A thread just for me? Blimey, people will be out with their pitchforks soon if there's any more thread about me . I'm not good with attention being on me, because I have to work so hard to even calculate which person is which on here (remember, I have no working 'people bit' in my brain). But sometimes it helps to hear a bit about life from some of us. I'm always hopeful that others with an ASD will lend their experiences too - which they do
Er, am I glad that I survived my school experience? Yes, otherwise I'd be dead (literal thinking - sorry )
I could liken it much of it to one of those desert endurance courses where people stagger about in the sand for weeks and months, gasping for water, burned to a crisp, hoping to find some small muddy pool of water to survive from, and wondering why everyone else has the deckchairs up and the ice creams out and seems to be having a good time.
Surviving each day was a battle of wills and courage. Well, some courage, some fear of what would happen if I didn't go at all (those were the days when a well-aimed missile or a clip round the ear were more than permissible).
And that was in a very well structured school where we sat in rows with no eye contact and with utterly silent classrooms (except for the teacher, of course).
I have tried helping in classes as a school Governor in recent years, and I am quite unable to manage it for more than about 3/4 hour at a time. The level of noise and movement and flickering screens etc pushes me into absolute exhaustion.
Would I have wanted home education? No, because I was also a young carer to a very ill parent and in some ways school was at least a different kind of hell. And there was no-one at home who could have educated me anyway. But I'm guessing you need me to think more widely than that?
(thinking....)
Yes, if I had a quiet home with someone who could let me learn my way, and no roving bands of bullies to mock me or shove me about or throw my things about each and every single break and lunchtime, I'd have loved it. Or I'd have loved a school which was as quiet as mine was, but allowed for more adaptation for ASD e.g. more visual aids, definite quiet zone at breaks and lunch, some structured way to get to and from school (since I had to use the bus, and buses push me to 'shut-down point' each and every time I'm on them.
Er, does that help? Others may have entirely different views. I hope we hear from more than just me.