Homeschooling with ASD

[lovethattink]

This is a thread to discuss curriculums, planning, strategies, etc for homeschooling a special needs child with ASD.

We've discovered that there are a few of us who either are homeschooling this year or will be next school year. Rather than high jack existing threads, this is to begin a new one related to homeschooling and the challenges that homeschooling with ASD can bring, and how to overcome those challenges.

 

[lucigo]

I am not currently homeschooling, however I am preparing to in the future so hope you don't mind if I lurk!

 

[bookwormde]

Thanks for setting up this thread, while we will likely not we have to go this route (although you never know for sure) I am looking forward to everyones experiance (and expertise) to share with parents that do.

bookwormde

 

[Kat77]

We homeschooled last year. Right now we are very happy with DS10's placement but we never know what the future holds, especially with the education budget cuts going on (worried). I'd love to hear what others are up to.

 

[happily single]

Can anyone share with me any tricks, hints or suggestions for teaching my ds12 PPD/MR to learn to read? He is currently in the Sixth grade, but "reading" at a Grade 1 level (on a good day).

 

[monkeysmamma]

Signing up to see where this thread goes.

I'm HS'ing my 10 and 7 year old sons, both of whom have autism and other health issues. Academically, my 10 year old is close to age level, but my 7 year old is significantly delayed. Behaviorally though, the little guy is a lot easier than his big brother.

 

[C&G'sMama]

I am not currently homeschooling, however I am preparing to in the future so hope you don't mind if I lurk!

Us too. I'm the other 1/2 of koolaidmoms. We are regulars on the behavior challenge thread. DS is 7 with Aspergers and in 2nd grade. He will be homeschooled next year. I'm sure koolaidmoms will be on here with updates as we begin our journey. We also have an NT 10 yo DD. She will stay in school for next year, for now, we are leaving it up to her.

 

[lucigo]

Last summer we signed up for Time4Learning.com and used it just to keep DS7 from getting rusty and so that I could see how he might do with me as a teacher. I really liked the structure of a computer based program. My typical DD16 homeschooled for a semester in 9th grade using Florida's web based program and it went well, she just missed the social interaction.

So basically what I have learned so far is that I would like to use a computer based school program, and that we have to have lots of social opportunities on the side!

 

[brat]

We homeschool our kids but ASD Foster kid is in public school, we plan to homeschool him next year if he is still with us.

 

[lovethattink]

I am not currently homeschooling, however I am preparing to in the future so hope you don't mind if I lurk!

Welcome! I spent a long time in preparation to homeschooling. Tossed the idea around for years before we acted on it.

Thanks for setting up this thread, while we will likely not we have to go this route (although you never know for sure) I am looking forward to everyones experiance (and expertise) to share with parents that do.

bookwormde

Welcome! I'm sure you will have lots of wisdom to share with us as well. I have learned so much about ASD from you, and that knowledge has really helped me understand my child better.

We homeschooled last year. Right now we are very happy with DS10's placement but we never know what the future holds, especially with the education budget cuts going on (worried). I'd love to hear what others are up to.

Welcome!

Can anyone share with me any tricks, hints or suggestions for teaching my ds12 PPD/MR to learn to read? He is currently in the Sixth grade, but "reading" at a Grade 1 level (on a good day).

Welcome! I was told that my son would learn best if we used a phonics based system and classical education phonograms because learning this way has specific rules, and there really isn't any whole word memorization. My son loves rules, thinks in black and white and doesn't like when rules have gray areas. Learning why oo says "eww" in zoo stays in his memory better for some reason than memorizing sight words.

Signing up to see where this thread goes.

I'm HS'ing my 10 and 7 year old sons, both of whom have autism and other health issues. Academically, my 10 year old is close to age level, but my 7 year old is significantly delayed. Behaviorally though, the little guy is a lot easier than his big brother.

Welcome! What curriculums are you using? What adjustments, special considerations, and accomodations have you made at home for learning?

Us too. I'm the other 1/2 of koolaidmoms. We are regulars on the behavior challenge thread. DS is 7 with Aspergers and in 2nd grade. He will be homeschooled next year. I'm sure koolaidmoms will be on here with updates as we begin our journey. We also have an NT 10 yo DD. She will stay in school for next year, for now, we are leaving it up to her.

Welcome other half! Exciting time for preparations!

Last summer we signed up for Time4Learning.com and used it just to keep DS7 from getting rusty and so that I could see how he might do with me as a teacher. I really liked the structure of a computer based program. My typical DD16 homeschooled for a semester in 9th grade using Florida's web based program and it went well, she just missed the social interaction.

So basically what I have learned so far is that I would like to use a computer based school program, and that we have to have lots of social opportunities on the side!

Welcome! My NT 17 year old is using a computer based curriculum and he loves it! We are using a DVD curriculum for our 6 year old. He is repeating kindergarten because he forgot EVERYTHING he had learned in kindergarten after he had a grand mal seizure last summer. Now he is doing really well and we will continue working over summer. He even forgets new material learned on a Friday over a weekend, so we usually review a little on the weekend.

We homeschool our kids but ASD Foster kid is in public school, we plan to homeschool him next year if he is still with us.

Welcome!

 

[lovethattink]

Thinking of some things and techniques that have helped my son keep focused on school work.

- He uses a balance disc as a seat cushion. This allows him to keep his feet on the floor and rock, without tipping over a chair.

- We keep his work table empty. Anything on it distracts him, even a pencil.

- He insists that everything needs to be orderly. He has a pencil box where he keeps his crayons, pencils, erasers, sharperner, etc. He occasionally needs to check on the box to make sure nobody touched his things and moved them out of place.

- He will rarely ask for an attention break, but we can usually tell when he needs one. If he is over stimulated, the attention break will be to rest on the couch, or the Wilbarger Brushing. If he needs stimulation then the attention break might be spent bouncing a basket ball, running, jumping, doing the infinity walk, etc. Attention breaks are kept to 2 to 3 minutes. The need for attention breaks range from every 10 minutes some days to every couple of hours other days.

- chewing gum is a tool that helps my son keep focus sometimes.

- sometimes he needs a goal to work for because he needs motivation. Maybe a snack, or a few minutes spent on his area of hyperfocus once he completes the task, a sticker, etc.

 

[monkeysmamma]

Welcome! What curriculums are you using? What adjustments, special considerations, and accomodations have you made at home for learning?

We've pieced together curricula from work books, online programs, and age level guides. I get a lot of advice and suggestions from their therapists and the special ed teachers we work with through the school district. Explode the Code and Handwriting Without Tears have been great for my ODS, while YDS is still at a preschooler level.

I think that's the biggest adjustment to wrap our brains around. The boys learn at their own pace and it's important not to get frustrated or discouraged. We incorporate all kinds of sensory breaks into the schedule and go with the flow so to speak. There are some days where they just can't focus. I spend some time on the scheduled work, but if it's clear that it's not working, then we move on to something else. Keeping everybody upbeat and motivated is key to making progress and not going crazy.

 

[lovethattink]

We've pieced together curricula from work books, online programs, and age level guides. I get a lot of advice and suggestions from their therapists and the special ed teachers we work with through the school district. Explode the Code and Handwriting Without Tears have been great for my ODS, while YDS is still at a preschooler level.

I think that's the biggest adjustment to wrap our brains around. The boys learn at their own pace and it's important not to get frustrated or discouraged. We incorporate all kinds of sensory breaks into the schedule and go with the flow so to speak. There are some days where they just can't focus. I spend some time on the scheduled work, but if it's clear that it's not working, then we move on to something else. Keeping everybody upbeat and motivated is key to making progress and not going crazy.

Great! I've never heard of explode the code. Going to have to check into that. We are using handwriting without tears at OT. At home we are using Abeka DVD program and they have very specific rules about handwriting and start with cursive. My son lacks the motor coordination and the memory, but if we guide him and remind him about the formation of each step his handwriting is clearly legible. Without our guidance, it's really hard to read.

 

[lovethattink]

Please post if you know of any discount codes or any discounted curriculum prices.

 

[sl_underwood]

We also homeschool our kids, including ds 7 who has autism. He has been homeschooled for the past two years and while he is making some progress, it is slow. Makes it hard sometimes to feel good about homeschooling. I know in school, things were awful, but I definitely worry about my ability to teach him. Could use lots of support! We are currently using handwriting without tears pre-k- nearly done with this book, Math U See Primer- only about 1/4 the way through and a whole lot of hands on activities and learning. I would love to hear how others have faced learning challenges. I am currently learning ABA therapy so I can impliment it at home, but I am fairly new to the world of Autism. Two years seems long at times, but I still feel like I am learning new things everyday and I do not know nearly enough!

 

[sl_underwood]

Great! I've never heard of explode the code. Going to have to check into that. We are using handwriting without tears at OT. At home we are using Abeka DVD program and they have very specific rules about handwriting and start with cursive. My son lacks the motor coordination and the memory, but if we guide him and remind him about the formation of each step his handwriting is clearly legible. Without our guidance, it's really hard to read.

One part of the handwriting without tears curriculum that helped Luke a great deal were the sticks you get to form letters. We would use the sticks to form a letter, then let him take his thomas train and trace the letter, like a track. This helped him remember how to form the letter. We also used the roll a dough letters with playdoh snakes and forming letters this way. Both were really helpful. His writing (all straight letters) is great now, we are still working on curved letters but this is one area he has made large amounts of improvement in since begining to homeschool. He is still struggling greatly with letter and number recognition. Has nearly all uppercase letters down, but only a handfull of lowercase, and only numbers 1-3 consistent. When he left the public school, he had none of this though so I should feel like we have accomplished something but I definitely feel like we should be accomplishing more.

 

[monkeysmamma]

He is still struggling greatly with letter and number recognition. Has nearly all uppercase letters down, but only a handfull of lowercase, and only numbers 1-3 consistent. When he left the public school, he had none of this though so I should feel like we have accomplished something but I definitely feel like we should be accomplishing more.

I'm dealing with the same thing with my 7 year old. It makes me second guess myself on a continual basis, but his therapists and the special ed teacher we meet with through school all think he's working to his full potential. I'm really not sure how to process that.

 

[lovethattink]

One part of the handwriting without tears curriculum that helped Luke a great deal were the sticks you get to form letters. We would use the sticks to form a letter, then let him take his thomas train and trace the letter, like a track. This helped him remember how to form the letter. We also used the roll a dough letters with playdoh snakes and forming letters this way. Both were really helpful. His writing (all straight letters) is great now, we are still working on curved letters but this is one area he has made large amounts of improvement in since begining to homeschool. He is still struggling greatly with letter and number recognition. Has nearly all uppercase letters down, but only a handfull of lowercase, and only numbers 1-3 consistent. When he left the public school, he had none of this though so I should feel like we have accomplished something but I definitely feel like we should be accomplishing more.

I'm dealing with the same thing with my 7 year old. It makes me second guess myself on a continual basis, but his therapists and the special ed teacher we meet with through school all think he's working to his full potential. I'm really not sure how to process that.

I voiced concern to my son's neurologist. My son can remember all kinds of facts about Star Wars or animals, but he has problem with name recognition. He is able to see a letter and say it's sound and read simple words. But often he is unable to write a letter if I say it verbally. Also he is often unable to say the name of the letter when he sees it visually.

The neurologist said doing each of those things require different parts of the brain. He also has trouble with name recall. The neuro said that it's almost as if his brain is a white board. If something else comes by, it wipes off that name, it is then gone from memory. He suggested repetition as key to helping him remember. Since he can memorize sentences better than names, Abeka has helped us quite a bit. (A says a as in apple a says, a, a, a)

I take pictures of people we meet. I try to make up phrases to help him remember their name, such as Curly Shirley, Quarter Quarter Kelly (she gave him quarters to play video games), etc. We view the pictures regularly and go over their names. If we skip for days or weeks, we have to start all over, because it's totally gone from his memory.

We had family from out of state visit us last summer. He was so out of his element since they stayed at our house, that he could not remember their names the entire time they were here. Finally by day 7 when they were heading home he remembered their name to say goodbye. I think knowing they were leaving relaxed him enough to remember.

 

[sl_underwood]

My son has the same problem. I think that might just be what gets me. He can recite scenes from star wars and toy story yet he cannot remember lots of other information. We will look into Abeka. Thanks.

 

[lovethattink]

My son has the same problem. I think that might just be what gets me. He can recite scenes from star wars and toy story yet he cannot remember lots of other information. We will look into Abeka. Thanks.

He had to repeat kindergarten this year because of not knowing his numbers or letters (did Hartcourt Trophies the first time). From the constant repetition he is doing so much better. We are going to stick with Abeka for 1st grade too, because of that repetition. I know many NT kids complain about that repetition, and say it's boring. But my son actually seems to feel comfortable having those rules and applying them.