Home Schooling: Tailoring education to your child

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First, I realize not all families, for a variety of reasons, cannot home school. For those who can...the gains will be tremendous. There are a some great home schooling programs out there....we use Plato as my son's (9 yrs. old - Aspie / Profoundly Gifted) main teaching platform. We supplement with other computer / Internet based teaching programs as well as through books / workbooks - DVD courses. The courses are self paced and have micro tests as well as comprehensive ones. The micro tests are so important as it ensures mastery of concepts before allowing one to go on. I have more information on the supplementary programs on my blog at my signature.

You may fit the pace and courses to your child's strengths and weaknesses. There are no distractions or stress. True learning may take place. The Plato learning system is accredited for use for home schooled children and is used by many gifted students. They have it from K-6th / and from 6th - 12th.

Many Aspies will learn so much more and much more quickly at home. We are having great success with them. My son LOVES home schooling. He gets his socialization through structured play times and through sports. He is so happy - and he is learning so much more.

Last edited by Kuma on 16 Aug 2010, 9:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

Home schoolng saved my life. If my parents would have kept listning to the so called "experts" about how I needed "socialization" I probably would have comitted sucide.

Yes...my son is learning so much more...and without the distractions and boredom. I strongly urge all those who can give it a try...to do so.

I can't add to your original post becausehomeschooling has been the exact same experience for my son (now 13 we will start our 5th year of homeschooling) I will also say that it "saved" my son's life. I'm so grateful we are able to do it.

Jane

Me too! Although we are more unschooling/Holt type with off and on structured...but it's worked very well for us...My son has learned at his own pace, we don't deal with the bullies that I hear SO MANY OTHERS deal with...he thinks he's like all other kids because he's not segregated in a school...I always say, I'd rather my son be angry at me because I homeschooled him and made him feel different, than because he was schooled and the kids bullied him and the teachers segregated him and thus his self-esteem suffered...He is a very outgoing kiddo...The adults love him...the kids like him and do not mess with him mostly...and if they do, we are very close to where we put a stop to it...Only one idiot that was about 14 tried to make fun of him and I waited until my son left his side, we went into our apartment, and 15minutes later I went and told that idiot off...the kid ended up apologizing to me...I told him I would be happy to talk to his parents instead if he didn't want to talk to me...hehe...Never bothered him again...But I can't imagine him being in a school and having to put up with that...

Anyway, he's learned so much...funny he has speech therapy for his primary language, but he's learning a second language by socializing with the kids here...it is definitely the place for autistic kids to be...I wish there was a similar place in the US because we live in an awesome place for autistic kids to be safe and socialize with both adults and kids...

Financially well of course, it has been VERY tough...I worked 19yrs before quitting my job to homeschool full time and my husband is in sales so many times I made more money than him or at least had a consistent paycheck, but my husband agrees that homeschooling is the best for our son...

I dont homeschool any more as our social worker said it was a child protection issue. However I remain a strong supporter of home education and think its especially good for AS kids.

The best books I found on the subject are
all John Holts books
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Own-Jo ... 169&sr=8-1

Lise Pyles
http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Chi ... 209&sr=1-3

and dont forget to tell anyone who questions you that Christopher Paolini who wrote Eragon at 16 was homeschooled!!

Nowadays I think its such a valid option as there are so many homeschool meet up groups and so many online support forums and resourses.

Child protection issue? How horrible...I am always worried some idiot that doesn't homeschool, that just sends his kid to school and never takes any time to study or do anything with their kid will send CPS to my house for homeschooling...sigh...

The social worker said it is not a child protection issue to home educate, but in my case as a single parent with aspergers with children with aspergers and autism it was. She thinks children on the spectrum need school more than NTs as they have social problems already and she thinks home eduction would make it worse, and that they would have more access to special needs help in school. She thinks it exaserbates the AS to be in an 'asperger environment' and its better for them to spend more time with NTs. The one with autism goes to a special school now but the social worker is still not satisfied and pushes for her to go to 'mainstream' school every IEP review.

However the 'home education law' is under review in the UK, so many families are getting pestered about homeschooling at the moment, esp as a girl was murdered by her parents who explained her absence from school by claiming she was being home educated. So of course thats made social services suspicious of all homeschoolers.

Oh my...great, let them be with NTs so they can learn their horrible habits...that should help them out...sigh...

PS - There is a thread in the regular forum here about another guy in the UK who lost both his kids just because he had AS too...how ridiculous...The reason these social workers are into this is because of the thousands of NT parents out there who cry about how horrible AS and autism is...when it doesn't have to be...it is just a different way of thinking, that is IT! If we continue to allow NTs to define autism and AS, by the time our kids grow up they will have less rights than we ever imagined...

My son has ASD., Just because some people with the disorder are high-functioning does not mean all are. As a parent, seeing my son struggle horribly with his debilitating sensory issues, anxiety, knowing that my son may never be able to do things he wants to do is very painful to watch. It has nothing to do with me not being accepting, it is that when he is in pain, I feel pain too. I want him to be able to accomplish all the things he wants to. It has nothing to do with him thinking differently. If that was all ASD was, then I don't think there would be discussions like this, but it is much more than that. There are many people, children, that have ASD and are non-functioning because of it. I don't know if my son will ever drive a car, for example. He wants so badly to be able to drive a car. He does not want to be dependent on people his entire life, who would? Not being able to do something like drive a car due to his disorder would have a severe negative impact on every aspect of his functioning in life. My son wants to be able to go outside, but he can't because of ASD. He wants things that he can't have because so many things are so uncomfortable and even painful for him. Other things that he wants he can't do because his brain just can't process the information in the way necessary to do them. It has nothing to do with NT people judging him or anything, or me thinking he shoud be 'normal'...no. If he was unable to drive a car and didn't care, had no interest in it, that is fine with me. Unfortunately that is not the case. My son can't even walk from our car to the doors of a store without it being a traumatic experience for him. Is this any way to live? No, not if you WANT to live a different way. That is why ASD is considered horrible by so many parents - we watch our kids suffer, try to get them help. We are judged by NT parents, judged by ASD people for not wanting our children to be in pain. Not all ASD is comfortable and pretty and only affects social skills.

I fully agree...my son used to squat down, cover his ears and rock when his sensory system overloaded. One of his overloads came, as you have described with your son...going into a store. Our ABA therapists introduced the negative stimuli in easily digestible portions, allowed respite, and reintroduced the stimuli...over and over again ....his tolerance levels built up...it is called super compensation....the body, as well as the mind, learns to adapt. Of course I don't know your son's level of intolerance...but that is the method used...along with appropriate coping mechanisms...all the while Positively Reinforcing the desired effects.

I was homeschooled and it was fine. The only thing is that it can get lonely, and you can go a bit stir-crazy. A child who already wouldn't get out much or make many friends, alone with parents who don't have much energy, doesn't have a typical childhood. It's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it is a caution. Know what you're getting into. My parents have an old house full of breakables. I became quite the intellectual, but it didn't help me keep fit. (I was already unathletic. I got evaluated while I was still in public school. I was about seven, and I had the gross motor skills of a five year old, according to the report. Opportunities to run and play, without being forced into it, are especially important in such a case.)

Aside from that, yeah. It was definitely a lifesaver.

(EDIT: On reflection, I have my math wrong. Somehow I'm certain I remember the number seven being important, but when I think about it, there's no way. I must have been eight or nine at the time. Grr, now I'm confused. Maybe it was seven and nine rather than five and seven. Or maybe now I'm just making stuff up.)