in the same proverbial boat! My 14 year old has high functioning autism. He's technically a 9th grader, but he needs alot of help with his school work. I've had to modify everything to make it more manageable. I wouldn't even call what he's doing 'college-prep' either. Our plan is for him to learn how to do math through Algebra 2 (cross your fingers, everyone!), learn to read high-school-level literature, write a coherent essay, and be able to do his work independently enough that he could go to the community college when he's 18 (he doesn't know what he wants to do, yet, but I want that to be an available option...so we keep plugging away!) He's a good worker, but he's easily frustrated and easily overwhelmed. So I try to schedule his day into small chunks, with frequent breaks. I'm glad to hear that some of this could be just a lack of maturity on his part! (We were told when he was diagnosed with autism at age 6, that he'd never learn to read or do basic math, so we're thrilled with the progress he's made!) And I'm trying not to push him too hard or to plan too far ahead. He IS a late bloomer (he didn't learn to read until he was almost 9), so I'm hoping that he'll continue to progress steadily over the next 4 years!

My 12th grader does several things: She is a buddy for the Little League Challengers team (which is baseball for special needs children)...she helps them to run the bases, and hit the ball, etc. -- two of our children have autism and are members of the team. She probably spends 3 hours a week, doing this, during baseball season, which is March through July. She does the same thing for the Special Olympics for basketball, which runs October through March....so at least once during the week, she's somewhere cheering!! :D She works as a paid nursery worker at the church during Ladies' Bible Study, MOPS meetings, and homeschool group meetings (so it's not technically volunteer work as she earns $10 an hour) She teaches music to her siblings, and anyone else who'd like to learn how to play an instrument (she plays the violin, flute, guitar, and piano) She teaches Tae Kwon Do during the children's class, as she's a Red Belt and that has earned her the rank of Assistant Instructor (she isn't paid for this activity) My 9th grader doesn't yet do any volunteer work -- but does play baseball and basketball for both the Little League Challengers and the Special Olympics.

I have 1 married brother and my hubby has 3 married sisters. We always purchase something for my brother (and try to keep it under $50). For his three sisters and their husbands, we exchange names, so we only have to buy for 2 of them (and everyone keeps it below $50). We have 5 nieces and nephews and we buy for each of them (and everyone buys something for our children) and we keep that under $50. My parents are deceased, as is my father-in-law, but my husband and his sisters all pitch in to give a present to his mother (that's anywhere from $50 to $100). So that's roughly $500 on the immediate family .. but that doesn't count our own! My hubby and I usually spend around $100 on each other...and then around $100-$200 on each of the children. Christmas easily runs us at least $1000 every year.

My 1st grader uses it just for play. She has games like Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, Blues Clues, etc. When I need to teach something to the older ones, she plays on the computer. I don't have to limit the time, really, because she has a fairly short attention span and she doesn't spend more than 20-30 minutes using it at a time, maybe once or twice a day. No internet usage. My 4th grader is using Teaching Textbooks Math 5 on the computer, and that's likely the only time he's on it. He might play a game every once in awhile, but not too much. He doesn't access the internet at all, unless he's looking up videogame hints. My 9th grader plays Star Wars games on the computer and other advanced games, but...again...no more than probably an hour at a time, 2-3 times a week. He also doesn't use the internet unless he's looking up videogame hints. My 12th grader loves her computer and spends hours on the internet (she takes classes at the community college and she chats online with friends she's made there...she chats with friends from our old neighborhood -- we moved away 3 years ago to another state, so it's nice that she can stay connected! ... and she watches alot of YouTube videos and the like).

Thank you so much for the advice! I did drop Alpha Phonics for her .. and ended up dropping Explode the Code, too! (Book 1 started at a much higher level than the Get Ready for the Code A, B, C set that she used last year!) I had a set of Pathway Readers that I used for reading with my 2nd child and I'm planning on using those. If that doesn't work, then I may give BJU Phonics a try!!! (I'm also hoping that BJU will bring one of their curriculum hotel shows to my area so I can see it first-hand!) I found all 3 sets of Bob Books for $10 each at Costco and we're working with those, too. Again, she's trying to memorize the words, though, rather than sounding them out, which is why I believe Pathway Readers may be more of a fit for her (she went to public school for Kindergarten and they taught her sight reading, so to her, reading is memorizing) I'll let everyone know how it goes over the course of our school year (this is our first week)

Here's one for my kids: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones :) "Flowers are Red" by Harry Chapin is one of my favorites. Here's a link to the song on Youtube for you younger whippersnappers, who have no idea who Harry Chapin is! ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noVC5Jt2Gu8

It would depend on your student, I would say. For my oldest, I wrote up the lesson plans and handed her the book. She completed the 'on your own' questions in a notebook, whenever she encountered them, took notes in her notebook on the important points (which includes writing down any definitions), did the experiments in the kitchen with me nearby, and then took the test at the end of each module. Now...my current 9th grader has special needs, and reading/writing are weak points for him. I wrote up the lesson plans and he reads the book with me sitting next to him (I can then help him with any words that trip him up -- I've been quite pleased that only a few words in each lesson have been hard for him and they're the scientific ones!!) I write down any important points and definitions on 3x5 index cards. He answers all of the 'on your own' questions in a notebook and I will allow him to do an open book test for each module (this is a common accommodation for special needs children in the public school system, as is assistance with notetaking). My personal feeling is that, if your student is capable of doing the course on his or her own, they should be allowed to do so, as, by the time they reach high school, they should be doing pretty much all academic work independently (which is something they'll need to be able to do for college), but, if your student isn't ready for that (as is the case with my oldest son), accommodations can and should be made.