Anyone else homeschooling their autistic child ?

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I have finally decided that this is the route I want to go down - homeschooling my boy, supplemented by ST, OT and ABA through my insurance company / private pay. I already have 15 hours of ABA in place and my case manager said that she would increase his hours to at least 20 hours a week if I decided to homeschool.

This is a VERY difficult decision for me. It may be that I am feeling extremely emotional as we just had a parent - teacher conference today. I know the teacher is just doing her job, but she has to tell me what the SD wants her to tell me - which is that my son has mental retardation and is INCAPABLE of learning. Well, I want to show them who the addled ones really are.

His receptive language has taken off and he now gets 90% of what I say. He also randomly blurts out some words (involuntary and not always appropriate to the situation) and babbles a lot. I know he can learn, even if it is at a slower pace. Basically, I just don't want my baby in a setting where they are so dismissive of him and his potential abilities.

Is anyone here homeschooling their developmentally delayed or autistic child ? What are the pros and cons ? Is there any reason that any of you would really advise me against it ?

Thanks in advance for all your responses - I am very grateful for your assistance to me in making this very difficult decision.

My son ( who is 8 ) has Aspergers and we have homeschooled him right from the start. The pros are that he can learn things at a pace that is comfortable to him, in a style that works for him. Limited social pressure. We get to spend more time together, etc.

There aren't too many cons as far as we're concered. It might be a lifestyle change if you are already adapted to the school thing. We have to put in some effort on getting my son involved in social activities, but it's not that hard. We are part of several homeschool groups in our area and we have made some friends.

It's not hard to do, if you want to.

I suspect that home schooling is probably best for most kids. Unfortunately, too many parents don't have that as an option.

The main con I can think of, if you can afford the support services privately, is making sure that your son has social access when he is ready. If you are NT so this may not at all be difficult for you especially if you are in an area with like-minded compassionate people who are also homeschooling.

Disclaimer-We do not home school because our son enjoys school, and right now it is working for us.

What age is he, and how many years of school has he got so far?

Yes I homeschool my son who has Aspergers, have homeschooled since K and he is now in 2nd grade. He gets speech and OT thru the district, he attends after school social groups, and it kept very busy during the day with activities, homeschool programs, etc...

there are so many pros: He can learn at his own pace, he can learn the way he learns best,can teach him to his interests, and use his interests to motivate, etc... he has opportunity to learn in the real world not a classroom setting that isnt replicated anywhere else in life. Less distractions, less stressors, he isnt bullied or teased for his differences. The kids he is freinds with are able to tolerate him casue they arent stuck in a class with him for 6 hours. We arent at the mrecy of the school districts not so great placements or programs, We get work done and have plenty of time to do other things, work on other skills, etc...

Cons:
can be costly getting curriculum, you are always with the child, little to no break.

It may be more work, but homeschooling is the best thing for my son and I woudnt change it for the world!

Pffft!

I would be tempted to say you are holding out for the gifted program.

What a dolt!

We've homeschooled from kinder for one NT and one aspie. My struggle homeschooling the aspie is that he argues constantly. He doesn't accept my reasoning very much.
Your son could be very gifted in some or many areas- no one knows yet. Try to see that homeschooling is not a life sentence. You could get him up to speed in certain areas, then put him in school.
Set your own goals according to what is important to him, and focus on what you can do. Don't get negative about not having the whole picture. Take it a step at a time.