We too have an Aug baby, who now is 16. He would have been too far behind those his own age. But now he is doing well and we see no drawbacks. It was the right decision for us his parents and by all accounts appears to have been right for him too!

We knew we could always let him skip a grade if he felt held back.

you dont get to just "skip a grade", not sure what alternate reality you live in but it isnt this one. to "skip" you need to better than scademically prove yourself, a lot harder than you must think. It isn't like on television where the kid genious is a part of interns of regular doctors at a medical facility. There are tons of kids smarter, than the grade they are in, and able to run right from grade to grade, but held back, because 1, you cant just have your kid "skip a grade" because you think he/ she is smart enough. I had a freshman college, 6 month IQ when i was in 6th grade, didnt get me a skip but you maybe one of those special people or something.

2 your kid needs to be pretty dang smart to get the school board's attention, because if not mistaken, it takes THEM to ok your "free skip".....

3 on my own note... you know your kid, better than anyone. if you feel your child is not rdy to go off to the big class of kindergarden, ask yoursef this.... is because he/ she is not ready, or is it because YOU are not ready? I was held back a year, because i was born in Oct. kind of BS if you ask me, cause for starters i was kind of a smart kid. school was so boring by the time i got to middle school, if it hadnt been i always got an A on basically every test i took i never would have made it to HS, and the only reason why i made to HS, was because i spent 4+ hrs after school at the end of the year doing backup. make up, and so on extra credit, so i could go on.

Dont underestimate your kids, they in most cases are smarter than you think they are. Just because they dont "think like an adult" as would be the only case i could think of, doesnt mean they are not rdy to move onto the next level.

My son is a November baby, and he is very smart, well socialized and big for his age. So there is no question about holding him back the when the time comes. He will start Kindergarten on time. My sister however is an October baby and is in the same boat as my son is, and my parents opted to hold her the extra year. My parents are great parents, so it isnt a slam at them, but it was the stupidest thing to do. She was ridiculed by the other students because she was taller then them, and as time went on and people found out she was older than the rest of her peers, she was teased for being too dumb to start on time. This left a lot of emotional scars on her, and had she not had this disadvantage she could have performed much better as a student. Holding your kids back because you are not ready for them to go to school or so that you give them an advantage in sports is selfish and stupid. Kids tend to become what we expect of them, and if you tell them that they arent ready to move forward, thats how they will always see themselves, as the kid that falls short or wasnt good enough.

I have an August baby, and she started kindergarten just a few days before turning 5. She probably was a bit more immature than the older kids, but simply interacting with them helped her to quickly learn how to behave in class. She is now starting second grade and is near the top of her class academically. If I had chosen to hold her back in preschool for another year, I'm not sure she would have blossomed as a learner the way she has. To each his own, I suppose.

I skipped first grade. It is possible and was not too difficult, just some testing to make sure I could handle the workload ahead.

Our son is an October baby. It was a no-brainer to hold him back. In fact, many of the other boys in his Catholic school class were also held back. The result? One of the smartest, well behaved and mature classes that our school has seen in years. He had a new classmate join their group last year, who repeated 2nd grade because he was not mature enough. Turns out the new boy is younger than many of his peers and now fits in well. It was one of the best decisions we ever made. And, by the way, my third grader knows that the correct spelling is "kindergarten." :-)

Everyone has to abide by certain levels in school, work, sports, life. There are definately differant ways to learn and some people do things differently but in my opinion our educational system is way too easy. What happened to C being average? Right now if kids don't get A's and B's they are concidered dumb. Why dumb down the curriculum to make sure that the kids don't feel bad. That's a horible way to do teach. Raise the bar but also provide support for the kids who really need it. There's no perfect system but lowering the bar is definately not it.

To the article though, start your kid when you want to. I have a son who turns 5 on Sept 9 which means he's 9 days past the cut off in my district. Does that mean the kid who's birthday is Aug 30 is a whole year more prepared to start school. I don't think so. There's going to be a curve and the kids need to either step up or learn how to deal with it. Our schools are not that hard to pass. If society would step up thier game and demand that parents make sure that their kids are learning and not just going to school, and inturn not expecting the teachers to have to take time out of teaching the entire class to make sure that a couple kids don't fall behind there would be less problems.

I agree, but unfortunately, they are not always "pushed." I have three children who grew up in an area with lousy schools. They were far ahead when they entered kindergarten, but they were allowed to be bored out of their minds for several years while progressing through the one-size-fits-all system until they actually had to start listening in order to learn. They have had a very hard time developing good active listening skills and study habits because they never needed them before. That, for me, was a huge problem. There was help available for my fourth child when she was having trouble learning to read in kindergarten, which is absolutely wonderful. But there were no programs available for my other children who were ahead of the curve. They still hate school, by the way, because it's BORING. My other daughter hated school because, as she got older, her teachers were increasingly resistant to helping her when she asked for it. The one-size-fits-all mentality is unjust to any child who is not "average."

I am in favor of sending children when they are five. Not a day before, and very few should turn six the remainder of that calendar year. However, your conclusion of having an advantage in sports, being the reason you feel children are held back, is curious, at best.

I am curious. What are some other options in your opinion.

First of all - my child, my decision. If I want to color my kids hair blue and teach him to walk backwards, that's my right.

Paul, I completely disagree with you. My son is also a June birthday and we chose to keep him out of kindergarten until he turned 6. While my son is very smart (cognative IQ 126), he had speech issues and wasn't mature enough to enter kindergarten at the age of 5. Putting him in preschool for another year was the best decision we've made. I have another son who has a late May birthday. When he turns 5, we will make the decision then as to whether or not we will send him to kindergarten or preschool. It's not about the "birthday", it's about the child.

I worked in a school district for 7 years and I saw too many children forced into Kindergarten by parents who see school as free daycare. It's sad but true. If a parent can afford to keep their child out of school or a year (daycare and preschool fees) and feels the child isn't ready, I say go for it.

Absolutely, your decision. Cognitive IQ 126, wow! I'm glad you will wait for your other child to be closer to the time to decide instead of selling him short as well. And, your schools allow the Kindergarteners to stay long enough to be considered 'free daycare'. Hm? What state are you in?

here here!! i agree with what you said about the 'one size fits all' mentality. it's one of the many reasons i pulled my kids out of school and now homeschool. all five learn differently, and i am able to tailor the curriculum so that each may learn at his/her best.

In hindsight, I may have held my son back if I had to do it over again, knowing what I know now. He was one of the youngest at 4 entering Kindergarten. But he was also one of the biggest/athletic.

Never mind - I should have moved to a different town with a better school system. Our town valued sports over academic achievement, and while my son excelled in both, all through college, and is doing well now, he was never challenged until college (at a tech/engineering school - where he played football 4 yrs: he's a relatively rare athletic geek).

My daughter, on the other hand, was recommended for a transition year between K and 1st grade. In my gut, I knew that was not right for her. She wasn't easy to teach, like my son, but she was very intelligent. She just learned differently. She had a strange reading disability that went undetected until high school, despite my concerns every single year ... "she's fine ... we have kids with real problems".

She finally had success getting testing done by the school, and they couldn't pin down the inconsistent results, but they made some recommendations for her, and 1 particularly helped ... remedial reading, which she took everyday for 2 years in high school. She said she learned things she never knew. She actually became an English major in college, and went on to get her Master's in Library Science. She quickly got a full-time job as a librarian in a local town. Could an additional year between K and Gr. 1 have solved all her problems? Maybe, if they bothered to follow up on issues of concern. Some teachers are wonderful, some are not, and a beloved teacher for some is not good for all.

Anyway, I wouldn't change the outcomes ... so I guess I wouldn't change anything in hindsight.

But it is just one choice among many, and what follows is just as important, every day, every step along the way.

Also, I have a son that just turned 3 in August and will be placing in him in young-5's as well, when the time comes.

To counter fedup83, it's not that I wasn't ready. I work full time and my children have always gone to daycare. And it's not that she wasn't ready...my daughter was clearly ready. I just didn't want it catching up with her later...as I'm now seeing with my friend's daughter that is 4 weeks younger than mine, and a full grade ahead.

All my children were late babies. All my children were academically ready for Kdg. We sent the first 2, an August and an October baby. They were always the youngest and smallest and both were in the top 10 of their classes academically. It was the EMOTIONAL and SOCIAL MATURITY that was ALWAYS lacking. Now, child #3 has completed her 1st year of Kdg because she was "too smart" for Young-5's. With the help of her teacher we challenged the principal and we are able to let her repeat Kdg this year, with them bringing 1st grade work down to her, and taking her to 1st grade reading for a half hour a morning. We had our arguments about emotional, social maturity, always playing catch up, etc. Our best argument - she is a special needs student at the OTHER end of the spectrum. If she were challenged academically there would be all kinds of programs and $$$ thrown at her to help her achieve. Why, then, not the same treatment because she's bright for her age? We are demanding and getting her needs met, and our expectations are that she will achieve academcially what she is capable of while allowing her time to mature.

All kids are different - and if you know your child, you'll know that she may just need that extra year to grow up a little bit. So many challenges our children have to face - why start it all off at a disadvatage when there is the opportunity for them to achieve so much more if given just a year?

So true Mika! That's exactly how I feel about our situation. Time or Newsweek (can't remember) a few years ago published an amazing article on education and what happens in our society when children are advanced. Suprisingly enough, high IQ kids drop out of school at the same rate as kids with low IQ! Mostly because they're bored, not challanged and think it's a waste of their time. When my daughter was in Kindergarten, I approached a 2nd grade teacher about the reading program and she sent me home with a stack of books from her classroom, for my daughter to read at home. Many times I wouldn't have her read the books she was bringing home from her kindergarten program becuase they were not challanging nor interesting to her.

So happy for you that you were able to get your school to see that children at the higher end of the spectrum have special needs too :-)

You know, no parent is ready to send their first child off to kindergarten. If your son is academically ready, and already 5 years old, you should talk to his pediatrician about your decision to hold him back until he's six. June is not even a questionable month for not starting your five year old in school! It's the fall birthdays that can be sketchy. Shame on you for being so selfish!

I completely disagree with you. My son is also a June birthday and we chose to keep him out of kindergarten until he turned 6. While my son is very smart (cognative IQ 126), he had speech issues and wasn't mature enough to enter kindergarten at the age of 5. Putting him in preschool for another year was the best decision we've made. I have another son who has a late May birthday. When he turns 5, we will make the decision then as to whether or not we will send him to kindergarten or preschool. It's not about the "birthday", it's about the child.

I worked in a school district for 7 years and I saw too many children forced into Kindergarten by parents who see school as free daycare. It's sad but true. If a parent can afford to keep their child out of school or a year (daycare and preschool fees) and feels the child isn't ready, I say go for it.

no paul, shame on you for thinking you know what's right for every child. what's even worse, is that you run right to telling someone that they should speak to a pediatrician. a parent knows their child best in decisions regarding the right time to start school. if you read what was written above you, you'd have paid attention to "but he was in no way mature enough to be ready for kindergarten". obviously this parent didn't need to go to a doctor to see this in her own child. my son turned 5 on august 2nd, and despite being immature for his age, we sent him off to kindergarten because that's what we thought we 'had' to do. poor kid had a rotten year, and i regret every minute of it.

Shame on you for shaming this person who you have obviously misunderstood!

"...he was in no way mature enough to be ready for kindergarten. On top of everything else, he was small for his age..."

Where do you read in that statement that it was the parents who weren't ready to send their child off to kindergarten?? It sounds to me like they based the decision on what their kid was ready for.

This is the problem with discussion boards - judgemental people like yourself who judge without even really analyzing what you've read!

Paul,

What does the pediatrician have to do with it - this isn't a medical issue. And, just because a kid could handle the academics doesn't mean they can handle the other stresses that come with school. April said nothing about her own feelings being a factor for holding him back, so your accusations of selfishness are foolish. Shame on YOU for putting down another parent who was doing a great job of making good decisions for their child!

Sorry Paul - but I strongly disagree! I have a June 30th boy who we also decided to pay an extra year of pre-k instead of starting him in kindergarten at a young 5. (our cut off is end of August) I have watched too many (friends and family and myself) with summer birthday kids doing great in the beginning, but struggling either academically or socially because of maturity after a few years in school. I am not selfish for making the right choice for my son - I am giving him a better chance of success! Good for you April for making the best choice for your child!

OK. I know, you are the experts, not the experts! I've met your type plenty of times. You all just keep fluffing each other to make yourselves right for your selfish decisions.

it's interesting paul, how you didn't reply to anything we questioned to you at all. why the pediatrician? why did you not really read what was written about lack of maturity? why did you insert your own words about the parent not being ready when clearly this was not the case? make some sense.

Maybe the pediatrician knows more about child development than you? Mine seems to. Maybe it's because he sees so many different children, at different maturity levels, different lifestyles, etc. Maybe it's because he never stops educating himself about children of all ages? Maybe it's because he also sees many turn into young adults before his very eyes? Anyway, he's the expert with children. I am only a parent of two.

well, i feel bad for you, that you lack the confidence to see yourself as the expert on your own child's emotional well-being. i, however, AM an expert on my own children. i make sure to educate myself on child development--i didn't just decide to have kids on a whim without knowing a bit about it. our family doctor told me that my 3 year old, who wasn't speaking much at all, was just a late bloomer. wrong. she has pervasive developmental disorder which is on the autistic spectrum. thank god i didn't leave it to him to help me decide what to do. my instincts as a parent told me otherwise and i enrolled her in an early intervention program. i will never again put all of my trust into anyone else when it comes to what's best for my children--that's why they were put into MY care.

Paul --

Your pediatrician may be the medical expert, but that does not mean he knows your child well enough to make all decisions for you. Unless you have an exceptional doctor with a very limited practice, he spends very little time with your child. Unless your child has a serious chronic illness, he probably doesn't go to the doctor more than a couple of times a year. This is hardly a substitute for day-to-day observation of a child's activities, interactions with other children and emotional maturity.

I hope you, as a parent, take the time to educate yourself on child development so that you can recognize in your own child what is developmentally appropriate behavior.

1mom2five, It doesn't take a genius to see a lot is missing from your story. Anyway, a combination of my pediatrician, teachers, my own observations and first hand experiences, as well as my wife's (being the oldest child of 13), is what we make decisions based on. If you can't trust your children's doctor, why would you keep that doctor? Would you keep an OBGYN that you didn't have trust and faith in? What ever fluffs your boat.

of course, we didn't stay with that doctor, but he had been our pediatrician for two of our other children as well, so we blindly trusted him, as so many do, tragically, trust their doctors. the bottom line is that they don't know everything. i'm curious as to what you think is missing though, from my 'story', but i can clearly see that it doesn't matter. i'm fully confident in my choices as a parent, as is my husband.

i just think it was wrong of you to shame someone for their choices. the laws of our country say that attendance in kindergarten is not mandatory until the age of seven. i'm not saying anyone should just hold their child back if the child is clearly ready, but if there is any question to the child's maturity or academic lever, why thrust them into such an overwhelming situation unnecessarily--seems so unfair to the child.

I sent my July 5year old to school with little thought. Some of his friends (June, July and August b-days) were held back. Now I get to hear how smart these children are in their class and how they are just thriving. I want to say--"Of course! They are an entire year older than their classmates!" My son is doing well and is in the perfect place for him, so I have no regrets. I just can't stand hearing how smart these children are. I am sure I will be hearing how athletic they are when they are competing against children who are 365 days younger than them as well. Annoying, but that is their decision, not mine. (Just wish they wouldn't brag!)

Paul - thank goodness I don't prescribe to your "my pediatrician knows best" mentality. If so, who knows how long I would have had to wait to find out that my son had suffered a stroke at birth. The so called "medical expert" repeatedly told me not to worry that my infant son (now age 7) wasn't reaching for objects with his right hand or only rolling over to one side. At six months (and multiple urgings) he finally referred me out to a pediatric neurologist who diagnosed him on the spot, even before scheduling the MRI to confirm his diagnosis. My maternal instincts continue to trump any physician advice each and every day. Thankfully, my son is mildly affected, IQ equivalent at age 3 of 135, and yes, I held him back a year, even though he is at a Montessori school. The last person's advice I seek for education decisions in my pediatrician.

I agree with Paul. The parents are doing this solely to score an advantage for their children or because THEY'RE not ready for their kids to start kindergarten. It has nothing to do with the children at all and is just another example of the continued infantizing of childhood that is so popular in this country. A kid who is 5 by the cut-off age should be required to go to kindergarten just like a child who is born shortly after the cut-off is prohibited (even if ready). The dates are arbitrary but so are the laws and we're stuck with them too.

Paul is right.

Shame on all of you for shaming on him for shaming on the first poster.

Paul - thank goodness I don't prescribe to your "my pediatrician knows best" mentality. If so, who knows how long I would have had to wait to find out that my son had suffered a stroke at birth. The so called "medical expert" repeatedly told me not to worry that my infant son (now age 7) wasn't reaching for objects with his right hand or only rolling over to one side.

OK. I see your point. My son had a stroke before birth. It took my wife, myself and our pediatrician less than 48 hours to realize he was having small seizures. The nurses kept blowing my wife off with 'new mother jitters'. Some of us do think for ourselves and choose good doctors. Sorry that is so wrong to you all. Not really, if I gave a crap what was with you all, I'd be lame too.

You know, no parent is ready to send their first child off to kindergarten. If your son is academically ready, and already 5 years old, you should talk to his pediatrician about your decision to hold him back until he's six. June is not even a questionable month for not starting your five year old in school! It's the fall birthdays that can be sketchy. Shame on you for being so selfish!

Paul, FYI - Not all states have the December cut off date. Our school district it is in September. So it would not be crazy to hold a June baby back a year.

It was our pediatrician who clued us in on our daughter's intellectual giftedness. It is within the perview of pediatricians to evaluate the emotional, congnative and physical development of children in addition to medical determinations. At her urging we had our daughter tested for IQ at age 4 and found that she had an IQ over 160.

Now a 13 year old in college, she is socially adept with friends that span the gamut - 11 years to 20 years. The stereotype of the one-sided geek does not hold true for our daughter or most of her friends. She is interested in philosphy and math, reads voraciously and plays video games. She feeds the homeless and rides horses. IQ does not define her, but it is a vital part of who she is.

Yes, the pediatrician pointed us in the right direction, but we took it from there.

My September baby was intellectually ready, but having been spared the whole baby-sitters and day-care routine, she was not ready to let me go - nor I, her. We were pressured to place her at 4 yrs, 11 mos and it was a disaster. She was brought back home within 3 months, redshirted and began anew the following year. Smooth sailing since: Class President, Valedictorian, Most Likely to Succeed, etc. and is starting her 2nd year of college as a junior! BTY, redshirting doesn't give academic advantages, good parenting does. Just as the "Head Start" programs (that we're all paying so dearly for) won't "catch up" those with bad parents!

I taught K for 33 years. If you question your child's maturity, let him/her have the gift of the extra year before entering public education. Curriculum is increasingly more intense each year for these young children. Play and social skills, a focus of the past is not the priority as it once was. Academics is the main core, and sadly many young children are not ready for this.

My son is a bright, thriving four year old. His birthday is in July and can start Kindergarden next year, but will not due to the advice of his day care teachers and speech therapist. He is academically ready, but has had trouble with his speech due to a hearing issue. I know many people who wish they held their children back a year. I would love for him to move on out of Pre-K, he has never had a problem with day care. I believe that it is up to the parents to decide. It's not your place to criticize a parents' decision. I had an early birthday and was never made fun of for it.

Thats a very blanket statment. My Daughter turned 5 July 17th and the school we send her too has a cut off of June 30th and then the kids need to be tested in order to move up to Kindergaten. While my daughter is bright (she was speaking in full sentences when the doctor told me she should have 10 solid words in her vocab) she was very shy to the point where she would not participate, so therefore socially not ready. She was going to Preschool full time since she was 3 (we both work full time). We struggled and cried over the decision. I wanted her to go to Kindergarten (because I KNEW she could handle the work) and after speaking with several teachers (hers and family memebers who are teachers) and reading articles and thoughts and prayers we decided to hold her back. She is now entering 3rd grade and doing very well (straight A's and in the accelerated classes) and yet I still struggle with worry that she will be teased for being older.

So thanks for letting me know that my worry is vaild becuase I will have to deal with parents like you for the rest of her life thinking we held her back because "we" weren't ready, or that I am a bad parent because she wasn't ready.

Actually, it's always the younger kids who were teased and questioned in my experiences. I have an October birthday, and I'm so glad I was able to graduate at 18, drive a car my sophomore year, et cetera.

I don't think it necessarily means that if you don't send your child, that the parents aren't ready! I also don't think you can say that anyone who holds their child back is doing it for the advantage in sports! Both are generalizations, neither of which were taken into account in our decision.

Before you judge me....live in my shoes. Yes my son is on the high-functioning end of the Autism Spectrum, but he still has his problems. To be honest its parents like you that break my heart - as you will be the type of parent to judge my son and me as a parent before you know him or his disability. He's going to have enough problems in this world without having to deal with ignorant individuals such as yourself.

Congratulations that you are confident in your decision that your daughter is ready for Kindergarten. It sounds like you made the decision that you feel is in her best interest. Unfortunately, as with so many things in life, it's not always that black and white.

First, cut-off dates are not consistent (some districts have 9/1 cut off while others have 12/31). How is it that parents can control 100% when children are ready based on a date that has such disparity? Second, all children are not the same and I disagree that if a child is not ready that it's "the parents are not ready" or the parents have not done their job. Third, boys mature at a different rate than girls. Fourth, sometimes, there are other circumstances at play, i.e. language, developmental, premature birth, certain conditions.

My son was born a few days before our district's 9/30 cut-off; however, he was born 5.5 weeks before his due date. If he was actually born when he was supposed to be born then he would not have made the cut-off. Initially, it seemed like a no-brainer that he would go this fall. In fact, I was hoping he would. Over the period of a few months, my husband and I conducted a lot of research and we discussed it with many experts, school administrators and parents. It was a very difficult decision because I also feel that my son is borderline ready as it relates to social maturity and attention. Regardless, what I found that resonated with me was that most parents of older or grown children that I had spoken to restrospectively either (a) wished they had waited a year when they made the decision; or, (b) were glad they held the child back a year.

It wasn't an easy decision for me, but I am grateful for all of the support that I have been given over these months. At this time, I feel confident that waiting a year is the best decision we can make without have a crystal ball to tell us the future. In the end, I am sure that you and I are both parents that love our children just trying to make the best decisions for our precious little ones since we are the only ones that can truly advocate for them.

"And kids can be cruel so when they hear that another child is older they will tease them thinking the failed. or will be put thru endless questions of why are you older, how come you didn't go to school at 5 etc."

I think most parents today are teaching their children not to taunt and belittle other children, for any reason. I know I am. Surely, you are not going to tolerate your young child cruelly teasing an older child because of age?

If your child has a mental issue (autism) that is a different story. But to just hold them back because they "think" the child isnt ready is just crazy. The child should be given the chance to show you they can make it without the parent up their butt. My daughter was born a month & a half early what does that have to do with anything? Most doctors/experts will tell you that premmies will be caught up by the age of two. Both of my daughters where premmies. My 1 & 1/2 year old is very smart knows her abc's and can count to 10. She was born 6 weeks early. My five year old loves school. She gets to be with kids her own age. And yes I teach her that picking on children is wrong. But they are 4-6 (unless they have failed 7 is too old to be in K) so they are at the point where they ask why alot. My daughter told me a few days ago kids call her onion. (her name starts with On) We as parents can't be there every step of the way. We just have to let go and let them grow.

Every child is different. A friend of mine held back her June birthday daughter, not because she wasn't ready, but because she wanted her to be older in middle school. I have another friend with an August birthday, she started Kindergarten when she was five, and two months later dropped kindergarten and waited until the next year. I started kindergarten 40+ years ago at the age of 4, and was bored in school. I was always reading ahead of the class, and wasn't prepared when I was called on.

The problem isn't the normal aged children; it's the parents of children giving their child (themselves) the "gift of time." Of course, half the class is entering puberty before the other half - they're all a grade behind where they're supposed to be! Your child is entering puberty at the right rate for the grade.

Being the oldest in the class sucks. I distinctly remember thinking that anyone older than me must have failed some grade. My daughter is going to be one of the oldest in her class. Not because I held her back but because she's just on the other side of the cut off. I HATE the idea that she'll be the oldest in her class. She'll likely be bored since she can already do kindergarten work. She'll be the 1st to drive - meaning she'll get hit up for rides all the time; the first to hit puberty - tough enough age made FAR, FAR, FAR worst by being the 1st to get there; the 1st to legally drink in college - meaning she'll be hit up to get the alcohol for those under 21.

If your kid can't cut it in sports with kids their own age, it means that they are not good at sports. If your kid can't get A's with their proper age group, it means that they are not A students. Accept the fact that we don't all live in Lake Wobegone where all kids are above average.

This is meant for the average children, not children with learning disabilites or special needs. Clearly, a child with autism needs to be evaluated differently.

You are correct sir!

We looked at it this way with our son who was born at the same time. Look to the future, if you hold him back he'll be one of the older seniors at age 18 instead of a real young one at 17. One year makes a difference in boys' maturity no matter what level. I've seen way too many kids "dumped" into school at late 4, early 5 years old that should home still.

I'm blessed too, my son is my greatest gift I ever was given

Sports are a major consideration for lots of folks because "making the team" is a huge deal to a teenager (especially boys).

My son is starting kindergarten today, just before his 5th bday, because he's ready socially and academically, but my biggest concern is how this will impact is athletic prospects as a teenager. And please note that when I say prospects, I'm not talking about being a star athlete (that would be a miracle given his genes!). I just want him to have opportunities to play because organized sports are healthy, fun, and confidence building. And as a late bloomer myself, I'm here to tell you that age/puberety is a significant performance enhancer for teenage athletes (again, especially boys).