Overall, I think Gabriel is pretty average academically. He seems to be doing great in reading and spelling. At 6, Gabriel could communicate in grammatically correct sentences for the most part, and had a large vocabulary. When tested at age 8 and recently at age 10, he is still showing that he "Demonstrates strength" in all areas of reading, and in spelling and "appropriate for grade level" in writing. I have tried very hard to encourage reading on a daily basis and take the time to converse about some of the funnier or more interesting moments in the books he is reading. Sometimes we read the same book and then discuss it. He has consistently struggled with speaking and listening and unfortunately is still scoring at "Requires additional support" in the areas of speaking and listening. At 6, Gabriel was working at grade level in math and science but wasn’t particularly interested in these topics in school. At 8, Gabriel's scores on math concepts and math application problems were below average, and the math computation score was slightly below average. At 10, Gabriel is still in grade-level math, and sometimes gets stuck on problems. He really just doesn’t enjoy math and despite our efforts to make it more relevant and interesting to him, he’s not doing great. He is still scoring "Appropriate for grade level" in the areas of mathematical problem solving, understanding of data, number concepts, graphical applications, and arithmetic computation. We encourage him and when he’s doing homework try to help clear up any misunderstandings. Since he was 8, Gabriel has shown some talent and interest in drawing and constructing things, and even now he always seems to be drawing interesting cartoons and sketching faces or scenes. He has consistently scored "Appropriate for grade level" in the area of art.
Gabriel has always done really well in social situations. We encourage him to play with many different children and participate in group sports. At school he is quite popular and we let him invite his friends from school over on the weekends. At home he is really good with his little sister and has gotten better at playing with girls in general. He has gone from tolerant to willing to play with girls, even if that is not his first preference. He has never shown any signs of behavior or emotional problems at home and has never shown any sign on tests.
I don’t think my parenting style has changed at all since preschool. I believe I have been consistently firm yet affectionate. I am clear to lay down the rules and what is expected of Gabriel, but at the same time I am quick to praise for good behavior and success in school. I believe in coregulation and I try to give Gabriel freedom to develop his social skills and follow his interests while still overseeing what is going on his life.
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I think it's really important for parents to make sure their children are comfortable interacting socially with the opposite sex. This is especially true for boys, who can be quite awkward if not nurtured. I commend you for recognizing that and working on it with your son.
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