Does anyone in this forum home school their child(ren)? My 7 year old son who has Aspergers Disorder is having a tough time socially at school and my sister reccomended I home school him.
She home schooled her two kids and found out that they were way behind for their grade at the local public school system.
She made some great points about home schooling and both her kids are doing just great. In fact, my niece just graduated nursing school and my nephew works as an auto mechanic while attending college. He loves working on trucks.

So do any of you do it? If so, who do you go through and what are your thoughts and expierences?

 

I have tried a few correspondance courses at home before when I was younger. I know it is a little different then your situation, but I found it hard sometimes, because I had no one to ask difficult questions too.

 

I was homeschooled and went to regular schools about half and half. I really preferred being home schooled. I feal like I received a much better education. IT does take a parent who has a good education to really be able to successfully do it when you start getting into higher grade levels. It also takes a lot of discipline especially on the part of the parents.

Some people bring up that children don't develop as well socially. I have personally found this not true. My wife was homeschooled her entire life. Of course we were both very active in our church so we had the interaction with other people.

 

my sister (24 and married) myself 20, and my brother (senior in highschool) were all homeschool all of our years if education (not college) it does take dedication on the part of the parents. I had a hard time with reading and things, my folks took me when i was about 17-18 to get all this special testing and turns out I'm ADD and probably used to be dislexic (didn't learn to read till 3rd grade) my mom was worried that the doctors and whoever else would come out and say I needed to be in some high dollar private school etc. instead they came out and said I was in the best enviroment I could have been in. there are homeschool associations, I don't know about in Mississippi, but ours has sports teams, co-op classes, and even a graduation ceremony. and I had scouts, and church, and friends int he neighborhood. not anti-social at all.
if you research homeschooling and have any doubts, read "none dare call it educaiton - john stormer" it'll scare you into homeshcooling.
feel free to ask any questions, my mom will answer questions you have too she's been doing it for like 18years.
-matt

 

I'm 16 years old, and in 11th grade. I'm homeschooled. i had alot of problems in school, so my mom pulled me out a 5th grade. i've been home schooled ever since, i like it. i think i'm learning alot more being home schooled vs. going to a public school. i was tested when i was younger for ADD or ADHD, they didn't find anything. I was tested about a year ago and it turns out that i am ADD, and maybe ADHD. I think if i was still at public school i would be having so much trouble understand stuff. plus i would be in IU stuff and speical ed. i'm so happy my parents pulled me out to home school me.

 

"Does anyone in this forum home school their child(ren)? My 7 year old son who has Aspergers Disorder is having a tough time socially at school and my sister recommended I home school him.
She home schooled her two kids and found out that they were way behind for their grade at the local public school system.
She made some great points about home schooling and both her kids are doing just great. In fact, my niece just graduated nursing school and my nephew works as an auto mechanic while attending college. He loves working on trucks."

What kind of IEP does you child have at his school now? That makes a big difference. I'm going to get nuked for saying this, but if you have a special-needs child in a school district in Mississippi, you've got some challenges (Texas, Alabama, and Louisiana are right there too). As a general rule (exceptions exist in all of those states), the School Districts themselves are weak academically. Throw special needs into the mix, and it can be a real issue. A friend in Alabama pressed his District to the point that they provided Private Schooling for his dyslexic son- and that was in the best school district in that state (Hoover).

The catch-22 is that I have no doubt home-schooling will provide a comparable/better education than he's getting at school. The problem is, Aspergers is primarily a socialization disorder, and home-schooling could aggravate that situation longer-term. It's also one of the most frequently misdiagnosed disorders, so a second or even third opinion wouldn't be inappropriate.

 

I have grandchildren that are home schooled and are testing well. My daughter is a certified teacher who did a lot of study before taking her girls out of public school. She studied curriculums available, joined home schooling groups and enrolled the kids in a private school two days a week where they take language and other classes (with a heavy homework load). Mixing private and home schooling allows them to learn at a faster pace while developing their social skills. Two of the girls also take music (piano and violin) and one plays soccer. One problem I have with home schooling is the total lack of standards and testing where some may receive a fine education while others will learn little.
Dono

 

im home schooled and i really like it abeka is the best way to go i think if you can stay on a scedule it'll be easy and its really simple everything is well explained and they are very nice and understanding if you are late turning in things or have questions

 

I have a friend who does it and in my view its a complete cut off from society. Its gonna be funny when your kids grow up and ask so dad (or mom) what was highschool like? and what will you have to tell them, that you sat at home with your mom everyday? I can understand someone who is really challenged, but if you dont I really do believe you wont develop as good socially, and learn to deal and be with other people.

 

We homeschool our kids (7,6 and 4). There are a few things you'll probably want to do. First off, ignore the criticisms and go for it. The socialization argument is bogus. Little common decency and respect is taught in schools today, but we expect those skills 100% of the time from my kids. Remember that not everything your kids learn at school is from the teachers. This can be good, generally it is very bad. Along that same line, when in life, other than in public school, are you primarily grouped with your own age group for most of the day? The socialization ball is in your court. Yes, you have to make more of an effort to find people outside your home to interact with your child, but YOU can supervise and have more say in that interaction than at a public (or private) school.

Secondly, find a homeschool cooperative whose views are similar to your own. We are involved with a co-op that is Christian, as we are. There are others out there if you're not. We meet every other week for 8 morning sessions in each of the spring and fall "semesters". There are approximately 50 families in our co-op. One parent is generally required to be present and teach a couple classes (three classes total per morning).

The sooner you start, the easier it will be to progress in your home teaching skills as your child ages and needs more advanced instruction. But, it allows you tailor your curriculum to your child's learning style and needs. (I'm a visual and kinesthetic learner, yet much of my time in school was in lectures...I wonder why I was bored and un-motivated?)

Godspeed in your homeschooling endeavors, if that's the path you choose.

Jason

It doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes parents.

 

cut off from society? LOL Some yes, most nope! Lots of people I know are so involed in activities to get their kids together with others its like they were in public school only better. As far as I'm concerned home schooling is the best choice, you choose what u want your kinds to learn and its more one on one. I really enjoy it. I however choose not to do any extra activitys..mainly because I dont like most activitys round here and the ones i do like and r avaliable i dont want someone tellin me how to do things. lol It all depends on the student though. I get destracted easliy so I learn more while being home schooled. If I was in public school id be like all the other kids, goofing off and just doin enough to get by.

 

I remember Abeka, we also used Konos, and Bob Jones, and who knows what else. there's good curriculum out there.

The introvert thing is bogus, your kids will be fine, they'll still have friends, and they won't forget how to talk, or what people look like.

 

Great point! Aspergers is a form of autism. Isolating someone with autism is the wrong thing to do. It will be a battle to stay in public at times but the benefits can't be matched at home. The everyday social exercises and exposure to diversified instruction cannot be replaced with love. Isolating a child with a form of autism is only enabling their disorder to remain in control.

Just a side note here; look at all the misspelled words in the home schooler threads and then look at what they almost all have in common. Almost all of them have to find a support group to justify their actions and make themselves feel good about their decisions. I guess we all do it to an extent but you can connect a dot from one case to the next.

 

Remember that Aspergers is a disability that borders on autism, with a signature of the lack of social skills. Not only is the socialization skills argument not bogus- it's critical to the childs ability to deal in public at all as an adult. yeah, I know I'm shouting, but everyone is treating this question as if we're talking about a normal child with normal social skills- and nothing could be further from the truth. I'm also concerned that the home-schoolers in this thread are posting as if they've never seen or interacted with an Aspergers or Autistic child- and I suspect that may well be true. The socialization process works both ways. Aspergers, like autistic kids, would prefer not to deal with social situations at all. It's a skill they'd prefer not learning- but does that do them any good? I'm not knocking home schooling, but your comments show a total lack of understanding of Aspergers.

"Little common decency and respect is taught in schools today, but we expect those skills 100% of the time from my kids."

You're right. If you talk to teachers, they'd tell you those skills are supposed to be learned at home. The problem here is what's happening outside the school- not inside.

Second edit: we have an Autistic child, and the wife is a special-Ed teacher. I know more about this topic than I ever would have cared to, if given the choice.

 

I'm sorry, I don't know anything about Aspergers. I guess I spoke out of place.