Anyone opted for home education with ASD child?

[dazedandconfused]

DS is having a difficult time at an ASD unit attached to MS primary. Every day we have another list of what's gone wrong when he has become angry and frustrated. I am beginning to wonder whether we should explore home education. I don't know how we'd make it work financially but would be very interested to hear anyone's experiences of doing this. DS is highly motivated to learn at home (as long as he is directing it!) and I feel the current situation is going to damage his self-esteem if we don't make a change. How long should you put up with your child being miserable in the education system? My worry is that outside of it, he wouldn't get much social interaction, which is the thing he really needs to practice most. Anyone out there got experiencing if home schooling an Asperger's DC?

dazed do we know each other from somewhere else too?

we have decided we are liekly to home ed DDs once they reach secondary if possible.
I know alot of people who choose to home ed their children and tbh there is home ed groups around to cover the social side and also things like swimming classes and music :)

1. Buy the book "Paths are made by walking: home educating our autistic spectrum children"

1. join the HE special email list and ask the same question there

1. social interaction can be much much much easier out of the school situation, because it can go at the pace of the child (at least, that has been our experience). Also, you can have in mind that building social skills is what you want to concentrate on, and you can really support that, and then the academic stuff just kinda happens while you aren't looking (Again, IME)

have you posted this over on Home Ed ? I've just been on there and there are a few parents of SN children

Watching this with interest as we are thinking of going down that route too.

me! I already HE my 10yo NT dd & the plan is to carry on as we're doing with ds (he'll be staying at nursery until the end of the term he turns 5).

Social stuff is a concern for us because he's so young - there's loads of suitable groups locally for older children/teens, but very little for younger children that would be suitable for ds (they are pretty much all gangs of small children running around screaming & wielding sticks, perfect for dd1 but a nightmare or ds). I've run home ed groups in the past but don't think I've got the energy/patience to do it again atm so I've found two reasonably local HE-run flexi schools that would be willing to let hum attend anything from two half days upwards (with a tutor if necessary) so that's a possibility.

Yes, 3 years in with my now 13 year old DS2. He has high functioning autism.

Lisa, not sure if I know you - are you in Scotland? I only know one person with an ASD DD so I wonder if that's you?! Really interesting to hear what others are doing with home ed - secondary - wow! that seems brave but also inspiring. The flexi-school idea sounds good and would allow me to continue working p/t, which would be easier for us financially. We have another meeting with the school tomorrow, so we'll see what that brings. I'm not ready to give up on the education system yet, but it's a huge relief to think that there are alternatives if DS doesn't settle down and get onto a more positive footing.

haven't opted for home ed yet because his reception class are being lovely with ds but think it is more likely than not we will home educate once he leaves that school as we are not sure about catchment secondary and I am not keen on our present system of secondary education anyway.

So am very interested in other's experiences.

Tbh I am not as worried about missing out on social experiences as conventional wisdom tells me I should be, because I believe much that we learn about socialising at school is actually negative if we are not accepted or even bullied. We have to unlearn it as adults then anyway.

I know this sounds odd but school teaches you how to survive in that particular playground culture - but adult life is not like that and if ASD children learn to relate appropriately to adults and children who share their interests outside school IMO that is good enough.

Still learning about all this though, may change my mind. :) I'm ashamed to admit it but my main concern is about ME - am so looking forward to having times with both children at school to get my house straightened out and pursuing my own dreams.

It's like a lifeline that I cling to on down days - but I have always said I won't have ds (or indeed, dd) in an environment where he feels afraid and miserable and bewildered and people are horrible to him. We wouldn't put up with that in a workplace so why should we think it is OK to subject children to it at school?

no dazed im in herts, its the name, someone from another forum had same login name as you and I wondered if you were her.