I appreciate everyone's input. DH and I have thought about it. We are going to let DS try it for a few weeks - he really wants to give it a shot. We've been up front with him about some of the things that may be difficult for him but he still wants to give it a shot. He knows that if it's doesn't work, we will try something else. As a parent, this makes it easier - that he wants to experiment with an unknown situation in a (relatively) safe place.
I will keep a very sharp eye on things and see how it goes. My gut says that it will be ok but he will be bored rather quickly (he has already done the homework for the class and he said, "THIS is what they are doing in 5th grade? When does it get hard?") We have an out for the situation (actually more than 1), so knowing that DS won't be DAMAGED even if he fails, makes this much easier to try. Thanks again for all the input! I couldn't do this advocacy alone!
