His top three irritations I would say are
1> Taking a lot of time to complete tasks. For example He knows he has to get to the bus stop at 8 but he will still take his own sweet time to sip on his milk or read a book even if its 7:55. I have to yell at him to hurry up. But I have to say he can be quick when he wants to - on field trip day last week he was ready at 7:30 ;-) so I guess he needs motivation.
I would ask him to say exactly which tasks are taking a long time to complete. If you can, narrow the tasks down to the top three irritations, and then we (you and him and us) can brainstorm possible interventions and observe (like a Scientist!) which ones work. If he can't narrow it down, try getting him a wrist watch with a chronometer and asking him to keep a journal of common activities and how much time they take to accomplish. (Again, like a Scientist) Another general time saver for kids who hate to write is to teach them to keyboard without looking at the letters. For my son, I switched his schools between 4th and 5th grade, and when I brought him to the private school to be evaluated, I said: "You'll just have to trust me, but DO expect him to show you his true mind unless he is in front of a keyboard. If you want him to write an essay, walk him over to the computer and tell him to GO."
Unfortunately, the keyboarding has to get to an effortless automatisity before it can be a help. But, once the effort is make to get mastery, so many doors open. Do you think I would have been willing to write down all of this by hand and mail it to you and wait 3 weeks for a reponse? Not too likely!
So one possible project for this summer is to learn keyboarding. My son felt 'disrespected' by the 'fun' programs like 'SpongeBob' etc, and did better with Mavis Beacon's program. Find something that your son can enjoy, or at least tolerate, give it 15 minutes a day, (or even 10) and expect it to click in all at once. My son was able to type well at age 10, and it was about the only physical task he excelled at. Once he had the basics down, he got fast by playing Runescape, because the players used typing to 'chat' with each other to trade items and pass along tips. Later, after his gradeskip, his typing saved the day, because he could do all that copious volume of work with less effort and in less time than those older, more stamina kids.
My personal rule has been, if I can invest time and effort now to save time and effort 100x in the future, I'll do it!
As far as irritations #2, I think the tutor/mentor and the new school will do the trick.
#3 - Martial Arts. Do individual lessons with an instructor if you can afford it, especially in the beginning, if he can't handle being with the little kids. We did that to try and save my son's pride, but it really helped by keeping him able to work to his level of strengths and challenges. Another way to go is to get an Pediatric Occupational Therapist involved (especially if your insurance covers it) - part of that slow processing may be interfering with sports being fun. I find the whole physical activity think to be like a vicious or virtuous cycle. It isn't fun to use your body unless you are good at using your body, and you can't get good at using your body unless you do use your body. Another approach is the console video games now have physical components. That provides some fun until the strength and coordination show up. Even 'Guitar Hero' can provide somewhat of a workout (make sure he does it standing up!)
Smiles,
Grinity
