Huh. Anyone ever write a response and have it disappear into thin air?
I swear I wrote yesterday....
Anyway...I don't know that we'll be able to put the lumping to bed, but at least I am feeling less insecure about my perceptions and my interpretation of the EXPLORE.
We won't look at a grade skip mostly because our DD would hate the idea so much. She is not confident with older kids and has a tendency to feel invisible/ignored that would be exacerbated for her if she felt "even younger". Also, we think that having that "oldest grade in the school" year will be an important piece for her. Her confidence in public spaces has been slowly growing and she is more likely to stand up for herself or to express individuality now, but it has been a slow road (in primary grades her desire not to stand out was visible in the way in which she positioned herself, held her body, etc.). She is also very much an "innocent" and thrusting her into the middle school environment early would be an uhappy experience for her. She doesn't understand the social games and up and down friendship stuff. It isn't in her nature and it deeply wounds her in others. We will just have to keep advocating for what she needs in class--maybe some virtual connections through online courses this year....
