Homeschooling a Child with ASD

[micah_mae_]

Are there any resources for how to do this? I try to teach my son (granted he's 2.5 and mostly nonverbal) but he just won't cooperate. I just want him to be happy and safe and I want to help him learn. I'm afraid of letting him go to public school because I don't want him to be teased. He wants to play with the other kids so badly but he doesn't know how. He ends up screaming in their faces (happy/excited scream) or trying to wrestle with them (no idea where he learned that since we don't have cable, don't rough house and don't watch movies with violence). 

[heatherdeg]

I'm not sure you'll find a lot of resources applicable to a child that age.  And at 2.5, I can't imagine you have a diagnosis...?  Most insurance companies refuse a diagnosis that young--partially because there are so many variations of development and so many other diagnoses that could present similar issues. Mine lived in a bubble and his dx was "megaencephalopathy" (I think that's right... "big head") but his therapy programming addressed "red flags of the autism spectrum".  One of the books the research institute following his care gave me was "More Than Words" by Sussman to help with communication skills.  I honestly never read it.  Back then, I was just beyond overwhelmed with the different therapies and interventions.  In fact, I can see it on my bookshelf as I type--still untouched.  Remarkable given that it was recommended to me when he was about 15mo and he didn't know I was in the room until he was at least 2yo.  :/

Actually, there's not likely to be much about homeschooling even a neuro-typical child of that age.  The best thing I've found has been this:

http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html

We homeschooled our ASD son (now 7yo with a PDD-NOS dx and red flagged for Asperger's Syndrome... which they're not supposed to dx until 8yo) and I found that putting him in short but social settings where I could watch his social interactions closely and help nurture him along.  Stuff that the library offered or playgroups.  This was more about 4yo than 2.5.  At 2.5, we focused on Montessori concepts that applied to the home (which is different from the school environment).  There's actually a pretty good book about it called "At Home With Montessori" and it changed how we lived.  In fact, we found ourselves doing things with our son that we never would've thought to do with him.  We are still that way today (he has real, working tools  :D )

And I've owned this book for quite a while, but haven't read it yet:

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Educating-Autistic-Spectrum-Children/dp/1843100371/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302928700&sr=8-3

I believe it addresses older children.

Hope this helps!

[micah_mae_]

Thanks for all the links! He does have a medical diagnosis, our insurance is Tricare..don't know if that matters but yeah we don't really deal with insurance issues. 

[Linda on the move]

My DD is on the spectrum and is now 14. We've homeschooled, public schooled, and she currently attends a private school.

My question reading your post is what sorts of therapies is your little guy in now? Tricare has GREAT benefits for things like ABA therapy. I'd recommend not looking at anything as a homeschooling issue and instead work on getting a variety of services in place for him for NOW.

He needs people besides you trying to interact with him. He needs specialist who have training and experience with ASD kids.

I'd also not worry about the possibility of him some day being bullied. It may not ever happen, even if he attends public school. (My DD was not bullied in public school.)  Make decisions on what is best for his development, not out of fear of something that may or may not happen.

Each year can be a separate decision. Being in a developmental preschool at age 3 might be really wonderful for him. It's hard to say, and it doesn't have to be about any other year or a long term plan.  Just focus on what your options are right now and what is best for him right now.

[micah_mae_]

Thank you, it's hard for me to not make choices based on fear but I know it's necessary. I was bullied in school and have deep and lasting wounds.

Right now he is in private speech and occupational therapy as well as aba therapy through the early intervention program. He also attends gymboree once a week, which I know isn't technically a therapy but it's very beneficial for him.

[kavamamakava]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

Are there any resources for how to do this? I try to teach my son (granted he's 2.5 and mostly nonverbal) but he just won't cooperate. I just want him to be happy and safe and I want to help him learn. I'm afraid of letting him go to public school because I don't want him to be teased. He wants to play with the other kids so badly but he doesn't know how. He ends up screaming in their faces (happy/excited scream) or trying to wrestle with them (no idea where he learned that since we don't have cable, don't rough house and don't watch movies with violence). 

That's where ABA and floor time really help.  Does he interact with computers at all? There are some good programs for use on ipods/ipads or computers that he may like. 

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

Thank you, it's hard for me to not make choices based on fear but I know it's necessary. I was bullied in school and have deep and lasting wounds.

Right now he is in private speech and occupational therapy as well as aba therapy through the early intervention program. He also attends gymboree once a week, which I know isn't technically a therapy but it's very beneficial for him.

I'm sorry for the experiences you had as a child. You can heal from them. It isn't reasonable for you to keep your son home until he turns 18 based on your experiences. My ASD loves her school. She does really cool things there. She does really cool things at home, too, but she loves her school.

I'm not saying that school is the right choice for every child, just that we all need to make that choice based on what is the best option we have for our child for this year, letting go of our issues and our preferences and just focus on our kid.

As far as working with him now, you could ask his therapist for ideas of things to do at home with him.

[Village Mama]

I both of my boys are homelearners. I really think that it all depends on the dynamics in the house and how everyones personalities fit. One of my sons is quite easy to teach and support in his learning... the other son, without seeming harsh... can be very difficult to support successfully without a huge stress and strain on the family. We are lucky where we are to have to register with a homelearning group legally. For us , this means we have access to a special needs teacher and some special needs funding and support. This has absolutely saved my sanity this year.  There are lots of supports and ideas online for ideas for homeschooling and ASD . They are helpful. I would suggest ensuring that you have a really good support network to avoid burnout.

[Lisa1970]

At 2, all you he needs is sensory activities. Try the book "The Out of Sinc Child has Fun." Then just look for other sensory rich activities. Outside is great. Anything involving nature is wonderful. The lack of sensory activities in many schools has been linked to lower IQ and lower test scores. Oh, and get playdough. That is sooo good for the muscles in the fingers. Arts and crafts do a lot.