Asperger's Syndrome and the easiest way to meet curriculum requirements . . .

[BamaTanya]

Smart kid. Very quirky. Super interested in a few specific subjects and absolutely WILL NOT attempt others. Extremely frustrating.

We're thinking of bringing him back home. I am absolutely positively tempted to allow this kiddo free access to any and all science and history books without any curriculum at all. He remembers everything he reads.

However . . .

He would probably pick a couple of favorites to read and reread and not get to anything else.

He is failing in public school. We could choose to "modify" his curriculum requirements in special ed, but then he wouldn't be on track to receive a regular diploma. Just an attendance certificate.

What good is that?

Why don't I just bring him home since he isn't going to fit?

But then, to homeschool, I'd have to document that he's getting math, science, PE, etc.

Ack.

He HATES paper/pencil tasks. He produces very little work for his teachers.

Would Switched on Schoolhouse be a better fit for this sensory-challenged kid?

If we got ABeka or Bob Jones DVDs, is there any benefit from viewing them without requiring all the written assignments, etc?

He's 12.

School has been an interesting experiment, but it's hard to see the use of putting him through it when, even with a diagnosis and an IEP, he is still required to do what everyone else is required to do. He's getting very little individual help in middle school. It was so different last year in elementary when he had one teacher who really understood and accommodated his exceptionality.

I know I'm rambling. I just wonder if you have any recommendations for a mom who needs to say, "Here, Son, if you do this, then you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day."

tia

[Violet]

Hmm, I don't have personal experience here other than having a child diagnosed with NLD who exhibits lots of spectrum behavior, but the only thing I can think of is perhaps something like Ace PACES? I've heard people on this board mention them as working with special needs kids. It sounds like they would be something that he could be handed and told do this and then you are free to do whatever you want, which might be just what he needs. What does he want to do for his future? Has he thought about that? What are his strengths?

Sorry to not be more help. I am sure others with more experience will chime in but I thought I would mention PACES because I know I have heard others refer to them on this board.

Best wishes,
Anita

[Laurie]

But then, to homeschool, I'd have to document that he's getting math, science, PE, etc.

He HATES paper/pencil tasks. He produces very little work for his teachers.
He's 12.

tia

I have a 14yods (AS) and an 11yodd on the spectrum. My ds is very smart, too, and he is smart enough to recognize the "busy work" assignments that are really a waste of time. In a classroom, the teacher doesn't have the time for 1:1 contact with each student to see if they're understanding the material so the teacher has to rely on a lot of paper and pencil tasks. With one student, you can easily eliminate a lot of this and actually talk with your ds when he finishes a chapter, etc. You can require less written work and just emphasize quality ("less is more") written assignments that way.

My dd has dysgraphia so just the act of writing is tedious. Does your ds have any fine motor issues that make writing tasks frustrating? For math, my dd is doing Teaching Textbooks 5 on the computer. She uses a white board instead of paper to work out problems...she still writes fairly large so this gives her plenty of space to work out the problem and then she enters her answer on the computer. Also, having just one problem in front of her rather than a whole page full is less distracting.

I don't want to make it sound like homeschooling would be smooth sailing all the time, but there are advantages to being able to work with instead of against your ds's learning style, interests, and abilities. Your ds might really thrive in a homeschooling situation rather than just barely surviving in a regular classroom.

[Misty]

I have an 11yo Aspie daughter. She has very strong obsessions, to the point where she can't concentrate on anything else. She needs one-on-one time for certain subjects like math. Like your son, she has a near photographic memory and remembers everything she reads. She is a voracious, OBSESSIVE reader (it's actually one of her obsessions) so homeschooling her in literature-based subjects (history, etc.) is extremely easy. I just bring the books into the house and she reads them. She is also obsessed with writing so she spends most of her spare time working on current writing projects. So that part is easy too. But I require very little written work from her. She has very poor fine motor skills. Since she has very productive obsessions (reading, writing) I try to let her pursue them as she wishes. She wants to be a writer when she grows up so I let her write all she wants. We live in a state that doesn't oversee homeschoolers at all so I do not have to provide proof of anything. Can you homeschool under an umbrella school?

Anyway, homeschooling my Aspie daughter is easy because I do give her free reign of most subjects and she just absorbs them on her own. Even when I buy curriculum for her, she will usually read it all herself. She has read all the SOTW books and when I bought Minimus Latin for us to do, she read the entire book on her own. She is almost fluent in Spanish, which she learned all on her own. I bought MOH for her and she read it all on her own. She's read more classic literature than most adults. She has hyperlexia, so I don't have to do spelling with her (she's been at adult level since before age 10). Public school would not do anything for her except expose her to potential unhealthy obsessions. She will always have obsessions and she will always have a hard time focusing on anything BUT current obsessions. So I really have to make sure she has that one-on-one time for those subjects that she cannot focus on. I have to sit there with her and make sure she understands and is paying attention. I would suggest letting your son have free reign of all the literature-based subjects and just doing some one-on-one teaching with math and maybe something else that he can tolerate (writing or music or Latin). Do that the first year, then maybe the next year add something else in. Just some ideas.. I'm not sure what state you are in and what they require. But I wouldn't do something like Abeka or any type of boxed curriculum like that. Something like that would be frustrating for both me and my daughter. Way too restrictive! If your son enjoys reading, I would let him learn through living books or even just the library as much as possible. It has been great for my Aspie daughter.

I wish you the best in whatever you decide!

[BamaTanya]

My dd has dysgraphia so just the act of writing is tedious. Does your ds have any fine motor issues that make writing tasks frustrating?

I don't want to make it sound like homeschooling would be smooth sailing all the time, but there are advantages to being able to work with instead of against your ds's learning style, interests, and abilities. Your ds might really thrive in a homeschooling situation rather than just barely surviving in a regular classroom.

He does have some motor issues, but apparently not bad enough to warrant much OT in school. Sigh.

He was homeschooled for 4 years and it was extremely frustrating for both of us. Last year his ps teacher was amazing. But this year -- well, it's middle school. Other dc have matured and the teachers expect a lot more independence. And he's not "there" yet. Not sure he ever will be. With 5 dc, a job, a house, and school, he can't expect much one-on-one from me. I guess I'm looking for a way to keep the rest of the family from having to revolve around him while still letting him be the unique individual he was made to be. For so long he took up 90% of my parenting energy. KWIM?

[BamaTanya]

I would suggest letting your son have free reign of all the literature-based subjects and just doing some one-on-one teaching with math and maybe something else that he can tolerate (writing or music or Latin). Do that the first year, then maybe the next year add something else in. Just some ideas.. I'm not sure what state you are in and what they require. But I wouldn't do something like Abeka or any type of boxed curriculum like that. Something like that would be frustrating for both me and my daughter. Way too restrictive! If your son enjoys reading, I would let him learn through living books or even just the library as much as possible. It has been great for my Aspie daughter.

I wish you the best in whatever you decide!

He does enjoy reading, but only nonfiction. He has no time for poetry (unless it's nonsensical -- that makes him laugh) or novels or anything that doesn't feed his hunger for facts. I know there's a place for him in this world, but he won't ever be a well-rounded individual. He'll be an expert at his thing, and I've come to believe that that's fine. Unfortunately, we've got to find some way to get through this school thing in the meantime. :tongue_smilie:

[kim973]

My son is 14 and has Asperger’s. I’ve been homeschooling him for a couple years, and it has made such a difference for him. His anxiety is greatly reduced and I can adapt curriculum as needed.

It’s not always easy, but I believe it is so much better than public school.

My son also has specific interests and used to only like nonfiction. Just last year, we started reading novels—I let him pick ones that had topics that were interesting to him. Now, it’s part of our routine, we are always reading one novel at a time. He can read his nonfiction books by himself. We read the novels together—he usually reads to me. I have transitioned him to reading every other chapter by himself.

I started with funny poetry first and slowly showed him some other shorter poems. I used ones with a lot of personification – he thought that was funny.

For math, we use Rightstart. It’s a great program.

We just started SOTW. It’s nonfiction, but reads like fiction and he seems to like it.

I was very frustrated homeschooling him for the first year. Then I realized that I have to go at his pace, give him lots of breaks and take my own breaks.

[dtsmamtj]

Our son is 11. Reading and writing are two of his least favorite and weakest subjects. He does spelling from memory, he loves math and does MUS - rewriting math problems from a textbook or not having enough writing room in Abeka was a huge problem. We do science and history outloud with two of his other siblings. Reading and writing are broken down for him. It isn't that he "can't" read it is the comprehension of the words he struggles with, so along with that comes extra vocabulary and comprehension work. We first started out setting time goals (i.e., you get a, b & c done and you can have a 10 minute break. You get d, e & f done and you can eat lunch, etc.). For health I let him read sections (not chapters) at a time and do the review questions. Since he doesn't like to pick up a book and read, he loves to spend time playing music (piano and clarinet) instead.

T (mama to 6)