Anyone Homeschooled a child with...

[AuntRayRay]

I am thinking about Homeschooling my oldest ds (who is 8yr and 3rd grade). Jiovanni started in a catholic kindergarden at 5yr. He had stayed home with me til then. Well kindergarden was real bad. Complaints from teachers, principal-they even had me be his personal aid for a few months. In oct they had started with wanting to throw him out by March the principal refused to allow him to finish the year there. Poor Jio even missed his Christmas play that year when the principal purposely gave him a suspension that particular day I remember him being so upset about that and when I said don't worry you can be in it next year he said he didn't want to. So in March we switched him to the ps by our house. He did ok but the teacher said he needed more one on one than she could provide so for second grade he recieved an aide that was with him for everything basically. Still I'd hear that he wouldn't pay attention (esp if he didn't like what they were doing) or sit still or stay in his seat, etc..To make a long story short everyone knew Jio and that he had a problem behaving (esp listening). I'd even have kids tell me Jio wasn't behaving today. We moved this past March and now Jio is in a new school still with an aide. I haven't gotten a chance to sit in as of yet but although I haven't gotten to much complaint I know i probably will and besides he had his first day back at religion this past week and the teacher was very upset saying he was very disruptive and didn't listen to her either and that was only for an hour! I have the same problem he just doesn't listen. Anyway everyone has been pushing med's or a special school if the ps doesn't work out and I stumbled upon this Homeschooling idea (that I don't know much about) and thought hey..maybe I could do that! I'm currently in my second year of college to be a teacher,but I am unsure if I could do this?

Has anyone unschooled their child because of behaviorally issues? If so how and how do you do it and do you have any suggestions for me?

Thanx for your help....

RayRay

[littlest birds]

I think my children's special needs would translate into behavior issues in school. This is most true for my son who I know would have a nightmare of such troubles in school. But my oldest daughter also had an immense restlessness in school because she was ahead of the class academically, quick-learning, and impatient and impulsive. This meant she was bored and prone to act out. She was in a situation that would not help her succeed, I thought.

But I keep ds out preventatively as I know he cannot meet the behavior expectations of school and that problem would get in the way of learning and enjoying the school environment.

I think that to homeschool, it's necessary to seek a better understanding of what is behind the behavior issues so that you can understand what he responds to, what maturity/self-control progress you can expect from him, and why certain things may be difficult in ways he cannot control. For my ds, he has extraordinary intelligence and abilities, strong ADD-type difficulties, and has ways in which he is simply a "late bloomer." To work with him, we need to address each of these.

Do you feel comfortable as a parent dealing with the behavior tendencies that your son has? If not, will you be able to commit yourself to focus on improving how you interact? That relationship is central to homeschooling and can be tough. I am skeptical about you handling this challenge while in school yourself. His difficulties sound intense--and although homeschooling could help a lot, please don't expect it to "cure" these problems.

I am glad you are considering homeschooling. It may be the best possibility for your son to have his needs met in a positive way. That is what it seems to provide for us.

[AuntRayRay]

deeporgarten-Thanx for your reply. Yeah I know homechooling Jio wouldn't be a "cure all" but I was thinking it would be a better situation for him. Honestly this is all new to me and I would like to get as much info as possible on Homeschooling first before I do anything. As far as my study's-I'm going to have to cut down to 2 classes because 4 is just too much for me with a new baby. I am planning to go to the library and get a book on homeschooling-any suggestions? thanx
So far by what I've read about "unschooling" I like but I think it might be good if I can find others in my area too.

RayRay-

[littlest birds]

There are quite a few good books on unschooling, but none come to mind now except for "The Unschooling Handbook" and the classic "Teach Your Own" by John Holt. I hope other people will offer other suggestions here. I know very little about unschooling as it relates to autistic children. Also, I am only a partial unschooler, and I think my ds needs more intervention than unschooling proposes in order to do well. But that's a personal conclusion, so I hope some other folks add their own

One of the things I try to learn about is new skills to deal with special needs children myself--I am always looking for the tools to make home life work better for ds and the family, since we're together all the time. Especially communication--it is the hardest thiing with ds and probably most important.

I went to school for a year while homeschooling my oldest and it was pretty tough for us, though ultimately I'm glad to have done so. Do you plan to bring Jio with you to classes or to work at all? I did this, but dd needed to have planned quiet activity--a list and books to read. (FYI I finally quit school.)

Do you plan to still utilize services through the school system? I understand that many services are fully available to special-needs homeschoolers. Maybe the school system can even provide tutors. (I just think as a single parent, you need to consider any support available to you.)

I really want this to work out well for you. It's hard for me to think of how hard school must be on your son, and how much you must be hoping to find a better solution.