One thing he has recently started doing, and I don't know if this is considered echolalia or not, is he will whisper the last sentence or few words of something I say or he hears. For instance, if we are reading a book, and the last few words in the sentence are, "He felt very tired", he will sort of whisper or mumble very softly under his breath, "Felt very tired". He does it pretty fast, too. The first few times I noticed him doing it, I thought he said something to me, and asked him what he said, and he shook his head and said "nothing". :confused:

I have to say, your sig. makes me smile. :lol:

I feel the same way about my ds's legos and little playmobil stuff. I got to the point that I moved most of it from a main area in the house and put it in their room. That way I don't have to see it that often. Last night, ds1 dragged a bunch of legos into the livingroom, and I was so close to throwing them all away...oh, was it tempting..:tongue_smilie: Maybe just give them a few baskets or plastic bins, and have them toss everything into those at the end of the day. I completely gave up on keeping each set of lego or playmobil organised into labeled and individual plastic bins. On occasion I do go through all the little sets and reorganise them, but unfortunately it just doesn't last long. I got to a point where as long as it is off the floor and contained in something, I'm satisified.

Thank you, everyone. All of these replies are very helpful and encouraging. I am going to locate the referral our ped. gave us and see if it is with a child psychologist or psychiatrist. She gave me a few names so I'm going to give them a call and explain the situation and see what we can do to get the ball rolling on getting him some help. It's funny, because a few years ago he was my "easy" kid, and my youngest was the one who kept me frazzled day in and day out. Now it's the other way around. My dh says they take turns, and he's only half joking. :tongue_smilie:

I hope someone has some advice. I'm really losing my confidence in homeschooling my 6 yr old ds. I have suspected Asperger's for a while now, and possibly even bi-polar. He is just out of control. He constantly hits his brother, shoves him, then laughs when he cries. He really doesn't understand he is hurting him, or maybe he just doesn't care. :confused: He goes into rages and flat out attacks me when I ask him to do something. For instance, this evening I asked him to pick up all his legos he dragged from his room amd decided to throw at his brother. He proceeded to charge at he while laughing hysterically. I had to physically restrain him for the better part of 20 minutes before I just gave up after repeatedly slamming my elbow on the floor in the process of restraining him and told him to go where I didn't have to see him for a while. :( The whole time he was just screaming like I was torturing him and trying to kick me. As soon as I let him get up, he instantly stopped screaming and saying "My pillow, my lunch, my dinner" (:confused:) and trotted off to watch the TV. I just didn't have it in me to keep fighting with him anymore. He has repetitive language, echolalia which comes and goes. He used to flap and spin in circles alot more than he does now, but he does occasionally still do these things. He tries to play with other kids, but kids his age don't really like to play with him. He doesn't seem to "get" how to play in a group. He just doesn't seem like other kids his age in most aspects. He has a very monotone voice at times, which alternated from very flat to overly loud. He's very clumsy, and also has delayed fine motor skills. He can't ride a bike minus training wheels yet, and his 4 yr old brother can. I hate comparing them, but in most aspects, his younger brother is more advanced than he is. I feel like he is so behind in everything. He has ZERO motivation to do anything academic. I just don't know how to teach him, and I really don't want to keep going on like this and wake up one day and realise he's 10 years old and can't read or write, kwim? I am just at a loss. I have kind of been hoping all of this would resolve itself, I suppose. It hasn't. It's gotten far worse. I am going to finally have him evaluated. I am, however, afraid they are going to recommend we put him in school. :glare: I really don't want to do that. But I also don't want to keep going like this everyday. Is it possible to homeschool a kid like this and not lose what tiny bit of your sanity you have left? I guess I am just fearing that I'm not going to be able to HS him, as much as I want to.

:lol:

A bottle of Thymes Limited Lavender perfume. I haven't worn perfume since I was ds1 was a teeny baby, and that is my absolute favourite. :)

I wouldn't care if I offended him. Not one bit. Obviously subtle approaches are not working with this guy. He is crossing boundaries that he has no right to cross, and he needs to get the message that it is not okay.

Be firm. Tell him you don't think it's appropriate and that he may not hold her. Stand your ground. If he gets offended, oh well. Any 40 something adult male who would get offended or hurt by that has something else going on that is not your problem, and at least he will know your daughter will not be his next victim.

Have you read the book by Gavin DeBecker called, 'Protecting the Gift'? If not, get it today. Excellent book. He talks about these types of situations, and much more. I can't recommend this book enough!

My best friend when I was a teenager was a guy. He was gay, though, so I don't know if that counts. ;) I certainly don't see the harm in it. I am assuming they are supervised, so it's not like they could take it a step further, even if they do like each other as more than friends.

I do like the CM method. I was thinking about starting Ambleside Online next year. I also like alot of the classical method. I would like to find a way to incorporate both without a rigid structure or schedule. Is that even possible?

I'm just wondering if we are the only ones? We aren't really doing any curriculum yet, and my oldest just turned 6. Everything I try to do with him is met with much resistance. I would like to try and follow his lead, but I am becoming nervous that he's going to get more "set in his ways" of not doing schoolwork and fall very behind where he should be. I have even contemplated unschooling. There are some unschoolers in our HSing group, and their kids seem to be doing quite well. I just don't know that my oldest would fit with unschooling. He just seems so resistant to anything "school", though. :confused: I really don't want to push him or force things on him before he is ready, but I have a dh who thinks we aren't doing enough, and having ds tell him we didn't "do anything today" isn't helping. :glare: I guess I am just wondering if anyone else out there is delaying formal instruction, and if so, when and how do you get your kid motivated to want to do schoolwork?

:confused: Far more evidence? How much more do you need? The boy has choke marks on his neck, a swollen jaw and took blows to his private areas. Should she wait until this kid puts her son or someone elses in the hospital? Life support, perhaps? Unbelievable.

:confused: Your son came home with the marks as described below but you can't qualify his statements? I don't understand this part. I would press charges. Plain and simple. This is SO not okay. Marks from choking? Blows to his torso and private areas? Oh, no way would I just let this go. That kid that did this to him should simply not be allowed to "walk". I am furious thinking about this. He needs to learn that it is not okay to go around bullying people and injuring them just because he "can". If his mother refuses to take responsibility for the fact that her son is hurting people, then the law needs to step in. And ASAP.

:glare: Oh for crying out loud... I do not think it is in any way disrespectful towards the men and women who serve in the military to state that I do not want my children serving in the military. I am not against the soldiers, I am against the wars and the various acts that are committed by the military that I disagree with. YMMV.

My 0.02 ? It's great! I am adding it to my favourites. :thumbup:

This is one of the reasons we are homeschooling. I can almost guarantee that both of my kids would be labeled with some sort of "disorder" in a public school! :glare:

My dh takes the kids outside to play when he gets home in the evenings. Yay for the recent daylight savings time! He also takes the kids out on the weekends sometimes. I also try to go shopping for groceries or other things by myself, and I take my dear sweet time. :tongue_smilie: Last but not least, I am the last to go to bed. My evening time when the kids are asleep is my daily "unwinding" time.

:iagree:with skaterbabs. I would have them earn them back. Or move them to a different location. I know the feeling regarding legos. I recently moved ALL of the legos to their bedroom from our study room because I was sick of stepping on them and looking at them.(It's an open room right off the diningroom) Now the legos are all over the floor in their room. They have storage drawer cubicle things to keep them in, and they do actually pick them up sometimes. I just avoid their room for the most part. That way I don't have to see the legos all over the place very often, because it makes me twitch looking at them strewn all over the floor when they aren't using them. :tongue_smilie:

:iagree:

I don't think you are being whiny or overprotective. I think he was way out of line. I don't think his behaviour has any place in coaching 9-10 year old kids. Ridiculous. :glare: I am glad you called and said something. Hopefully more parents will, too.

We had one with ds2. I didn't like it because it didn't line up directly with the mattress due to the edge on it. It was too hard to nurse him to sleep then move him over into the co-sleeper. Also, there was no was to nurse him while laying down due to that edge thing. I know it is there to prevent you from possibly rolling over onto the baby, but it just got in my way. :o

I would report a daycare provider if they made my child drink apple cider vinegar. I do think that is abusive, and it is most definately not a child care provider's place to impose such a punishment. It is no different than making a child eat soap or hot sauce for bad language, and both of those are abusive. As for moving rocks and wiping baseboards, I do not think that is abusive, per say, depending on how it is imposed. ( I fail to see how such punishments would even make sense as a consequence for spitting, but I digress) I also do not think those types of discipline methods are appropriate for a child care provider to implement, especially on preschoolers.

:iagree: Personally, from the other issues you have posted recently regarding this child, I would give the mom a 2 week notice for her to find other arrangements for the little girl. You can invest alot of time and patience on discipline in your home, yet if there is no discipline or boundaries in the little girls home, it seems that it would be pretty futile.