“If you’ve met one autistic child, you’ve met one autistic child,” is a well-known proverb. Put another way, each child with autism is distinct, having individual strengths, needs for support, and autistic features. For school districts trying to establish autism support programs, classrooms, or training programs, this can make things shockingly challenging.
It’s possible that the child in your care need services that your district is unable to offer. When that occurs, at least temporarily, you might want to think about homeschooling your children.
Setting
All children must get a free, suitable education from schools, with objectives and modifications in place to support each child’s learning in the least restrictive environment. Theoretically, every child ought to get the best possible, customized education intended to enable them to reach their full potential. But theory and reality are frequently very different.
There are many reasons why public (or even private) school may not be the right setting for a particular child at a particular point in their development.
Goals in Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs) are centered on areas of improvement and are based on the problems faced by the learner. 1. Because of this, a child’s schooling might not help them develop their abilities or even provide them the chance to pursue their interests further. Additionally, individuals can forfeit their chance to engage in art, music, or exercise classes in order to benefit from therapies or specialized programs.
Schools, in general, can be a perfect storm of challenges for an autistic child. Many schools are loud, bright, crowded, and confusing. Social norms vary from moment to moment—children are expected to behave differently depending on whether they’re in an academic class, the cafeteria, the gym, or the playground. Each teacher may have a unique set of expectations, rules, and schedules. The list goes on and on, and for some children, no school setting will be ideal.
It’s common for children with disabilities to be bullied in the school setting, and autistic children can be a particularly easy target. Even if a child is unaware of the whispers, stares, and sarcasm around them, it can have a devastating impact on their social life and school career.
- If a child is able to be in an inclusive education setting, they may run into challenges based on their learning style. While autistic children tend to be visual, spatial, and mathematical learners, most classes assume a verbal learning style.
- If a child is in an “autism support” classroom, they may find it loud and stressful. They may also need a different level of support or challenge compared to other students in the classroom.
Helpful Resources
If you decide to homeschool an autistic child, you’re not alone and you do have quite a few resources at your disposal. In fact, depending on where you live, you could have more resources than you could possibly use.
Books and Blogs: Conduct an online search for “homeschooling” and “autistic or autism” and you’ll find entire books and ongoing blogs describing techniques, curricula, teaching styles, discipline styles, socialization ideas, support groups, and much more.
District Resources: Even if a child is no longer in the district schools, the district still has a responsibility for a child (and there’s a decent chance they’ll return to district schools at some point). Before pulling a child out of school (or as soon thereafter as possible), start discussions with your district about available resources. Depending on your needs and preferences and a child’s strengths, you may be able to access therapists, specific classes (such as art or gym), afterschool programs, or extracurricular activities for a child.
Recreational and Social Disability Programs: Many areas have autism-related groups that run afterschool programs. Most areas have Challenger League clubs, Best Buddies, Easterseals, ARC, or other organizations that run activities, social groups, support groups, outings, and more. Some museums, theaters, and even stores offer autism-friendly hours or events. Dig deeply, as there are often “hidden” programs that welcome children with disabilities—but you have to ask around to find them.
Consider participating in typical programs and activities including homeschool classes. Now that you can be a child’s 1:1 support, there’s a good chance a child can participate in a much wider range of programs than ever before. Look at your local YMCA (always a great choice for inclusion), as well as museum programs and events, rec programs run by your town, fairs, art classes—in short, anywhere where a child can participate, learn, and interact with others. While you may need to support them or even cut some events short, they’ll be doing more than they could possibly have done in a school setting.
Online Options: There is an unending range of educational tools available online. Use them, but not to the exclusion of real-world interactions which are key to a child’s learning. Depending on a child’s abilities and interests, you can combine online courses with real-world learning, or make use of videos and games to help a child grasp concepts.
Best of luck and continue to advocate!
