he is violent toward himself as well. Hitting himself in the head, biting himself and cutting his hair off once. He also puts himself down
Have you seen the recent thread on
deliberate self harm resources?
hates reading class. He also says he doesn't learn in science. I am not too concerned about science as of yet, but the reading class is my biggest concern. English class is also one he doesn't like but he is allowed to work ahead in the grammar book and finished last semesters book 2 months before the rest of the class. He would then do the worksheets I provided.
Reading class is everyday for 1 1/2 hours. I can see that being torture even though she lets him research for part of it. They read books like "horrible Harry" and talk/write about it. He is not interested in that level reading. Thinks it is silly.
Might the teacher accept a plan in which your child self-selects alternate books from home, library, etc, and reads those?
I feel he has a very hard time expressing what goes on inside of him. I think he just can put his finger on it and verbalize it to us. I am assuming this might get better with age. I also don't want to ask him leading questions when trying to get him to open up. Putting words in his mouth.
Exactly! Reading books about similar situations can provide bibliotherapy, helping a child see their situation within the pages of a book they are reading.
Gifted Kids' Survival Guide for gifted kids under age 10,
A Wrinkle in Time, Roald Dahl's
Matilda, Lisa Rivero's
Planting Words... kids may find situations which parallel their own life and develop the specialized vocabulary to describe nuanced feelings. Hoagies Gifted Education Page has a great
reading list...
Some of my best friends are books is a helpful guide.
