Of my boys, two were into dressing up - one as a superhero and one as a fairy/princess/ballerina/butterfly/Alice in Wonderland. Both wore their costumes in public until age 5 or so, then gave it up on their own. We got plenty of stares, but surprisingly few comments.

First, I would stop teaching sight words. You're absolutely right that he is learning to only look at part of the word, which is not something you want to encourage. The words you linked are words that he should be learning to decode. When his decoding has improved, you can decide whether you need to drill true sight words. Had you used a phonics program before starting Barton? I think it's still too early to tell whether Barton is going to work, but the reading "specialists" may not want to admit that phonics instruction, or at least phonics instruction on its own, does not work for every child. Ds16, who is bright, focused and hard-working, received one-on-one phonics instruction for nearly 5 years and didn't progress past a first grade reading level. When phonics doesn't work, some specialists jump to "sight word" or "whole word" reading instruction, which should really only be a last resort. But, there are options between teaching phonics and teaching sight words (linguistically). If a child can't learn to read with phonics, it is likely because they have deficits in phonological awareness, especially in hearing and identifying phonemes. To bypass these deficits, I've taught several of my children to read by teaching them to recognize each syllable as an onset and rime, not individual phonemes. So, "cat" isn't "c-a-t", it's "c-at", "track" isn't "t-r-a-ck", it's "tr-ack" and "mankind" isn't "m-a-n/k-i-n-d", it's "m-an/k-ind". Glass-Analysis is the only program I know of that teaches decoding this way, and I've been able to adapt it (with the help of a psychologist who researches reading and dyslexia) to meet my kids' individual needs. I've used this program both on its own and alongside a phonics program, so I would discuss it with his tutor and see whether it would be worth teaching at home.

My oldest son was older when he finished 6B and had no trouble jumping into NEM 1, but Ds15 was only 10 and found it too difficult. We tried a few different things, and ended up spending a year going through the first 2/3 of Jacobs Elementary Algebra and a few chapters of Mathematics: A Human Endeavor. When we came back to NEM 1 at 11, he never had any trouble.

I would go to Ireland (Dublin, Waterford & Cork, by train), with a 2-3 day stop in London on the way back.

My 9th grader turned 15 a few weeks ago. Our state's cut-off is September 1st, but I have no idea how popular red-shirting is in our area. Our oldest, who has a November birthday, attended kindergarten and 1st grade while we were living in Canada, where the cut-off was December 31st. He started half-day kindergarten at 4 and college at 17. My sisters and I all graduated high school and started university at 16, so the idea that all my younger boys will be 18 (or older) is a little strange for me.

Our homeschool group is small and focused on older children (8+), but we've never actually turned anyone away based on age. Our group is not connected with a co-op and doesn't offer regular classes, so parents of younger kids can choose to attend activities, workshops and field trips that are appropriate, without feeling like they're missing out on too much. One mother whose only child just turned 5 (but is very bright and enjoys activities geared toward older kids) always gives me a call before signing up for an activity to make sure Ds4 will be there so her son will have a little buddy. :)

My 5th grader is using CE 1 this year and finding it challenging, but not overwhelming. MCT's website lists it for ages 9, 10 and 11, which it took to mean that it was intended for a gifted 4th or 5th grader. Ds is not academically gifted, and I think CE would have been a little over his head in 4th. We used MCT Island in 3rd grade, but Town seemed like a bit of a jump so we held off for a year. This year, he found Grammar Town to be very simple, but both Paragraph Town and CE are stretching him. We're taking it slow and alternating days of CE and PT, which seems to be working well and allowing the vocabulary to sink in. We haven't started Building Poems yet, but I'm okay with leaving it until the summer, or even next fall.

I'd be comfortable with both of those situations, and it sounds like you've thought them through very well. Last summer, two of my boys (then 14 and 15) tagged along with Dh on a business trip to London and had a fantastic time exploring the city, checking out museums and taking a day trip to Stonehenge before meeting up with Dh for dinner each evening. They're dying to do it again, and it looks like it will be Oslo next time!

My hairdresser pronounces my name "ee-VAY", which I actually love and have decided not to correct. Apart from her (and now her co-workers), I don't think I've ever heard my name pronounced differently. I do mind when my kids' names are mispronounced, but they don't seem to even notice.

We've always just gone with the grade corresponding their age, no matter how far "ahead" or "behind" they are academically. In our state, a 9.5yo would be in 4th grade.

A couple of our favorites that I haven't seen mentioned: Red Hot Root Words Alphabet Soup: Language Arts Enrichment Activities

Our dog usually runs with Ds16 in the mornings, but on days that he doesn't run, I send Ds11 to walk her. She's only 3, so he's been walking her since he was 8, with no issues.

For us, it's about the same as leaving them home alone. I wouldn't hesitate to leave my 11yo alone in a hotel room for a couple hours, and I'd leave his younger brothers with him as long as they were getting along. My teens get a hotel room to themselves when we travel, and are free to do their own thing when we don't have anything special planned.

Our oldest made the final decision on which college to attend, and his younger siblings will have the same freedom. We gave plenty of input, especially early in the research process, but he made the final decision on which schools to apply to and which offer to accept. The college he ended up choosing was second on my list, but he absolutely made the right decision.

We haven't tried the physics courses yet, but MIT's OCW Scholar courses are fantastic.

While 3 is probably a little late to diagnose severe autism these days, milder cases are not typically diagnosed until several years later. Two of my boys have been diagnosed with ASD - Ds9 with autism before his 2nd birthday and Ds16 with Asperger's at age 7. At the time, our doctor considered 7 to be on the early side for an Asperger's diagnosis, but I think that would be about average now. Ds16 did have a mild speech delay, but ASD was not suggested until he began having difficulty in public school. You're really ahead of the game to be looking into mild ASD so early. I don't agree at all with your new speech therapist's assessment. The previous posters are absolutely correct that she is not trained or qualified to diagnose autism. Her understanding of theory of mind (which is what she's getting at with the orange example) is not accurate. Typical children don't reliably demonstrate theory of mind until age 4 or 5, so it's no wonder that your 3yo hasn't yet developed the ability to understand another person's beliefs or desires. His fascination with numbers and letters could be a symptom of ASD, but maybe he's simply had more exposure to numbers and letters than most kids she sees? You are a better judge of this than the speech therapist, who only sees him in one setting for a couple hours a week. If it were my child, and I did not have any specific concerns other than what you've mentioned, I would try not worry about a diagnosis for another year or two. If other issues come up or you feel he needs more services, absolutely seek an evaluation, but otherwise I would continue with the speech therapy and just keep a close eye on his behavior, interests and social interactions. Good luck! Ivey