Hi Kriston - the thread with your comments re DO was one that I was trying not to hijack. I probably should have his vision checked, just to set my mind at rest, but I tend to think our lack of progress is either behavioural or that perhaps he's just not all that GT. I'm increasingly thinking about achievement testing too as I find out more about what our state curriculum has in store and compare with what he can already do.
Thanks for the reciprocal rambling Gratified, and glad to know we're not completely alone re HP. I should have been a little clearer - I wasn't trying to get him reading for it's own sake, tempting though that may be. We've had some behavioural problems this year, often quite bad, and reluctance to take on anything requiring effort has seemed to be tied up in this. So I thought instituting a policy of effort at home, since it wasn't going to happen at school, might help. It still looks to be a problem - his teacher advised of warning bells going off for her recently after someone else finished one of the new jigsaw puzzles before he did. He loves puzzles but hasn't been near them since. Not out of character these days unfortunately.
I've been reading The Optimistic Child and can really see some thoughts for us to take on board, particularly when I think of my own childhood. I absolutely believe that learning to face challenges is important, but would like a reasonable degree of certainty as to what level of challenge we should be pitching at the boys.
I used to think the primary school years would be the easiest. I was prepared for sleep deprivation in infancy, tantrums in toddlerhood and teenage angst, but really thought the in-between years would be a cake-walk. Pf.
