Any homeschoolers of autistic children?

Question

My son is 4 years old and on the lower end of the spectrum. I would like to homeschool him for spiritual beliefs and he needs one on one when learning. He knows his abc's and numbers but can't write. He can only say one word at this time but signs. He's very stubborn and won't follow my lead or direction, he does it all on his time. Please any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

I live in MD and there are several families homeschooling thier autistic children. I am not one..my daughter is homeschooled while my 10 year, moderatly autistic son goes to a private program paid for by the public school.



Before deciding to homeschool any child, you need to check the rules and guidelines for your state and district. As your son has special needs, there are a few other things to consider as well. Most districts will not continue to provide additional services (speech, OT, PT, behavior management assitance) to homeschooled children. Your child will definitely need these services...be it from the school, from private providers (and here you will need to check your insurance coverage...many will not pay for the level your son may need) or by you. There are many parents who do provide all of this on their own, but it requires a lot of determiniation, dedication and availability. Homeschooling istself can be a challange...adding this in can be even more challanging. Another issue I like to address in this situation is that special needs children will at some point, require education in life and career skills. Many of the transitioanl programs out there are connected to the school systems. You need to find out how homeschooling will affect your child's ability to enter these programs at a later date. Finally, many of the supplemental care programs available are managed through school placement...if you are using any of these programs now for things like respite care and such, be sure it can continue if you homeschool.



I tend to advise most special ed parents to consider homeschooling only as a last choice. There is so much more to educating these kids than simple math and reading,. Children like my son need help with behavior management, socialization skills, working within time limits and transitional issues. If you decide that homeschooling is truely the best answer, I would advise having at least one or two meetings with a behavioral specialist to outline how to deal with his refusals and the best plan to modify the behaviors. I would also suggest going to yahoo groups and looking for homeschooling groups in your local area. Post on them to see if there are other special ed families homeschooling. Support from other parents..both homeschooling and with special needs...will be a key factor. Finally, know that the first year of homeschooling for all homeschoolers is a year of trial and error. And be sure to build in time away from all this just for you. Homeschooling means the kids are with you all the time, with an even greater demand placed on you to fill even more roles than normal. You will need down time...build it in early so it is part of the schedule!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Your son will be able to receive speech/ot/etc., services through the school district while being homeschooled, but as the parent of a 13 year old autistic son, I would seriously urge you to reconsider homeschooling, especially if your child is on the lower end of the spectrum. Your child has very unique educational needs, and unless you've been trained in how to teach a child with autism, you will not meet those needs. Especially when you say he's very stubborn and won't follow your lead or direction, that's a HUGE red flag there, if he doesn't follow your directions now, what makes you think he will when you're his teacher as well?



Your public school should be set up to handle children with special needs. You need to research and learn about your rights as a parent of a special needs child, and see about getting your child the help he needs. When my son was diagnosed at 3, he was placed towards the lower end of the spectrum. He's now 13, and is considered VERY high functioning--and while I know I deserve a good portion of the credit, I cannot take it all. He has had teams of wonderful, caring teachers and therapists who have worked with him over the years. Public school has also helped him learn some of the social skills he needs in order to make it in this world--how will you provide that if you homeschool him? I'm sorry, but the children on the spectrum who I have seen homeschooled have not developed nearly as socially as children who are in a correct placement in their public school system. Homeschooling will allow your son to shut the world out even more, and retreat into his own little world. That's NOT where you want him, unless you're planning on caring for him for the rest of your life!!



Have your son evaluated by your public school system. Talk with the teachers and administrators of your school district, see what is available for him. I think you'll probably be amazed, and realize there is no way you can duplicate it in your home. Your son is entitled, under Federal law, to a "free and appropriate PUBLIC education." Your son also NEEDS intensive, EARLY intervention, your school district can (and will) provide that for him, at little or no cost to you. Your job is to advocate for him, to ensure that he receives the education that he is entitled to. I promise you, your life (and his) will be much better if you put him in school. Here's a of website for you.



http://wrightslaw.com/

Answer 4

I homeschool two children with autism, we have for the past two years. To be quite honest, it has been much better than the five horrendous years we spent in public school trying to get therapy services and trying to get appropriate curriculum much less teachers trained to teach children with autism.



One poster was right in that your child needs specialized teaching, one which most schools will not be able to provide based on their needs to teach 20 other children. You are going to be able to teach one-on-one, in a style that suits him best.



Another poster mentioned that the child will need natural settings for learning, how much more natural is the real world, rather than in a classroom setting and then trying to generalize to the real world?



We have worked quite hard to provide fair and appropriate education for our children. We consult with a specialist once a month to discuss behavioral and academic developments. At the young age you describe, we had an ABA trainer at our house once a week to help us with our homeprogram. That would help with the stubborn attitude, a good program with rewards will help tremendously.



It would be helpful to sit down and write what he does know, and then what logically comes next. Then you need all the small increments that come in between, and that's where an ABA or psych will come in handy, they often know those tiny steps (and I can tell you that the teachers never knew) It IS easier to just sign your child over to 'professionals', but it doesn't guarantee that it's the right thing to do. Some kids do very well in public school setting, but those kids would thrive just as much in a structured home setting.



Kids with autism often learn to write long after reading, and they usually learn to read with a whole word approach, phonetics does not make sense. My daughter was low-functioning and once she hit about 300 hundred sight words, the phonics just kind of kicked in. I think she was about eight. I would label everything in your house. Go to www.trainland.tripod.com and download the pecs pictures there. USE USE USE those and use the sign language, it will kick start vocalizations.



this is a lot of work, but it is so rewarding, without all the frustrations of IEP's and legalities and fighting for services. i can assure you that in my experience with friends across the country, there are very few schools that provide enough speech, OT and physical therapy to make it worth enrolling your child just for those services. There are even less that provide ABA or other specialized teachings.



Only you can make the choice, but you are welcome to email me anytime. You might also search yahoo groups for homeschooling special needs groups. For homeschooling laws, check out www.hslda.com. It's much easier than you think, many states don't require any kind of notification, much less testing.

Answer 5

I am homeschooling my son, he's almost five and high-functioning. I've been doing preschool for two years now, he's finally catching on. I'm going to unofficially teach kindergarten this year, mixed with the preschool skills he's still behind in. I'll register next year when he's six, and if he did well this year, then I'll register him as 1st grade. If he doesn't, we'll repeat kindergarten, he won't be behind. Homeschooling our kids is the BEST for them, they learn so much better than in school. But, you're going to have to push through the stubborness, and let him know that he has to listen to you. Doing things on his own time is fine, that's why we homeschool, as long as he's doing it! I took a piece of paper, and wrote out chores, school subjects, and fun activities. I had Tim cut them out and fold them, and they went into a cup. He draws one out, does it, and moves on to the next. This cut down on the fighting,and seriously helped his overall behavior. He couldn't handle doing all his chores at once, or all his school at once. This breaks it up, allows for having fun, and keeps him busy. PLEASE join the yahoo group called HS-Plus. It is a list for those that homeschool special needs kids, there's hundreds of us on there! Contact me if you need any help!





I wanted to add that what DuneFL says about the socialization couldn't be farther from the truth. Yes, they need socialization, but what takes place in a school is not the answer. School socialization barely works for 'normal' kids, but it doesn't for autistic kids. They need to have supervised socialization, where someone explains the actions of others to them, teaches them how to play appropriately, and what isn't appropriate. To leave them to fend for themselves at school is setting them up to be bullies, because they misinterpret the actions of others and fight back, or to be bullied, because the have a hard time understanding social cues. Whereas a child without autism would know by the look in someone's face and the actions whether someone is joking or is angry, our kids have a hard time with this, and need some guidance while they're playing. My child understands social cues so much better with just learning here at home with his brother, and my supervision, then some of the kids on this street who don't have autism. It works, trust it. Also, you don't have to have them in different therapies, you can learn to do these yourself. I do my own therapy, and have it on video. My neighbor who I babysit for (both of her kids are autistic) took the tape to a special ed teacher and she observed what I do with her son, and asked where I had been trained, because it was a good school. I've never been trained. I researched, mostly talked to other parents, read books, and used common sense. You can do it. I can help if you need/want it. Don't let what non-homeschoolers say sway you.

Answer 6

yet another person wrote: "If she is being teased, help her do away with the problematic behaviors and help her study to song human beings out." this skill that the bullying is her fault. i'm autistic, now in college however whilst i became in elementary college i became burdened and it stronger from verbal teasing (which comprise human beings shouting "retard! retard!") to actual assaults in third grade (i became choked around the neck and had laryngitus for a week), to 6th grade and junior severe the place theft and sexual attack became the norm, and the education counselor justified the shortcoming of punishment of the bullies through fact I "had to assume this sort of scientific care if I act so diverse." it truly is a unfavourable and slippery slope, and that i do no longer prefer to be sure it utilized to different youthful lives like it became to me. As to the homeschooling question, this is extra person. i might say, if the college is academically assembly your needs, and/or if the bullying would not look too extreme, to objective to get the college to deal with the placement extra advantageous - to describe why the be conscious "retard" is only as offensive through fact the "n" be conscious, or to prepare the self-discipline code in the direction of the persons as mandatory. in case you bypass the homeschooling course, there are homeschooling companies obtainable to assist instruction manual you in the process the "social component" of issues, so as that she would be waiting to no longer be remoted or something like that. Sorry that i will't be of extra help in this area. BTW, i'm a physics considerable with my final recorded WAIS IQ of 80 5 (however that huge type would not tell something that significant) and that i nevertheless flap and make spit bubbles, frequently at school. :) however, mutually as the stereotype may be approximately being solid at programming, laptop programming is very confusing to get the dangle of for me yet rewarding each and every of an identical.

Answer 7

If you intend to support your youngster learn to learn successfully, maybe not with TV and videos, computer programs and applications, as well as the college process is the clear answer, this program, Children Learning Reading, from here https://tr.im/D8ahH is.

For a young child to efficiently learn and master studying abilities they require consistent interest in one or equally parents. With this particular in mind, but, the instructions are held small from 5 to a quarter-hour a day.

With Children Learning Reading system you may also build and improve your relationship with your son or daughter not just how to learn effectively.

Answer 8

I agree that students with autism have VERY special learning considerations and often greatly benefit from the training and programs designed and implemented by ESE teachers and therapists in public schools. That said, even as a special ed. teacher, I believe that parents are the experts on their own children. If you are going to homeschool, then I recommend getting some additional training in instructional techniques such as the TEACCH program from the Univ. of N. Carolina. I also HIGHLY recommend making sure your son recieves OT, speech, and behavior services either in a clinic or at home and that you do your best to implement the therapists plans. My main concern is that people with autism struggle GREATLTY with communication and social skills...while you may be able to provide him with excellent instruction on tasks using 1 on 1 methods like discreet trials, when it comes right down to it, children need to learn to communicate and socialize in NATURAL settings, not artificial ones. Limiting your son's social circle to your family may not allow him to develop communication and social skills as well as he could in a classroom with other children and peer models.

Answer 9

Hi,

There are numerous documented benefits and advantages of teaching children to read early on, and teaching them to reading using phonics and phonemic awareness instructions. It is clear that early language and reading ability development passes great benefits to the child as they progress through school at all grades, and that early language and reading problems can lead to learning problems later on in school.



For a simple, step-by-step program that can help your child learn to read visit this web site: http://readingprogram.toptips.org

Cheers.

Answer 10

http://home.earthlink.net/~tammyglaser798/authome.html



http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/autism.htm



http://ezinearticles.com/?Home-Schooling-Your-Autistic-Child&id=303099



thse websites might help you :-)



Good luck!