Weighing Pros and Cons Concerning Homeschooling My Children

Consider what type of speech therapy they need. If it is language pragmatics, then consider Communicating Partners by James MacDonald. It is an excellent book for parents to help their child develop communicating and language skills. He also has a website. Just google it. If it is articulation, then even if you home school they could get services through the school.

I am a veteran home schooler and my youngest son is on the autism spectrum. I've given this decision a lot of thought, and I believe that the day to day constant interactions with me and his brother have been a tremendous benefit to him. He's only three now, and as he gets older we will be adding in more activities with other children. I can already see improvements when we go to park and play places.

I already know I am going to homeschool my 4 year old and 18 month old. I am going with the K-12 system. It is paid for by the state and has wonderful programs.

http://www.k12.com/

Hi A.! Please don't make your decision based on Jennifer S.'s response. If that is her only experience with homeschoolers then she shouldn't be giving "advice" on the subject.

I was homeschooled and I am homeschooling my son to the end of first grade. We are taking each year as it comes and deciding for or against public school based on our son's needs. We will do the same for our daughter. My kids don't have any "special" needs so I can't advise you on that matter.

If you choose to homeschool you CAN continue with speech therapy through your local school.

Oh, and the argument that homeschooled people are "awkward" and don't know how to integrate into society is ludicrous. There are scores of people taught in public schools with deplorable social skills. Poor social skills are not brought on by homeschooling.

The best info I can give you are actually more places to ask questions, and some sources I love. I homeschool a very fun 2e boy for a whole variety of reasons, but he's not on the autism spectrum... and I've found (from others on 2e boards) that while there are many similarities in common HS challenges, and common 2e challenges, the solutions & aproaches are/can be very different, and even the challenges can be 180 degrees from each other.

Just as an example (because the above sounds like super vague mumbldy-speak doesn't it?):

Common HS challenge: time to yourself... across the board, everyone has this challenge.
Common ADHD solution: Sports glorious sports, and thank heaven for wildly interactive computer programming
Common Aspie solution: Sensory room, and music, and still time

Common ADHD challenge: needing flexibility, & highly stimulating situations
Common Aspie challenge : needing structure, & avoiding highly stimulating situations

See what I mean?

Sources:

- My super-favorite real-time resource for BTDT in HS'ing, is http://groups.yahoo.com/ in the find a group search bar, just type in autistic homeschool. and another time special needs homeschool. There are also gazillions of general HS boards, and every single specialty you can imagine; philosophies... from montessori to unschooling, Charlotte Mason to Thomas Jefferson, Classical to Eclectic (and maybe 20 more); Geographic... Alabama to Wyoming, regions to specific cities to specific co-ops within a neighborhood; Age specific... preschool to college bound seniors; Development specific; disorders, gifted, 2e; Special Interests; Secular; Religious; Curriculum specific... CAVA, Ambleside... you name it, there's a group in yahoo groups. You have to create a yahoo ID to join (free), and that's it. Here are links to the first two group searches I mentioned:

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=special+needs+homesc...
http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=autistic+homeschool

- For general info, can't beat:

http://www.homeschooldiner.com/
Great great great... can't say enough about this site

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/
Anne Zeiss has tons and tons and tons of stuff. Everything from a synopsis of laws on each state...which vary WILDLY (with a link to the actual law), to really cool articles, to curriculum info, etc. It's fairly easy to accidentally click on a commercial, though. All of her links to pages on her website are on the left hand side. Commercials are to the right, and mixed in with the links to articles on her site in the middle. So, generally, stay left!

- For the clearest & most comprehensive list of philosophies I've found to date:
http://www.homeschooldiner.com/guide/intro/main.html

- For a really good laugh:
http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschoo...

- For checking out what kinds of curriculum are available ((DON'T under any circumstances buy anything right now though, especially without checking it out in person (either by loan or on a 30day free trial). You probably will... nearly all of us do... but just so you know it's the single most lamented mistake.))

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ (and the sales will come around again, but they are a GERAT resource for research as well as purchasing)
http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/
http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/

- Favorite Book
http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-Take-Deep-Breath-This...
We all have our "favorite" book. Homeschooling: Take a Deep Breath You Can Do This, by Terri Lynn Bitner is mine.

:) :) :) There's more, of course (there always is), but this is probably overwhelming enough.

R

Hi A., I'm pro whatever works best for you and your family. You will know what is best for your children. I didn't homeschool my daughter but I am currently with my son who is mildly autistic. His autisim had nothing to do with my choice to homeschool by the way =-)

However, I do have friends that have homeschooled or are currently and have been VERY successful. One of the Moms that I know homeschooled her 3 boys. She enrolled them in sports and music lessons as well outside the home. Her oldest son is mildly autistic has graduated highschool and has been accepted into Princeton. Her other 2 boys have 4.0 GPA. I know all 3 and they are wonderful, respectful and very social. They have many friends from sporting activities. They were also all in speech and occupational therapy.

Another Mom I know homeschooled her daughter K-12, who is autistic. She is now a successful attorney here in O.C. and super sweet! She passed the bar on her second try!

Everyone will have their opinion good and bad, but in the end, it’s what you feel is right that will prevail. Your kids will succeed.

You will get lots of responses - pros and cons. Ultimately it's your decision to do what's best for you child. Unless your child's needs are not being met at school or is literally suffering, I don't think it's a good idea.

1) Teachers are educated and trained to teach your child, especially special needs chidlren. Do you have those credentials?
2) Children learn from each other - from their questions, experiences and literally explaining a concept in terms they can understand
3) Different teachers have different expectations and grading standards, not unlike the real world. If you're the only one grading & judging their work, how will they get this concept? And, can you really be unbiased on an essay, art project, etc?
4) Children in school learn that it's not all about them, that others sometimes come first, get a turn, have a say, etc. They may not even get a say. If they're the only student in class, they don't learn this.
5) Other students naturally foster a sense of competition and goal to achieve. If they're the only student, they have no benchmark and no one to compete with.
6) It's good for students to hear other views on things and to be able to hear all sides of something and to develop their own opinion and thoughts, not just mimic yours. Even if you don't agree with what they come up with, it's important that they be their own person.

Yes, there are lots of pros. But every home-schooled child I've ever met just didn't seem to know how to fit in with the other kids, sometimes even seeming socially backward. Going to school is about more than feeding the brain some knowledge. As an autistic child, they may need the socialization more than anything.

If you want to be more involved and have more control and say - then research the schools in your area (public & private) and find the right one. And, then get involved at the school and participate in all of your childs education and activities.

I attend all sporting events, church activities, assist in homework, vocalize my values and beliefs and back them up with reasoning, help research and fully debate topics of interest that maybe we don't agree upon or that they've heard about and have questions.

Good luck - you obviously care - so you'll grow amazing children I'm sure!

Hi A.!
I have a 12 yr old Daughter that I have been homeschooling for 4 years now and every year we love it even more!
My dd doesn't have special needs but before we homeschooled I was an Instructional aide for sever special needs kids.I am tell you this so you can see I have the knowledge about special needs kids.
The school we homeschool with is a public school. So everything your child is getting from the public school system they would get with this program. I use California Virtual Academy (CAVA) I live in California. LOL
I have seen many kids with Autism use this school. Actually I think it is a great program for Autistic children cause it seems like they connect differently with it. I know they are nationwide. www.caliva.org is for CA. and the curriculum they use is www.k12.com/cava/
With this homeschool you would use the IEP you have in place now and they will set you up with speech therapy and anything else you need. You would have a teacher who works with special needs kids.Also just to let you know the kids that I have seen use this program are the smartest and most well adjusted kids I have ever met!You have to be a balanced parent to homeschool. They need interaction with other kids but they don't have to go to a Brick and Mortor school to get that! I don't want to make this any longer but feel free to message me privately and I can give you even more info!

L

Good for you! Your children will be so much better off in the long run. I am an oral facial myologist. If your children have symptoms such as mouth breathing, messy eating, snoring, possibly digestive or oral habits I can help correct the muscles. Many autistic children have myofunctional problems that speech therapy will not correct. Yes, the public schools will help with this if they have no other oral symptoms. I homeschooled and still am for the past 16 years. They will be better taught by you. my website is melindasoralfacial.com if you think you may need this help.

The first question to ask yourself is what are the resources available to you/them if you are home schooling vs. school district. It is worth checking with your school district, they may still have obligations to provide certain services, regardless of whether the children are enrolled or home schooled. Don't count them out entirely. Another option to look into is what special programs the district may have available to you, but only if you are a strong advocate. Sometimes districts are overwhelmed and are not up front about all the services the can provide... You have a difficult choice ahead of you. You need to think about not only what is best for them, but what you are capable of as well. Teaching two special needs students is a challenge, you will need support. That said, good luck to you. I am sure you will make a very informed decision. You know your situation and your children better than anyone. Trust your instincts, regardless!

There were two things that people said already that I would highly suggest following up on.
Call the Home School Legal Defense Association
www.hslda.org
They are a wealth of information
And read that book by Cathy Duffy. It's a good starting point.
I have homeschooled, done private school, and public. Homeschool is best, but I am currently unable to homeschool my kids. If I had an autistic kid, I'm not sure what I would do, but probably a combination of outside resources and homeschool. Like I said, I think HSLDA will be a very good place to start.

A.,
I have a daughter who is on the spectrum as well, and I decided to put her in a private school for children that are like her. I had originally put her in the County special ed preschool, but she is high functioning so she would have gone into the general ed class, and I knew that it would overwhelm her (too many kids, distractions, and kids being mean). So I found a school that was very good for high functioning autistic children, dyslexic, ADHD etc. I knew homeschooling for me would have been too challenging, because my daughter knows all my buttons, but I do feel slightly guilty about it. Anyway, to answer you about the services that they would receive. Here in Vegas where I live, and I am pretty sure this is everywhere because of disability federal laws, they have to provide you with speech. I take my daughter to school privately, and she gets her speech publicly. It isn't something that very many people do, but it can be done. You would need to contact the school where your children would be zoned for and find out from them where to go. They more than likely will need to do testing and go through an IEP, but they can do it. The only thing that your children might not be able to get is the social help, because they usually have the special ed teachers either come into the classroom or they address it in the special ed classroom. If you are like me, I am always working on that with my daughter though every time we go somewhere or they may have social classes through a foundation etc. in your area. Hope this helps, K.

While I am not a parent of a special needs child, I do homeschool my twins, and it has been the best choice that my husband and I have made for our children and for our family as a whole.
We work with a program called TLC (The Learning Choice), and they have several locations throughout San Diego. I don't know what or if they have special needs services, but it might be worth placing a call.
Best of luck,
K.

I am pro-homeschooling and can fill pages and pages with reasons why I believe it is the best option for our child and our family...

As far as your kids' special needs, inquire within the school district. Perhaps you can homeschool and attend speech therapy classes. I don't know much about how this works, but I imagine that services would still be available to your kids, somehow.

I don't know what to tell you about homeschooling, but if you do decide to do it, maybe you could look into the Regional Center for the additional therapy that they need: http://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/rclist.cfm

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao
http://oc.citymommy.com

We are a homeschool family and in California, you can sign your kids up for certain classes in the public school system, rather than doing ALL of it. So, let's say I want my son to take band class, then I can take him to school for that one class, etc. It should be the same thing for special ed.

We pulled our son out of school after kindergarten and he loves it, we love it. It' snot without certain stressors, but it;s SO much easier and more mellow on our family.

You may want to look at www.hslda.com for more info in your area.

A.,

I have a 6 year old with autism so I can definitely understand constantly looking for a "good" school situation. Everything has pros and cons and it is hard to know which pros outweight which cons. If you are in Las Vegas/Nv I'd recommend you call Nevada PEP and talk to an advocate. They know all of the laws and how it all works. If you are outside of Nevada, I'd see if there is a similar organization where you live.

From what I understand, the school district would still be responsible for providing speech and any other therapies even if you home school but I don't know how it all works. Good luck with your decision.

T.

I don't know where you are located, but I would suggest calling the New Vision Autism Center in Temecula -- they are non-profit and have tutoring for autistic children after school and information meetings for parents. Talk to Mary Mollway at the Center, who was involved with the public school district before becoming Director and opening this center -- she would be able to give you some direction on this. For other parents with autistic children in the area, this is a great resource and is about to expand with s sensory center.

Here is the website: http://www.newvisionautismcenter.com click on About and Contact Us for the phone number and directions to the center.

I wish you all the best with this. It is not an easy decision to make.

I don't know where you are, & I don't know beans about homeschooling & autistic children, but I DO know a good school & home school combo in SD, Orange & Riverside Counties. They have K-12 home schooling, site based & virtual programs. They are FREE, because they are a Charter school, under a public school system.

My oldest daughter is currently in 8th grade @ Mountain Peak Charter School in Chula Vista. Her branch of the school is called Chula Vista Learning Academy. It's a great little school for middle school kids, I wish they had a High School branch down here. The web site for the main school is www.mountainpeakcharter.org I think they have a K-12 campus in Vista.

Hello, i am a step mother to an autistic son. I was not in the picture until he was in jr. high already. I know he went to a school specifically for special ed for elementry school. For jr high he went to a regualr jr high and took special ed classes, and some mainstream (PE, computer). He is now in high school-a junior! Its crazy to think. Anyhow-i have seen such changes in the few years that i have been able to be part of his life. He used to not want to be in the middle of commotion (parties for example) he would be in the corner...did not like touch. Now-oh my gosh-since high school especially he loved to introduce himself to people, gives hugs, initiates converstaion, loves parties. There was a time when i thought high school might be to much freedom for him-but i really have seen him grow. He is shaddowed all day at school-never left alone.
Every child is so different. Do what is best for your children. Remeber every decision is not in stone. You can always change something that does not work. I just know that has made remarkable progress with the consistency of routine and given independence!! He hates school breaks-he would go to school everyday if it was up to him.
As a step mother i have a different role-different point of view. I will say i have never seen a mother hinder her child so much-thinking she was doing the better choice. He now takes neat art classes, weight training, and works for one of his class periods and gets paid for it. He has 50 percent education/50 percent elective type classes. He even went to homecoming this year (chaparoned by his sister). There have been tough times-its not all easy. It was tough to get to this place. Just think about if you are going to homeschool all the way through-for what reasons and if it would truly be beneficial for them in the long run. Good luck!!!

I am neither a homeschooling parent nor a parent of a special needs child. However I worked as a college admissions rep for a small private school. I enrolled hundreds of students and out of those I would say at least 60 or so we're homeschooled children. Most of them didn't have anything wrong with them, but the parents would tell me that they were disgruntled with the public school system or that they had issues with a teacher, etc. So they homeschooled. These were some of the MOST awkward children I had ever met in my life and I have worked with kids of all ages since I was 18. They also continue to struggle with the intensity of college life and being around other students. When I interviewed each one of them the parents assured me that they didn't any special accomodations, but that hasn't proven to be true. ( I do keep in contact with many of the staff members and ask about the kids I enrolled).

Because of this, I have chosen to NEVER homeschool my son and I am a former teacher. I would put a vote in that unless you are trained professional AND have a large circle of community and friend activities to get your children involved... keep them in a school that is designed to handle the needs of your child. At some point they will need to function in society with other people and in a job... think future, not necessarily immediate. Good luck! :)