7 Best Homeschool Curricula for Autistic Children

More than 10% of families homeschool at least one child, and this number rose by 30% during the pandemic. The rate is even higher among families with an autistic child or other special needs, reaching 38%. If you’re considering homeschooling, selecting the right curriculum for your autistic child is crucial for success.

The article discusses the advantages of homeschooling for an autistic child and offers insights into the top 7 homeschool curricula, evaluating them on their ease of use, customization options, and the robustness of the underlying research.

Why Homeschool Your Autistic Child?

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For parents or guardians of an autistic child, homeschooling can be a beneficial option. It offers the chance to address the child’s specific needs and bypass many of the hurdles they might face in a conventional classroom setting.

Homeschooling’s key advantage for autistic children lies in the ability to select a tailored curriculum that aligns with the child’s abilities and requirements. This personalized approach can be more effective than traditional schools, which may lack the resources for such individualized attention.

The flexibility of homeschooling is another plus, accommodating the unique challenges of autism, such as sensory sensitivities and communication barriers. It allows for a learning environment that respects the child’s personal needs.

Moreover, homeschooling can enhance social skills development through customized socialization opportunities, crucial for autistic children who may find socializing challenging. This method ensures social interactions are enjoyable and meaningful, tailored to the child’s comfort and interests.

Choosing the Best Homeschool Curriculum for Your Autistic Child

The ARIS® Academic Readiness Intervention System Curriculum

The ARIS Curriculum is a popular choice for schools in the US due to its parent-friendly and research-based approach for autistic children. The curriculum provides teaching procedures for reading, math, social skills, and daily living, as well as assessment and data sheets for progress monitoring. It is aligned with common educational assessments and standards to ensure children learn essential skills. The teaching procedures are easy to follow and suitable for parents without experience in autism education. ARIS also includes assessment and data sheets for easy progress monitoring and alignment with state standards.

The teaching procedures outlined on each lesson folder in ARIS explicitly walk you through how to introduce and teach concepts such as early reading and math, social skills, and daily living skills. Prompting procedures are suggested in an easy-to-follow style. This curriculum guides educators and parents through teaching concrete foundational skills and provides suggestions for ways to generalize these skills in social settings through fun whole-child lesson activities.

ARIS uses research-based practices used by professionals but makes sure these strategies are easy to use even for a parent who has no experience in autism education. ARIS also comes with assessment and data sheets that make it easy to monitor progress and adjust teaching, as needed. This curriculum is aligned with many common educational assessments and state standards, so you can feel confident in knowing that your child is learning the skills that will help them remain on the right track.

Playing Preschool – Homeschool Curriculum by Busy Toddler

While not specifically designed for autistic children, the Playing Preschool Homeschool Curriculum can be used for children at the developmental age of 2.5 to 5 years. Children learn through their natural desire to play and this curriculum provides a framework to guide your child’s learning experiences by capitalizing on their natural interests.

The lesson plans in Playing Preschool are sequenced to build skills in the areas of reading, math, science, and art. A startup guide is included to inspire you to jumpstart your homeschool journey. A whole year of lesson plans, including bi-weekly lists of recommended materials and book lists, will guide you as you fuel your child’s passion for learning. Playing Preschool can be purchased online and arrives in a printable PDF file. It is important to note that resources needed to follow the curriculum must be purchased or located separately, it is not all-inclusive.

Homeschool +

The Homeschool + curriculum is designed for students in Pre-K to 2nd grade (ages 4 – 8). This game-based online curriculum supports parent home educators in customizing a learning environment that fits the needs of their child. This program starts by assessing your child’s current skill level and helps you to create a personalized learning path to scaffold learning. One downside of Homeschool+ is it is not designed specifically for autistic children, but for children motivated by online games, it can augment other curriculums.

Homeschool+ has an adaptive math and reading program, as well as online courses that incorporate art, science, and social studies. Parents can add, remove, or adjust the lesson plans to fit the unique needs of their child. The lesson plans provide opportunities for generalization to the real world, so the learning process can continue outside of the home classroom.

Gemm Learning

The Gemm Learning curriculum is an online collection of lesson plans that supports students with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. It creates a learning schedule automatically and adjusts to each student’s needs. Fast ForWord is a supplemental reading and literacy program based on neuroscience principles. Gemm Learning professionals monitor each student’s progress and communicate with parents to provide support.

WiloStar 3-D Academy

WiloStart 3-D Academy is a virtual curriculum that allows students to create their own avatars and participate in different activities as they attend school. Students build, design, and code their own virtual levels. This unique interface allows students to engage in some school interactions as if they are actually at a physical school.

Timberdoodle

Timberdoodle is a family-owned company providing curriculum kits for homeschooling families. The website offers assessments to determine the most suitable kit based on your child’s skill level. Parents can also buy materials individually to create their own set. This approach is best for parents who are confident in facilitating engaging activities for homeschooling.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers a comprehensive, web-based curriculum designed for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. It emphasizes core academic skills like math, language arts, and reading, while also incorporating life skills such as money management and home ownership for more advanced learners.

For students preparing for college, it provides resources for standardized test prep. The platform includes instructional videos and a personalized dashboard, enabling parents to track their child’s progress and review performance summaries. Ideal for self-motivated students, Khan Academy is complemented by parents providing additional social activities to enrich the homeschooling experience.