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I've been a software engineer at the same company for over 25 years. I'm highly to profoundly gifted, HSP, and 2e.

I like it there and have been working from home for a while. But now they're forcing everyone to come back to the office. Originally they tried to gently convince people, but the employees didn't want to. Now they're bringing out the big guns. Unless you have a work-related excuse, you have to go back. Ironically, my coworker has a work related excuse in that he talks to people at 11 pm our time. But I apparently "do not".

They're basically fed up with ALL excuses at this point, thinking they're nonsense. But this one isn't. I got an earlier waiver which should have settled it but now they're batting that down.

I spoke to HR today and they gave me a waiver to work from home full time...but not due to the fact that neurodivergent and gifted people have different needs and mindsets from the majority and one size does not fit all.

They said it fell under the ADA. And that neurodiversity is a disability. I can get an exemption through an ADA case. They sent me all the ADA forms. In effect, I HAVE to disclose if I want to continue working from home.

Basically it's a case by case basis. And if you have abilities which do not express which would help the company you can't use them. The only time when it can be used is when having them HARMS your performance so you can be brought up to average.

I argued that I can try to grow and help the company because I transcend the conventional work silos and can't be confined to just one. That is a skill unique to me. My manager said that's nice but that does not help your career. When I expect you to grow, you're supposed to grow in your own silo.

People have also been complained that I can't train people because I think differently from them. "What good is your knowledge and experience if you can't relay it to junior engineers to bring them up to speed?" It's fairly obvious that the skip thinking and metacognition is the barrier there and there's nothing I can do about that. But the important thing is I get the job done even though often I don't know how I do it (and sometimes my manager doesn't either).

I tried to explain that there may be other cases like this where seemingly functional people can be made great by letting them choose their environment. Her response was telling. She got it, as she had a neurodivergent kid. However, "thank you for your opinion".

Basically "I agree with you, but there's nothing I can do about the policy. I truly and sincerely apologize..."

I think she knows they're making a mistake but there's nothing she can do to fight upper management.

What do I do? It's a tough situation: upper management is making a mistake but doesn't realize it, and my manager and his engineering manager both do. But they have to follow orders.

Once you've experienced the luxury of working from home you can't go back. I can control my sensory environment and stuff.

If I give in, I return to work and will probably be exhausted pretty easily. Not to mention it will wreck my cleaning lady and therapist schedules. And I'll have to eat out all the time again. I can DO it, as I've done it before, but it will not help the company at all since we're all over the country and will just hurt me. So my performance won't improve at all if I work from there: you'd just get "you have to come to check a box even though the company doesn't benefit at all".

If I don't, I run the risk of being forced out due to ADA and stigmas against people with disabilities. And that will also hurt the company.

With the options we now have it's a lose-lose situation unless we can convince upper management to get their heads out of their asses and realize neurodivergence is not a disability.

Right now it's a case by case basis here. Problem is that this is a class action scenario that has to be extended to cover neurodivergent people so I can't stop at myself.

Some awesome suggestions in this thread. From our experiences, I wouldn’t worry about whether a course is accredited or not. If there’s access to a good resource, learn for the sake of learning. DS was a self directed learner and used a range of open sources. When it came to formal acceleration, he was easily able to prove eligibility by solving whatever they threw at him.

I don't know how these course offerings would fly with her school, or the requirements for admission, but here are some programs with advanced math offered online.
Stanford has a high school program with a fair number of math offerings. See it here:
https://onlinehighschool.stanford.edu/course-catalog?field_subject_ref_target_id[261]=261&time=1770163132490

UCSD has some online math too, may not be aimed at high schoolers: https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/courses/calc-iii-multivariable-calculus-math-40025

The University of Minnesota has a talented youth program with online math, but I don't know if you have to live in Minnesota to be eligible. See it here: https://cse.umn.edu/mathcep/university-minnesota-talented-youth-mathematics-program-umtymp

Roger Williams University also offers online upper level math. See it here: https://www.rwu.edu/ext/offerings/distance-calculus

AOPS offers a branch away from calculus (on the same level) called Group Theory; see it here: https://artofproblemsolving.com/school/course/grouptheory

Hope this helps

So sorry your local options are so slim. I have looked as well, and most of the online high school options top out at Calc BC, AP Stats, and maybe a lower level discrete math course. You might try MIT OpenLearning. MIT posts some full courses on MITx (https://openlearning.mit.edu/ search MITx courses, self-paced, mathematics) for a small fee, including multivariate and diff eq. If the school is willing to accept it as high school credit, it would at least keep her going with interesting and challenging math, even though the credential is a certificate and not college credit. MITx comes with assessments. The same material (video teaching, assignments, etc.) is available free on OpenCourseWare, but without the credentialed assessments. A 5 on the BC test would place her into 18.02.

Thanks Aeh. I haven’t been on this page very often as my kids grew up but nice to see a name I remember.
Maybe I need to contact the local university directly but unfortunately, I see no evidence in their schedule of classes that they teach it online. While there is a community college embedded within the state school, it only teaches vocational courses. I checked the community colleges all over the state and none teach it. There is one other state school hours away and they don’t show an online option either. My daughter just met with her counselor and was given a list of 3 online school options that are often used but none of them offer classes above basic calculus. So we are hitting dead ends. There is an established path for dual enrollment, however their new block schedule makes this pretty difficult.
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So we are looking at the same situation, and also went through something similar with previous children. Most state university systems have online asynchronous courses either at the 4-years or 2-year community colleges that should get her through diff eq and linear algebra. My suggestion would be to look into dual enrollment online through your state higher ed system, as those are more likely to have transfer value in the future, and also are more likely to be taught by actual professors. Of course, in-person at the 4-year is the most likely to be high quality, but if the objective is to keep her interested in and progressing in math, it's still likely worthwhile even if the online courses don't turn out to be quite at the same level.

I would also note that taking college courses is likely to be at an intructional pace that suits her better. High school pace is about half-speed vs college, which can get frustrating sometimes.

This would be a good conversation to have with her school counselor, in addition to your own research on dual enrollment in your area. Sometimes there are articulation agreements between high schools and colleges already in place. I know that several of the states have established dual enrollment programs for CCs that are discounted for early learners.

We have multiple musicians too, and have also encouraged them to keep multiple directions going. There's a lot of overlap between STEM and music minds.

Hi
My daughter is a HS sophomore. She is currently taking AP calc BC. We are trying to plan the next couple years of math options. Her high school does not offer further math. We do have a state university where she could take more advanced courses but it will be difficult to coordinate as she is on a block schedule and would need to dedicate 2 classes to it at least plus the difficulty of driving her there. I’m looking for advice on an accredited online program for multivariate calc, differential equations, and/or linear algebra. Would also accept advice on whether it’s worth it. It feels like she shouldn’t stop math as a sophomore. She loved math when little and seems to come easily to her. She started to dislike it in elementary school when she wasn’t allowed to do any acceleration. In middle school we moved and she was allowed to advance. She doesn’t mind it now and seems interested in taking these but also thinking about music career. I’m suggesting keeping options open for now.

Online learning is a way of studying through the internet instead of going to a physical classroom. Classes can be live (with a teacher on video) or pre-recorded, and students usually access lessons, assignments, and discussions through an online platform. It allows you to learn from home, manage your own schedule, and continue studying safely during situations like COVID-19. Many schools and universities now offer online run 3 courses for this reason.

We were in a very similar situation with our child—advanced academically, easily bored, and also not a “sit still and follow every step” learner. BASIS can be a great fit academically, but it really depends on the specific campus and how flexible the teachers are with younger kids, especially those with ADHD. I’d recommend asking very directly how they support movement, differentiation, and non-linear learners in the early grades, and whether there’s room for flexibility in how work is completed. Some kids thrive there, others find the structure exhausting. If possible, a shadow day or trial period can be really telling.

Thank you for your reply. She is very delightful. I appreciate your response, as it is exactly what we are doing, and plan to continuing doing. It seems since I posted last (mid-December) to now, there has been another explosion in development.

We have been documenting her journey, so please feel free to look and provide any feedback. Thank you.

Instagram– https://www.instagram.com/raisingresilie/
TikTok– https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingresilieofficial
YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@RaisingResilie

You’re not alone - an FSIQ of 151 answers a lot but also brings real challenges around fit and long-term engagement. Many Bay Area families find public schools struggle to accommodate kids at that level, and partial grade skips often aren’t enough. From what I’ve heard, BASIS can work for very academically driven kids, but it’s demanding and not very flexible, especially for intense or asynchronous learners. Some families use public school plus strong after-school enrichment or subject acceleration as a temporary solution. Trust your instincts - you clearly know your child well.

@mithawk- I would very much welcome your support and guidance for navigating the college process. My son attends a specialized high school and is currently a junior. I'm finding the process overwhelming and daunting.

I don't want to make this post long winded in case you are no longer available. I look forward to hearing from you.

@Mithawk- I'm new to this forum. My son is a Junior in a specialized high school. I would very much welcome your help regarding admission to selective schools. I'm finding the process daunting and overwhelming. I don't want to write a long winded email, if you are not available.
I do hope to connect with you. Thank you very much.