Hi Grinity.
Thanks for your comments. I like the "dyspraxia of harnessing focus" description. It fits in with Eldertree's comment that her DD has a certain amount of energy for "paying attention" and once it is used up, she can become cranky and unfocussed. I see this with my DS too. I am still going to talk to the pediatrician about medication, or if she's not convinced, maybe further testing for ADHD.
The tangible rewards (extra screen time) plus the Nurtured Heart Approach are helping. I also think that for him success breeds success -- he's much more willing to "make the heroic effort" if he feels that he is doing well.
As to your other comment, I don't know what his "readiness level" is -- it seems to be an ever moving target.
For math, he excels in logic and "word problems", but he is less adept with some of the spatial concepts (volumes, fractions, etc). He also needs to work on grammar (lots of noun and verb accords in written French!). He has certainly not "mastered" the grade 5 curriculum, so I wouldn't see acceleration as a solution. There is no gifted programming where we live.
The thing that doesn't work for him at school is that it seems to be almost all boring, drill-type activities, and very little real thinking. And I'm sad to say that the grade 6 curriculum looks very similar to grade 5. Highschool here starts in grade 7, so I'm hoping that the work gets more interesting then.
I'm trying to give him some "thinking" outside school hours but its hard when we are already busy with the "boring" homework and all the other daily life stuff.
