Homeschooling ADD
- I have homeschooled my child with ADD for 4 years while I was going to school to finish my training as a speech-language pathologist. It was hard work. I have a friend from church that homeschools her son that has asbergers successfully. I would recommend as a parent and a professional to be educated about the support available to you as a parent with a child with special needs. He may qualify for special education which would provide intensive academic and social training for your child for free. Behavioral challenges in the home can be supported by VMRC or Sierra Vista. Schooling a child with autism takes a lot of patience, repetition and tracking to gradually build academic, social and functional abilities to prepare him for life as an adult. Working with children with autism has been both a challenge and a blessing as you see the children making progress and creating language and social connections. Find out your options available to you in your area.
- —Guest Lmedina
It's great to have options
- My husband suggested homeschooling when my son's depression and anxiety became out of control. He was 9. This all stemmed from difficulties resulting from his Aspergers. The experts were suggesting medication for him. We decided to try homeschooling before considering that...again. Removing our son from the public school environment eliminated much of the daily stress (sensory and social issues) and we began to see improvements in his mood and sleeping patterns almost immediately. It was by no means an easy transition, but as we finish up our 2nd year of homeschooling I can see what a benefit this has been for him. He is much happier, making friends and working at or above grade level in his academics (with NO medication). We can be there to support him when he needs it - something that didn't happen in school. That has made all the difference.
- —Guest CynthiaQ
Personal Story
- My grandson is a true blessing and we have custody of him. Although autism is a great challenge, there are new ideas I learn all the time to help. I depend on your autism site a great deal. I have now found through my searches that not only magnesium helps but also vitamin D and I was looking at his coral calcium supplements and found out that both of these are high in him so I am happy to realize what I have been doing has been a very good thing. I am always finding great ideas for his homeschooling and learning what my grandson is and is not capable of and stretching his limits in his homeschooling with both about.com:homeschooling and about.com:autism. Thank you so much for these great sites.
- —Guest Pamela Rodriguez
Homeschooling my 4 children with autism
- Homeschooling has been a delight and a wonderful learning experience for us all! My nugget to share is that each child has different strengths and weaknesses. They process at different speeds and are ready for new concepts on their timeline. This makes homeschooling a wonderful tool! You can and should throw out the grade level expectations and work hard on progress rather than what all the other kids are doing right now. Relax, enjoy and be persistent! God bless, Heather Laurie, www.specialneedshomeschooling.com
- —gfcfmomofmany
I homeschool my son with HF autism
- If you would have asked me 3 years ago if I would be homeschooling my son Christian I would have laughed at the idea that I could actually pull it off. Well here we are now well into our 2nd year and I have to say I'm actually amazed how smoothly its going. No more are the excuses of why my son had an "off" day or wondering why my son just "shut down" after an episode with a fire drill or an overwhelming day at school. I now have the power to control his surroundings to make them calming and enjoyable (limiting distractions and background noise while catering his lessons to his interests. No longer do I have to wonder if he's fitting in. I take him and am present at his softball games and swimming lessons and park outings. I now have a more confident, calm, and happy child and for that I have no doubt that I did the right thing for him.
- —Guest jlchomeschool
Homeschooling is a CLOSED BOOK exam
- This has to be the most love-filled difficulty I've ever encountered. everything KEEPS moving. Once you think you've got it down, then it shifts, & just when you think something is gone for good then it SHOWS UP again. Parental-Pride is forbidden here & gets wiped out every time it shows it's ugly head. I have an amazing child who is TEACHING ME; I am convinced that I AM being homeschooled & it's a closed book exam. She has taught me to expect change whenever & wherever. She has taught me not to sweat the small stuff & most things ARE the small stuff. She has taught me to make room in my life for being stared at by others because being a wallflower is OUT! She has taught me that truth is an everlasting thing if you live life RIGHT. The most difficult lesson of all...Death can be anywhere but it’s no excuse for living in fear because life is everywhere. She is an expert in targeting my weaknesses & has the patience of thawing molasses with me. When I grow up I want to be just like her.
- —AngelEscort
I'll follow the others
- Hi all, I have been on the same path for almost 5 years now, and started to think that my best choice for his education is homeschooling . I made my search, talked to people, and all I hear was how happy they were once they started and how their kids became more confident. Please share more, so I can learn from you all..Loves from Canada...
- —Guest MELANIE
Autism- you can ,you must ,you will !
- Home schooling my child has been the opportunity of a life time for me. Nothing matters more to me than the education of my child. I've always kept in mind the saying," Where there is a will,there is a way." This path is not an easy one. It is the road that no one really wants to go down or explore, especially if it is new territory. It is curvy; it is stony; and most of the time seems too high to climb but one must travel it; but it must be done on your knees- praying,waiting,watching and with a strong will one must find strength to carry on. One must plan the trip well for one must not fail; nothing is more important than to love, care, and teach your child. If you leave this job for others to do, you will feel the loss later on in life when it is too late. For we all must come to the end of our life's journey in hopes, that when it is all said and done, that leaving them with our love, joy,and kindness for it might very well be what will make them a positive spectacle in this world.
- —Guest Ana Gloria Navarijo
Home schooling child with Autism
- Although my child does not have autism I work with a child in the school system who does. The methods can easily be incorporated into home schooling. Take into consideration how your child functions, is he or she highly functioning or do they need a more strict routine? The child I work with is not very verbal and needs pictures to tell me what she needs or wants. Remember you will spend a lot of time perhaps repeating the same things over and over as they try and grasp each thing. Do not get frustrated. Also be creative with bins such as toothbrush and toothbrush covers which they can take off and put on and things like this so they can work eye hand coordination understand on and off and work muscles in their fingers. There is so much I can say about this however space doesn't allow for it. Also reward them for each task they do!!
- —Guest Lisa Cabello
Homeschooling 2 ASD boys
- I am homeschooling my two boys since I left the UK in June, one is 12 and one is 9. Homeschooling is my only option at the moment until we are settled in the USA; but both boys made progress in their spelling and reading, so I might continue with it...and I thought I had no patience.
- —Guest maryna
Homeschooling Autism...My golden nugget
- I have been homeschooling my 14 year old son with high functioning autism for two years. While he has improved academically, he has also improved socially and emotionally. My golden nugget...having the academic learning separate from the social learning has proven successful. My son has several friends on and off the spectrum. His best buds are in his chess club.
- —Guest Deb O.
Homeschooling my ASD kiddo!
- I homeschool my asd 11 yr old and his 6 yr old sister. What I love most about it is that I am able to work at his pace with a schedule that works for us! It has been one of the best things that I have ever done for him! You can view our expoits at www.chefpenny.blogspot.com .
- —Guest Penny
Planning for homeschooling
- My youngest of 4 children is 3 yr on the spectrum. Am already planning on homeschooling him when he becomes school age. I live in a foreign country where he is currently receiving preschooling in a language which is not my mother tongue. No other choices here. He is progressing well and speaks his needs in 2 or 3 word phrases. However, beyond preschool there is inadequate to no education available for him. So I am sure it will be best to homeschool him. (His siblings 7 1/2yr and 6yr started homeschooling this year and the next child currently 4 1/2 year will also homeschool when he reaches school-age.) What I'm concerned is how much impact it will have on him to miss out on social activities with his peers if he doesn't attend school? Will it be enough to just have his siblings? Currently I know of noone who is homeschooling here so even my other two current homeschoolers don't have a group they meet with. I just enroll them in other activities for the afternoons. Any advice?
- —Guest JillinSA
I homeschool my aspie (ASD) son
- I started homeschooling my son when he started middle school. He really likes it and doesn't ever want to go back to regular school. Thanks to church, a homeschool co-op, and a local asperger's social group for teens, I have plenty of choices for socialization for him. I enjoy it, too. I love learning along with him. He gets to dig into subjects that interest him (like history and science), and it's fun finding different ways to teach. He's even liking writing!! Best of all, I don't have to worry through the day if he's getting picked on by bullies! Yay!
- —Guest Kelly
I homeschool autistic children
- I have five children on the spectrum thanks to a condition called mitochondrial disease. The autism has given each child strengths such as hyper focusing, use the strengths! Each child has gaps such as communication. Pick one point to work diligently on. Don't try to fix all your child's weaknesses in one year. Your autistic child will flourish in the loving, encouraging environment of home. God bless Heather L www.specialneedshomeschooling.com www.homeschoolblogger.com/gfcfmomofmany/
- —gfcfmomofmany
Homeschooling my ASD boy
- I chose to homeschool my 7 1/2 year old boy just recently. We've been homeschooling for about 6 weeks now and I'm loving every minute of it! It is a challenge and we take each day as it comes. There's some days where we do lots of work and others where he is restless and in his own little world. I decided to homeschool him after many a battle with the local school. He was in a class of 48 kids and two teachers who co-taught. Everyday I'd pick him up and he would be in meltdown mode and hiding under a desk or in a cupboard etc. It was heartbreaking to see my little boy deteriorating so badly. He used to love school and he is very bright and flies through his homework. But school just wasn't right for him anymore..or at least for now. As a parent, it's amazing how much we already teach our kids especially our ASD kids who need that extra attention and patience. My happy little boy has returned and I'm amazed and so proud of how much he can do!
- —Rachie81
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