Thanks!

If your DH is on board, that plan sounds awesome!

OK, thanks.

Does anyone have a transcript they're willing to share that is set up for semester blocks? I need to give the CC a transcript and I want to show clearly what he's already finished this year and what he's currently working on. Thanks!

How much of Henle 1 needs to be completed to give a credit for Latin 1? Thanks!

Connecting Math is a scripted, math program specifically designed for people with ID. I started using it when I taught Special Ed. I've seen this program absolutely work wonders! http://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/connecting-math-concepts-comprehensive-edition-2012/MKTSP-UUF07M0.html The 2012 edition is a bit pricey, but you can pick up the previous edition on Amazon or Ebay pretty cheaply.

What a cool resource!

Yes, you nailed it. This is what I'm looking for, the gaps. I've run into the problem of a student being stuck and not able to make progress. I think it is because something foundational is lacking, but I can't figure out what it is. This is not for one of my own children that I have taught from the beginning. I don't want to reinvent the wheel if a list/test already exists.

Thanks for your input! I'm dreaming of a step by step skill chart, complete with examples, so that one can easily tell what skills a child knows and what skills are still missing to be at x grade level. Like a placement test but more comprehensive. So if I find that my child has mastered 55% of 2nd grade skills, what do I do next, KWIM? Does something like this exist that is available for parents?

The first year of homeschooling , the twins were in 4th grade. DS did K12, so no planning to speak of for me. DD (special needs) worked on relevant skills at her level, based of her ABA and functional skills testing. After that, I discovered The Well Trained Mind. When I get lost in my ideas of all the different things that we could do, I refer back to the WTM and pick a quality something that will actually get done. I find that is extremely important, especially now that I have more kids homeschooling. I have to remind myself often that getting something done is better than the lofty, homegrown program that I have designed in my head.... I find that I'm great with ideas, but the followthrough, not so much. I often wish I could hire an assistant or something to make my ideas into reality. How cool would that be?

Wow! Looks great 😀

DS6 runs through the house yelling waffles! DS4 and DS2 immediately copy him. Glad to know we're not alone with this weirdness.

I've also been looking and putting more than a couple things in my Amazon cart....

Does anyone have a list of skills by grade level? For example, reading at the 3rd grade level means what exactly? What are the skills and prerequisite skills needed to say that one is reading or doing math at grade level x?

Has anyone had experience partially enrolling their special ed student? I'm thinking about doing this for electives only and doing the academics at home. Would this work for 4 years only or until the age of 22?

Around age 8, my oldest boys' behavior was AWEFUL. I seriously remember dreaming of sending that kid off to military school. Lots of physical activity helped. The best thing I did was to take a step back and focus on my relationship with him. I was treating him too much like a little kid and he resented it. I did have testing done for him, and he is truly brilliant. Even though he was a kid age wise, mentally, he was older, KWIM? We butted heads really hard for a long time about school work. I had to learn to relax. If I say "do this, this and that," he balks, even now. But when I involve him in the planning, he does much better. "This book has 14 chapters and it needs to be done by such and such date. How do you want to break it up?" Having him make these decisions instead of me has made all the difference. Also, working on mutual respect. It's made a world of difference.

FWIW, DS1 is taking Biology with Thinkwell this year and spending a good 15 hours (at least) a week on it as well. With no busywork. Bio is a just time consuming class.

Handwriting without tears with ALL the manipulative options

I have never seen this laid out so clearly before! How interesting.

Where can I find more info about the ultimate cognitive level? A quick google search yielded zilch.

This. I did this and found that the amount of time that we spend in the kitchen is staggering. I made the switch to paper dishes on busy days, substantially streamlined meal prep and assigned all the kids I kitchen jobs that they're supposed to do before and after every meal. It helped. But I have to allow a full 90 minutes for each meal/chore cycle. I also gave up the idea of me getting up before the kids. Even when I try to be super quiet, the littlest ones wake up every.single.time. So I'm up super early with cranky kids, not getting anything done. So great in theory, but in practice, not so much. Do the paper and pencil scheduling exercise. It's amazing what you find out.

Fixation is the word I use. My DD is 13 and also has Autism. Once she gets something in her head, there.is.no.changing.her.mind. My DD is currently fixated on puzzles. She bends and rips and loses the pieces often. And then gets very upset that the puzzle is not right the next time she wants to do it. But she isn't capable of thinking ahead when she plays with it the first time. For her, there is only right now. The past and future don't really exist. So what do I do? I give her 2-3 puzzles at a time, color coded on the back so I know which go together when she dumps all the pieces out, sorted in containers that she can open and close herself. I try to sit with her or have one of her brothers sit with her when she wants to do her puzzles. But pieces get ripped and lost anyway. I shopped around and found a couple dollar stores that have a wide variety of puzzles she can do. I buy them by the dozen and hide them in my closet so she will always have a complete puzzle. If a dollar store puzzle makes DD stay calm and happy, she can have it! Unless you've experienced a child like this, it can be hard to understand. For my 13 year old DS, if he breaks or loses his stuff, he's SOL, he needs to take better care of it. This is appropriate for him. DD however, even though she is 13, intellectually, she's in the 2-5 age range, with behavior and self-regulation more towards the 2 year old end. And what do 2 year olds do? They get mad and throw things and have tantrums. It wouldn't be developmentally appropriate to expect otherwise. OP, for your DD, if the stroller is the it thing for her, get a few cheap umbrella strollers, garage sale strollers, consignment store strollers or craigslist strollers. I would do your best to teach her how to treat them so they won't break, but reality. If you can expand her play to include a baby carrier or wagon, great. If not, well, umbrella strollers are not expensive. Pick your battles.

Is Montessori school an option?

My oldest DS was like this. He also skipped 1st grade. We tried public school, private school, K12 online, public school gifted programs, etc. None of it worked for him. I ended up with a grumpy kid who was starting to hate school and get into trouble. K12 was an improvement over B&M school and doing that I realized what he needed was for his courses to be self paced. Especially math. After K12, he started AoPS for math and has thrived. This year, age wise, he is in 8th grade doing Pre-Calc. His reading and writing are good, but not so accelerated. He's working through WWS and the WTM reading lists. I feel your frustration. It's hard when the school is making your kids education difficult.

Could she partially enroll at the high school, maybe take afternoon classes (11-2 or whatever), and homeschool/CC the rest of her credits? If English and History are going well there, do those and maybe an elective? Math and Science at home with online, self paced classes. Derek Owens and Thinkwell come to mind.