:)Thank you all for the encouraging words and advice. I really feel that this is the best path for her. Today she sat down at her little table by herself & began working on stacking shapes onto pegs (a Melissa & Doug wooden toy.) I introduced the toy to her last week & she wasn't interested then, but today, when it was her choice, she enjoyed doing it. It really made my day!

My youngest is adopted from China, and we celebrate Chinese holidays. We also have stacks of books (both fiction & non-fiction) about or related to China. Also, our upcoming school year will be focused on the entire Easern Hemisphere (Sonlight Core F), so we will be learning a lot about China then as well.

Really hoping this won't stir up a controversy, but I am currently reading The Unschooling Handbook. I have never seriously considered unschooling before, and I am only considering doing it with my youngest child (who is special needs: visually impaired, developmental delays, on autism spectrum.) She learns so well when I follow her lead, for example, she loves music & is now able to sing her ABC's, count to thirteen, and also sing her name & address--in addition to knowing the lyrics & tunes of countless numbers of songs. So I teach her everything with music. She does not like to sit still for activities, so I teach her things while she's swinging or while we're on the see-saw outside. She has certain toys that she fixates on, and if I try to give her a different toy (that I might want her to use in order to teach her a certain concept) she refuses to play with it at best or starts hitting her head b/c she's frustrated.) But if I use her current favorite toy--which right now is a dustpan--then she happily learns things & lets me manipulate her toy to teach her...such as "the dustpan is on your head, your belly, etc." or "the dustpan is in your left hand/right hand." So I'm thinking the key to teaching her is along the lines of unschooling. Any thoughts? Negative or positive? Please be nice.:)

Thank you all for the replies. It's kind of hard to describe our church situation. We are a new church plant, very small in number, don't even have a building (although we have one in which we usually meet), my dh is not a paid worker, and lots of other "stuff" is going on as well. Currently we're praying about making a switch...but it's hard. There are some other things as well, but I don't feel comfortable sharing them on a public forum. Once again thank you all. You have definitely given me some food for thought.

:001_unsure: Church...my little one & I haven't been in months due to her "issues." I really also feel like my church (and more than likely most others) is not conducive for nor equipped for serving the special needs community. Any suggestions/ideas? BTW, I'd love to trade off with my husband & take turns staying home with our daughter, but he's an integral part of most of what takes place at church. Help!

Yeah, that bugs me, too. At least on this week's episode she realized that the numbers/patterns connection is legitimate.

Thank you.

My oldest is stationed in Hawaii, so I'm not sure he watches it. I did recommend it to him, though. My two middle children watch it, but I always have the remote handy in case it gets too intense for them. Of course my little one doesn't even pay attention to TV right now...kinda nice, I guess.

:D Yay! Great job!:D

Kai

:grouphug: It is so hard to watch our children go through these things. I am keeping you & your ds in my thoughts & prayers.

It airs on Thursdays (yay, tonight) on Fox. I am really loving this show. The writing is brilliant, and the acting is wonderful. Kiefer Sutherland is awesome! Do any of you watch it?

I've recently started an encouragement journal. In it I write all the things that my dd4 does that amaze me. It also helps me to see what her interests are & how she best learns.

I just PM'ed you.

I, too, am thankful for this board and this thread. We are currently in the midst of various tests, procedures, etc. to get a complete diagnosis on our youngest. It is truly helpful to know I'm not alone.:grouphug:

I ignore everything Bill Maher says. His opinion means absolutely nothing to me. Don't even worry about him!;)

I eat low carb, but I also eat meat, so I'm not sure I can help much. When I go out to eat, which is rarely, I usually eat a sirloin or chicken Caesar salad (minus the croutons) or...if I'm treating myself...a steak with a side of broccoli. Here is a typical daily menu for me: Breakfast: unsweetened almond milk coffee protein pancakes (whey protein powder, ricotta cheese, eggs, baking powder, salt) with sugar free french vanilla syrup Lunch: Pecan chicken salad served over either spinach leaves or lettuce Snack 1: Atkins shake Snack 2: Coffee Supper: Tonight it's Skillet Chicken Florentine and Mashed Cauliflower Snack 3: Sugar Free International Coffee Also, I drink lots of water.

For my dd11, who is currently using 6/5, we rarely do the mental math. Also, I assign alternating concept problems each day...meaning she still works on all the concepts covered at least two to three times a week. If she has trouble with a particular concept, then I'll assign those problems each day. For my ds8, who is using Saxon 3, I don't do the meeting...but I do assign all the problems for him (both front & back pages.) Also, for both, we never skip the timed drills!

With the descriptions you gave of each of your children, I would go with Core A in Sonlight. IMO it is geared better toward the older end of the suggested age range & would even work for an 8yo. You could always "beef" it up for your older child if you felt the need to do so.

:grouphug: I am not familiar with Turner's, but we are currently going through various tests and procedures to diagnose exactly what is happening with my little one. I just want you to know that you're not alone. Praying for and thinking of you & your family!

My dh is a registered nurse. Also, I recently started babysitting a little one that is 2, so that's a little extra income.

Thanks. I'm PM'ing you.

My house is (usually) clean enough, so I let them in.

Anyone here have a child diagnosed with this? Here is a link that explains what it is: http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm Someone online mentioned this to me when I described my dd's symptoms & behaviors. She is being seen by several doctors and (as of yet) we have not gotten complete answers to what is going on with her. We do have a couple of diagnoses for some of her issues (that I don't want to post on a public forum). I will say that she is visually-impaired due to a genetic condition and also has some developmental delays. Her neurologist is having a chromosome/genetic study done, and her pediatrician is having tests done to look for past strep infections and also any current type of infection. If you are familiar with anything like this, please PM me. Thanks!

I am a very satisfied Sonlight user. I would say that it's worth the money if it's a good fit for your family.