Baby formula is locked up at most stores because apparently it is one of the most frequently stolen items. https://nypost.com/2016/01/07/theres-a-thriving-black-market-for-baby-formula I guess some parents are so desperate for cheaper formula that they are willing to purchase it off Craig's List, etc. even if it probably was stolen.

Walmart is awful and has been for a while, but all of the various Targets I've been to in January (at least 4 that I can think of) have had seemingly normal inventory levels.

My special needs child has been dealing with suspected PANS for a couple of years. Her integrative doctor believes it is PANS based on symptoms and response to treatment but as the source of the triggering infection was never identified, he's calling it "suspected PANS" rather than giving the official diagnosis. Anyways, we have seen improvement with resveratrol, turmeric, and a high EPA fish oil. We may go the IVIG route as soon as we are able to get in to see a doctor willing to order it for her (our current integrative doctor doesn't do IVIG).

To the extent that I can stay within the 2 major hospital systems in the area (UC San Francisco and Stanford), I do. Because both of those have gone electronic and I've signed release forms, all the doctors and other healthcare providers affiliated with one of them can view all of DD's records back several years. Unfortunately our general pediatrician has her own independent practice and uses paper so anything she does isn't in the electronic file. Ditto for DD's speech therapist and her occupational therapist. The ABA center has an electronic file but it's not accessible by anyone outside that organization. I can definitely empathize with juggling multiple specialists. Within the past year DD has seen audiology, behavioral therapy, endocrinology, ENT, genetics, integrative neurodevelopmental pediatrics, neurology, occupational therapy, primary care pediatrics, and speech therapy. This spring we're planning to see a different geneticist at UCLA who does research on her neurological syndrome and I put in a request for an appointment with Dr. Frye in AZ as he's an expert in the role of immune dysfunction in autism. I don't know if he'll agree to see her but if he does, I'll take her to Phoenix.

I know we've had a discussion on DLD vs. SLI on this forum but I don't have time to go digging through the threads to find the right one. Anyways, here is an interesting article on the topic from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (professional organization for Speech & Language Pathologists). https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.FTR1.23122018.44

Relationship Development Intervention and the author is Steven Gutstein.

SPARK will test siblings but it doesn't give results back to families. Its purpose is building a DNA database for researchers to access. Now the Simons VIP study also does genetic testing of siblings and I'm not sure yet whether or not we will get notification of the results. The coordinator told me that they'll have the results back from the lab in about 4 weeks, so if they do provide notification to families, I should know by the end of the month (we sent in the test kits shortly before Thanksgiving).

I can't compare We Thinkers to Super Flex or Social Detective as I haven't seen the latter but We Thinkers is excellent. It's the program used by the best of the social skills groups my DD has done (unfortunately the clinic changed the day to one that didn't work for our schedule so we had to stop). Don't let the age range scare you off because even though the ST website says it's for 4-7, it's something that can be used throughout elementary if the child needs those foundational skills.

What a sweetie!

I've seen a couple of "cool baby names" lists recently that included the name "Aryan". In this political climate it astounds me that anyone could offer it as a serious suggestion. ETA: I'm not the only one questioning this: https://www.kveller.com/why-is-aryan-one-of-the-most-popular-names-of-2018/

I wouldn't automatically blame the schools. I've had my kids swear up and down that I never taught them [insert topic here] when I can pull out a textbook that they acknowledge they did to show them where said topic was covered. Teachers have no control over what information their students actually manage to retain vs. have go in one ear and whoosh out the other. I

Thanks for posting this! I got the "Talk With Me" book because conversational skills are an area where my DD really needs work.

Not sure, but one big disadvantage to a FSA vs. a HSA is that FSA money has to be spent by the end of the plan year while HSA money can grow tax-free until such time as the owner needs it. If someone is healthy and has minimal expenses, a HSA is much better than the FSA.

SLI generally refers to Specific Language Impairment and by definition, a child with autism, any other developmental disability, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, etc. cannot have Specific Language Impairment because the primary disorder would better explain the speech & language difficulties. DLD refers to Developmental Language Disorder, correct? That's just a new name that some people are now using for Specific Language Impairment and again, by definition it's a diagnosis of exclusion. If the child has ANY other diagnosis, he/she cannot be given a diagnosis of Specific Language Impairment/Developmental Language Disorder. It has to be "mixed expressive-receptive language disorder secondary to [insert primary diagnosis here]" or something along those lines.

No, you cannot use a Health Savings Account with a health-sharing ministry because only certain types of insurance plans qualify for HSA's. https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/bid/297952/hras-and-health-care-ministry-sharing-programs

Your link is broken, can you try again? "Structural language impairment" is not a phrase I'm familiar with. I Googled and came across the following definition in an article about a study finding it being the difference between autism and Asperger's (obviously pre-DSM V): That sounds to me like difficulties with syntax. My 37 weeks preggo brain is too shot to try & wrap my head around whether there is any difference between "structural language impairment" and synctatical difficulties or whether they're just 2 names for the same underlying issue.

If you're asking why different virtual charter schools give different sized stipends, that has to do with how the administration of each school chooses to spend the per-student funding allotment from the state. So in my area, charter A might give $1600 per student per semester for the stipend while charter B spends more on overhead and only gives $1400 per student per semester. The school that has a larger stipend might have other trade-offs, however, such as requiring all materials to be Common Core-aligned. We went with a slightly less generous stipend charter because it offered greater academic flexibility.

The Social Skills group my DD did until they changed the day & time to one that didn't work for our schedule was $82 per 90 minute session vs. $145 per 45 minute session for 1:1 speech therapy. So no, I don't think you are necessarily being overcharged. I thought the social skills group complemented the individual speech therapy and ABA therapy she was getting. Generalization is a BIG issue for my daughter, and just because she learns a specific skill 1:1 with an adult therapist does NOT mean she will use it with peers.

I could see myself remarrying except for the part of going through the whole dating scene to find Hubby #2. Especially not in this age of Tinder and similar apps [shudder] Maybe if I met an old-fashioned gentleman through church or a shared interest or something like that. But that doesn't seem all that realistic a scenario unfortunately.

So it's like Public Administration? I personally don't think leadership can be taught. Either someone has the right personality to be a leader or he/she doesn't.

What is "Leadership and Community Service"? As a potential hiring manager, I would expect those things to be demonstrated through extracurricular activities rather than academic coursework. Definitely keep the Spanish as at least a minor. If her school offers Child Development as a minor, that would be very relevant to speech & language pathology and if she had to take a "gap year" between college and graduate school (for instance if she didn't get accepted on the first try), having those credits on her transcript would open up opportunities to work in a related field such as early childhood education, Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy, etc.

Have you considered American Sign Language? That is supposed to be the easiest foreign language for dyslexics to learn as it's completely visual and there's no written component. Even if my SN child had typical hearing, ASL would be our choice for meeting her world language requirement in high school. http://dyslexia.yale.edu/resources/dyslexic-kids-adults/stories-from-dyslexics/one-dyslexics-experience-with-learning-american-sign-language/

All students including homeschoolers are legally entitled to an IEP assessment though their district under the Child Find Law. If the child meets eligibility criteria, the district would have to make an offer of what services the student would receive if enrolled in district PS. Now in many states, districts can legally decline to provide services to HS and private school students. But they do have to tell you what things your child would be eligible to receive if you agreed to enroll him/her in PS. You would then turn around and sign the paperwork stating you wish to decline the offered placement in PS. A 504 is applicable to private school students including HSers but I'm not as familiar with that process because my SN child is on an IEP as her disabilities are significant enough to qualify for one.

My dad had really good luck with a vehicle that had been stolen but was recovered after the insurance had paid the claim to the owner. The insurance company now owned the vehicle and was willing to make a sweetheart deal to get rid of it. The thieves had been planning on sending the vehicle overseas so it was in mint condition. My dad drove it for over 200k miles and never had any problems aside from regular wear & tear.

"Wellness" is likely to be in a new name IMHO.