Thank you!

He is in grade 5, but his three years in a B&M were hit and miss. I'd like to start over from the beginning.

For several reasons an online/visual program would be ideal for us. Thanks in advance.

Thanks so much for your input. We finished The Alchemist today and DS9 declared that it was the most useful and interesting thing he had done in school EVER. Glad I trusted my gut. I came across The Alchemist this week in a listicle of books to be read after you graduate high school. :)

I agree with much of what has been said, but wanted to share our experience. After 4 years of trying to manage a B&M classroom, we brought my DS home. His SPD is severe across every category. Our pediatrician described it as a mile wide and a yard deep, instead of an inch. Our choice to HS came during our grade four IEP meeting. Recommendations from his OT (a sensory specialist), counselor and paper work from the Psych-Ed were brought together into a single document for the meeting. There were 34 adaptations required to give him a reasonable chance of success. We all looked at each other, teacher and principal included, and realized that it was not going to happen. He had no funding and no TA time. There is no recognition of or funding for SPD where I live, no matter how much it affects my son's life. His daily challenges go far past quirks or personality traits. They are truly a disability, even though they are largely "invisible". He has many tools in his tools box after years of counseling and cognitive therapy to help him cope. We do lots of big things like OT and now homeschooling, but we also do dozens of little things everyday to help him regulate. He has learned to recognize what is happening when his "Super Senses" are being overtaxed. He is seeing many of his challenges in a positive light now as well. We talk about how he could be a code breaker or a spy someday, because he is taking in more visual information that most people. Or how he can hear the nuances in classical music and pick out specific instruments from the orchestra because of his Spiderman hearing. We read books on philosophy because he can't help but ponder the world because he sees more, hears more, feels more. Everything is just MORE. Tears stream down his faces as he watches a sunset, overwhelmed by it’s beauty. He is disturbed by the sexual exploitation of women in North America and tries to understand why as a society we consumers would support goods and services that are so demeaning to women. He is nine. SPD permeates every second of every day. He has come a long way since the diagnosis, and it’s hard not to weep when I think of how bravely he meets the world each day. Here is a wonderful video that gives a glimpse into what the world feels like for someone with SPD. It was created as an Autism awareness piece. Most people with Autism have sensory issues even if they aren’t diagnosed with SPD, but not all with SPD are Autistic. http://vimeo.com/52193530

Thank you! These both look perfect. We were doing the suggested grade four readings and we were both bored to tears (analyze five versions of The Three Little Pigs!). I read The Alchemist on holiday and thought it would be perfect for him. My husband asked me if I really wanted to open Pandora's box when my DS is already so intense. I decided that what we were doing wasn't working anyway. Sure enough, he is entranced. I have never seen him so engaged. We were also studying light and found a chapter in "Issac Newton and Physics for Kids" that revealed he was a secret Alchemist! I love those moments! :)

My nine year old recently read and enjoyed The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. His insights, predictions, analysis and related examples outpaced mine on several occasions. He is a natural philosopher and seeks out topics to discuss. I would greatly appreciate any suggested books or curriculum you have used.