Homeschooling my Son with Autism

[Hartnett1]

Hi just want to hear some stories and get some advice on homeschooling my 4 year old son with Autism. He attends Nursery and enjoys going but I feel he has not got the correct support in place and he does not concentrate very well. He likes doing his own thing, like he is in his own little world. Yesterday he hit and scratched his teacher a couple times which was the first he has ever done that and I obviously dont want him to turn to another child and do the same which I dont think he would. He is more comfortable at home but I dont want him to miss out on normal school life either. Stuck on what to do for the best. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

I home ed my children (the eldest is done and waiting to start uni). There are lots of people who home ed their children with ASC because school doesn’t work for them. It’s a huge commitment in terms of your time and the impact on you financially so do think very carefully about this aspect. Have a look on Facebook for home Ed groups in your area and see if you can go along and meet people. I think it’s really helpful to think about what life would look like on a day to day basis and how your child would have chances to interact with other kids regularly.

We have been to various social groups for home Ed children over the years and there are usually some with ASC. Home Ed does seem to suit a lot of children with ASC much better as you can be there to support their socialising and choose how much suits them. We get quite a few children who come out of school because it’s just too much for them.

There will probably be sports and tuition home ed groups around you as well as social groups and there’s a lot of online tuition available.

I think the biggest drawback of home ed in most cases is the amount it demands from you and the financial hit you will take in terms of loss of earnings. It’s worth thinking really carefully about whether you can make it work and whether or not it’s better to try school and see if he copes or start straight away with home Ed.

There’s a home ed board on Mumsnet you could also post on.

I've done everything with my autistic DS - mainstream, SRBs, special schools, home ed.
I have found the best of both worlds is EOTAS. He does online 1:1 at home with extra stuff out of the house like sports and coding clubs.
If your DS qualifies for short breaks funding you can use that after school hours and at weekends and holidays.
Keeping the LA responsible for provision is crucial for us due to online tutor costs.
Make sure his EHCP is watertight and make sure provision is adhered to. Easier said than done as you can tell from our chequered experience.

What about a special needs nursery? I'm a teacher in a preschool for autistic children. We have a ratio of 4 teachers to 6 children so can give the kids loads of time. Being hit/bitten is not an issue for us and is almost always due to anxiety and more common in the first term. It's April now and the kids are so well settled it's a very rare occurrence.

Obviously I don't know your ds, but that seems like a bit of a knee jerk reaction to me.
Several things spring to mind:
Is he in mainstream? Does he have an EHCP? If he is and he hasn't, apply now... parents can do this and SHOULD.. you don't have to wait for school to do so and it's a long process.
What support does he currently have in place? Does he have a TA? IS he verbal or pre verbal.. does he use PECS, or any communication aids?
Behaviour IS communication and he may be frustrated or not understanding things but that is not unsurmountable and sometimes simple aids (picture time table, now and next symbols, photos etc can make a big difference.

I have a (now adult) son with autism, and have worked in Special Ed for 20 years. He was non verbal and would have been very happy at home... but school helped him to develop SO many skills and you are very early days.

If he's in Special School... really don't worry; we are used to it, and children settle and develop :) If he's in mainstream then maybe the setting isn't right for him, and again he needs an EHCP, but honestly he's very little!

Homeschooling is definitely right for some children, but it is a massive committment; if you have the resources (and don't need to work) and the ability to teach yourself, you have a great option, but if not I would want to work with school..or find out schooling options before throwing in the towel because he's 'happier at home'
My ds would have been very happy at home, but at school he learned to interact, to talk, to develop skills I was not sure he'd ever had.. it just takes time.

Check all your options , find out HOW to support him before just withdrawing :)

I second @Gtsr443’s post. Does DS have an EHCP? What provision is included in there? A comprehensive EOTAS package can provide far more than most parents can EHEing, that is not a criticism of parents home educating but a statement about what a good EOTAS package can consist of. DS1 has EOTAS costing over £100k pa, we couldn’t afford that.

Thank you for everyones responses, he does attend mainstream nursery at the moment. A referral has gone through for EHCP just waiting on a decision back from the council so I think he will have the EHCP when he starts reception in september. He has 1:1 support at the moment but not to sure how qualified she is with SEN children. I obviously would love for him to stay in school but just exploring other options if he doesnt get on well in school.

Make sure the LA stick to the statutory EHCP timescales.

Have you spoken to the school DS currently has a place at?

@Gtsr443 @FloatingBean I would be grateful if you could offer any help with securing an EOTAS package?

@Worried74 Does DC already have an EHCP? If not, you should request an EHCNA, on their website IPSEA have a model letter you can use.

If DC does already have an EHCP you need to request an early review. IPSEA also have a model letter for this. Unfortunately, the LA don’t have to agree to an early review and if they don’t there’s no right of appeal. You would then need to wait for the AR or request a reassessment of needs, which does come with the right of appeal if refused.

You will need evidence. Depending on what you already have you may need new reports. You could request a reassessment of needs (although you may end up needing independent assessments even if you go down this route) or accept the LA is likely to refuse and then seek independent assessments when appealing.

Sadly, for many it takes an appeal to secure EOTAS.

Whilst doing the above, if DC is unable to attend school full time the LA have a statutory duty to provide anything specified and quantified in F of the EHCP under s.42 CAFA 2014 and, if CSA, a suitable full-time education under s.19 of the Education Act 1996. For this, email the LA’s Director of Children’s Services informing them of the situation and requesting provision. If that doesn’t work email again reminding them of their duty under s.42 CAFA &/or s.19 of the Education Act 1996 and threatening judicial review. Then if that fails contact SOSSEN for help with a pre-action letter.

In the short term, if your son finds a busy environment stressful and he's happy at home but you think he would benefit from school too, you could send him to school part time. Until he reaches "Compulsory School Age" in the term after his fifth birthday, you don't need anyone's agreement for this. You can just tell the school it is what you are doing. After that it can only be done with the school's agreement unless it is specified in the EHCP.