Homeschooling? Hello. I used to frequent these boards 3 years ago, when my son was first diagnosed with mild PDD-NOS.  We put him in special education preschool through our public school system, and he did very, very well.  He transitioned to mainstream kindergarten and did beautifully last year.  His private specialist even told us he "no longer met the criteria for PDD-NOS" before Kindergarten. My son is about to turn seven, and is now halfway through first grade.  He developed severe anxiety and OCD at the end of the summer, and we started him on an anti-anxiety med (which worked very well).  Now, he is having serious social issues at school.  Three so far.  I don't want to go into the details, but all have been obvious that my son doesn't have any idea his behavior is inappropriate/unacceptable. I'm considering homeschooling him.  I need some resources and information about homeschooling and autism.  What about the social piece?  Everyone says these kids need the socialization of school - but do they really?  What if he could be more comfortable at home, learn at home, and then participate in activities with our family and other outlets (church, sports, etc.).  Is school the only/best way to teach social skills to these kids?  I'd love any opinions! Thank you...        I am struggling more urgently with this Issue.  I have kept ds at home since the beginning of the year.  He has been doing better behavior wise/communication wise and academic wise.  I was very torn about whether or not he should go back to school.  Like you my worry about him being out of school has been about socialization and being independent of me.  We use ABA techniques and belief system.  "The child is capable of learning break it down and motivate."  The school does TEACCH.  "Use schedule and do not stress the child."-paraphrasing from my interaction with TEACCH evaluators and the school.        The school did not provide much positive social interaction.  DS is in a self-contained AU class that does everything isolated from the rest of the school.  They might say they eat lunch with the school but in my books when they sit at the AU table at the end of the hall, that is by themselves, recess by themselves e.t.c   The class main program/circle time is years behind what DS should be learning.  I came to the conclusion that they do not intend to mix the AU population with the school population. Socialization lost it's argument for me.        Since we homeschooled in the past my worry that DS might not learn to be part of a group has dissipated, I see him stay in line, stay in his classroom, sit and be where his class needs to be so he has demonstrated he can do that to me.  I think I need to stop worrying about that.  Since I went to regular school and my other kids go, I think I have the mindset that he needs to go as well.      The school does not teach him much which stresses us at home because he does most of his  learning at home and we run another full program after school.  The family is more peaceful now.  I need to get over thinking he has to go to school I am working on that.         Time is running out for me to decide the school knew since before Christmas break that we were not pleased with his placement, however,  I have to let them know one way or another by this week.   I think I am leaning more towards homeschooling.  DS is not thriving academically or communication wise, picking up more negative behavior in that placement and it seems I cannot change this school district's outlook.           There is a lot of negative things and opinions that I cannot express even with online anonymity so I think for sure DS needs to change class but the thing kneading at me is do I really expect to find a better apple in the bunch?          I intend to put DS' success ahead of my need to have the 7 hours of freedom to do other things besides parenting or teaching (unless its their job) that regular parents enjoy.    Call your state department of education to find out where to call and how to register your homeschool.  You can get other resources from them as well. These are some of my resources.  I would suggest you search the forum and Norwaymom resources you will find some more. Goodluck making your decision.     For Spelling: http://www.spellingcity.com/     For Reading: http://www.starfall.com/     Still trying out this curriculum     Curriculum: http://www.time4learning.com/    We are using the local school curriculum as well as others to make sure we are learning what we should. Concernedpa.               School is not the "only" way (and for many spectrum kiddos, may not even be a "good" way... considering the number of kids in a classroom) for kiddos to socialize--in fact, my eldest didn't socialize at all in school (he would shut down and withdraw completely in crowds larger than 5, noisy areas, etc., etc.).  Our current evals for both kids (from their developmental pedi and psychiatrists/psychologists) indicate that homeschooling is our best course of action for both children. We "socialize" through community ed. classes, co-op classes, therapy groups, life skills groups, shopping, church, play dates, scouts (which he hated), etc., etc., etc. If you go to Yahoo! Groups you'll find all sorts of online support groups for parents homeschooling kiddos on the spectrum.  There are also quite a few books out there on this topic. I often ask myself the same questions.. My son is 9 and mainstreamed. Sometimes when I see him struggling SO hard to just learn how to "socialize" with other kids I think what the heck?! Why not just keep him in a loving enviornment and provide him with opportunities for constructive and positive social interaction, something that is safe and gently supervised. I think about it all the time. Not sure yet wether I will do it or not.. Good luck in your decision.Thanks, Everyone!  I really appreciate the responses! For now, I'm having my son come home for lunch.  He can eat in peace, and relax - and then head back for the afternoon.  He seems to be doing okay in the classroom and academically - but he is not doing well on the playground or in the lunchroom (where there is little supervision and no structure). Sorry. Here's the link, one more time : Autistic Child Home SchoolingI support your decision to homeschool him. Through homeschooling he will gain the social interaction he needs. I know a lot of you will argue that he won't, but trust me, he will. I made a Webpage earlier this month about homeschooling. Here's the link: [URL=www.myautismrecovery.com/autistic-child-home- schooling.html]Autistic Child Home Schooling[/URL]Here's the link: schooling.html">Autistic Child Home SchoolingWe homeschool all of our children. I can't say my special needs children have changed overnight academically (they were in public school before our adoption and made no progress in PS at all) but emotionally and socially it has been extremely healing to be home educated, with the freedom it offers them.  Learning througout the day, not imposed by schedules, other peoples attitudes or lack of understanding, and in a class with only people of their own age. It sounds like maybe your happy with  him averting the cause of his issues by not being at school for lunch and recess.  If you need homeschool help in the future.. just ask, theres a few of us on here! My kids are in mainstream classes with pull-outs. They have adaptive and communication goals in their IEPs that include social skills/pragmatics.   A few years ago, they included a buddy group at recess and had a para ed. guiding the group. But, it has not been enough. We have had to supplement with private social skills groups and therapy. Includes Social Thinking, Social Stories, Floortime, etc. We also try to incorporate some non-therapy kinds of social activities (dance, tae kwon do, play dates, etc). Does your son have an IEP?   Does it include social skills goals (adaptive)? Do you have any private social skills groups in your area (run by someone very experienced with autism)? For us, homeschooling would be considered if necessary. But so far we have not had to - even though we have had a lot of ups and downs. I really think it is a decision based on everyone's unique situation. Best wishes. _________________________ mom to 10 year old boy/girl twins (Asperger's/PDD-NOS)
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