Famous autistics who were homeschooled

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Hmmm...I'm not sure which forum to put this in. If anyone thinks I should move it to Education or something, let me know.

Ok...I recently started homeschooling my son, and noticed that many of the names listed as "Famous Homeschoolers" were also on the lists of "Famous Autistics", so I spent some time researching and crossreferencing between lists. Here's what I came up with:

Glen Gould
Paul Erdos
Albert Einstein
Thomas Jefferson
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Thomas Edison
Leonardo da Vinci
Benjamin Franklin
Mark Twain
Jane Austen
Hans Christian Anderson
Anton Bruckner
George Bernard Shaw
Marie Curie
Ansel Adams
Leo Tolstoy
Charles Dickens
Blaise Pascal

Not too shabby, eh?

Anyway, I think these lists are just sort of brain candy for the most part--but they're pretty encouraging after you've had another day when some idiot gives you the third degree because your child homeschools.

Anyway, if anyone knows of someone I've missed, please let me know. I'm going to keep looking into this, I'd like to know more of the particulars about WHY and HOW these folks homeschooled I know the stories behind a few of them (For instance Paul Erdos homeschooled after two of his sisters caught scarlet fever from the public school and died. His mum was too scared to send him. I believe Einstein self taught during his teen years, not sure, though...I do know he really fluffed it at primary school though, can you imagine?)

Anyone who is interested, feel free to pass this list on.

The doctor that diagnosed me with AS said I should be homeschooled. Which is true, unless I knew everything that I know now, in which school would've been perfect. I'd love to travel back in time with everything I know now back to when I went to school. My life would've been very different.

In some ways I agree with you. It would be easier to understand the social stuff that was going on back then if I'd known then what I know now. Problem is I was very mild mannered and shy in school (I think it was a survival strategy). If I were back in that situation now I would not be able to control my temper anymore. Strange what aging does to your personality.

I guess I'm like cheese, I'm getting a sharper bite with age.

Yehudi Menuhin

Not to rain on your parade, but that list isn't necessarily accurate. It's hard to diagnose people post-humously and some of those people just don't have enough information about them.

I would say it's likely that Albert Einstein was autistic but he wasn't home-schooled. Jefferson was likely Asperger's as well.
Hans Christian Andersen is not likely to be Asperger's/autistic and he certainly wasn't home-schooled.

I have learned the hard way that there are certain parenting decisions that you should not debate with people, otherwise they will believe they are up for debate.

home-schooling and Medical decisions (especially non-vaccination) are high on the list of things we don't even bother leavign room for debate.

When doctors ask "is he up-to-date on vaccinations" I reply "No" I don't reply "No, because vaccines are untested, ineffective, harmful, and exploitive". If you justify you leave room for doubt.

When asked "when is your son going to school" I say "We are homeschooling" I do not say "We are home schooling, just like Thomas Jefferson". Then people will say "Well #### went to public school and he did #####"

If you leave room for debate, people will debate you. My parenting is up for debate only with my spouse. Other people can stfu

Einstine had trouble all his life. So did Von Neuman (the computer today is called the Von Neuman machine), and a whole list of others.

I had to go to public school. It made me tough. I'm not knocking home schooling, but there is something to learning how other people are going to react to you....and learning to deal with it.

AS and ADHD are little understood. But you're right about one thing. Some people who have it are brilliant. The rest of us are just average. If you get brilliant, fine, but don't expect it. The kid doesn't need the pressure. Some of the brilliance won't develop until they're 20.

Good Luck.
BTDT

Roger Bannister went to public schools in England, but it was his parents who first instilled a love of learning in him. He also learned a lot through what he was able to discover for himself. I think a lot of people with AS are largely self-taught, whatever type of school enviornment they were in.