Home Educating a boy with Asperger's Syndrome

[SomeBroad]

Thinking about it, but totally clueless, really. Any advice or tips? Anyone else done it and can share their experiences.

Many thanks

I have been thinking about home educating my DD for some time and the school has recently said they suspect Aspergers so I will watch this with interest.

It may be that another thread in the section called Special Needs will yield more replies :)

Yes there are one or two people who post in Special Needs who home educate their ASD children, but I suspect they also post here too.
You're also less likely to get 'what? You must be nuts' replies here......

Two of my children were on the Autistic Spectrum, with additional dyslexia/dyspraxia/dysgraphia issues too.
The third had the other SEN, but I don't think she had any Asperger traits.

Children with SEN are very common in the HE community-our children, so very often do not fit in schools.

There is a book you may find very useful Home Educating Our Autistic Spectrum Children: Paths are made by walking

"Mainstream educational provision for children on the autistic spectrum can be inadequate or inappropriate. An increasing number of parents dissatisfied with the education system are looking elsewhere for an approach that will suit their children's needs. In "Home Educating Our Autistic Spectrum Children", parents who have chosen to home educate their children with autism or Asperger's syndrome candidly relate their experiences: how they reached the decision to educate at home, how they set about the task, and how it has affected their lives. Following these personal accounts, the final chapters offer practical advice on getting started with home education, legal advice from an expert in education law, and contact details of support organisations"

There is a website too Home Education: Special Needs that have an associated email support list You'll find a warm welcome there from the experts in this field.....the parents actually doing it!

If you are on FaceBook, there is a newish page there Educating our Special Needs children

Oh and the "HE:Special Needs" website has a page where families who HE their children who have SEN, HAVE shared their stories

Me and mine are there, under a different name.

If you have any other specific questions, I'll do my best to help.

HE with a child on the spectrum can be fab :)

ommmward, I wish Mumsnet had a 'like' button!

I HE my ds (13) with AS. Mainstream school did untold damage and I deregistered at the beginning of Y5. It's been an incredible experience and he's made progress that would have been unthinkable had he stayed in school. He amazes me every day.

Interestingly, I had reason to meet with several professionals in both health and education after deregistration and quite a few commented (off the record) that mainstream education just doesn't work for children on the autistic spectrum, yet they were the same ones pushing us to keep going and assuring us all would be well when he was still there. It's a very political matter, designed to create the impression that children with disabilities are well supported in mainstream school, but it's not true to the extent that we're led to believe.

With HE you can go at the pace your child feels comfortable with, and stretch the comfort zone as and when they're ready, and taking breaks when needed. You don't teach a child to swim by holding them underwater for six hours at a time - they need to come up for air occasionally .

Thanks for all replies so far. I really appreciate it.

Do any of you work and HE? Or share the HE with another parent? I work part-time currently and our family couldnt survive without this wage...

I'm the breadwinner. I work FT but pretty flexitime.

Our usual pattern ATM is that I'm with the children alone for about 5 or 6 hours, then I go off to work for pretty much the rest of the day.

It's pretty intense; it's a lot of parallel parenting, but it works really well.

Neither of us exactly does the HE, because our approach is informal, so there are no rules about the precise moment when a really important conversation happens, or a child wants to engage in an activity that looks educational, yk?

Hi,My son is nearly 13 has aspergers and we are deregistering him ......he hasnt been to school since april 2010.....had home tution ....but we think home ed willbe better as he has anxieties about any connection with school .......

Deregistered my Aspie son when he was 7 yrs due to endless bullying.
He is Dyslexic as well but started GCSE work at 10 yrs (Aspies are usually above ave intelligence)He has finished 3 GCSE and is now doing Spanish and Russian GCSE and starting City and Guilds in Sept (age 13).
The best things about home-ed are no bullying, no stupid teachers who can only teach 'their' way and believe it's the ONLY way. You can go at your own pace, allow your child to pick a teaching method that suits them and have fun learning. Internet very useful, lots of free lessons etc but not necessary.
If your child has ASD claim DLA, the cash will help with the expense of books, exams and stuff like that.
Apparently Universities prefer home educated kids as they are able to think for themselves and use their brains.
Govt studies (they like to keep quiet about) show that HE kids do far better than those at school.
Social life can be a problem for some HE kids, especially in rural areas, so clubs are a good way of keeping in touch.
You won't regret it, your child will be happier, less stressed, more eager to learn in a relaxed environment with people who really care and understand -you will be happier. It can take a few months to settle into tho. Don't let the school/LEA bully you. Look on Education Otherwise for advice and law.
LEA's often don't approve of home education and try to intimidate parents.
Good luck, hope all goes well.