Homeschooling your child with autism is entirely possible and may be a good educational avenue for them. The laws and regulations surrounding homeschooling apply exactly the same to an autistic child as they would for a typical child.
You may however be questioning your abilities to undertake such a task and worry about the level of support you would have. I hope that this post will provide you with enough information that it can act as a spring board into further research as to whether homeschooling is right for your child.
Why Consider Homeschooling?
As you child approaches school age you may be starting to question whether they are really ready for that big step. Will school be a good environment for them? How will they handle the vast amount of confusing social situations that come with the school environment? Will they be adequately supported? What about bullying?
You have until now, had the ability to protect and guide your child through different situations, you know how to diffuse a melt down and have become innately aware of how your child operates. When you send a child to school you, in a sense hand that responsibility over to someone else for the period of time they are in their care. It is scary for both yourself and for your child. For some children on the Autism spectrum they thrive in a school setting, but for a large majority it becomes a miserable place where they fail to succeed.
Schools are designed for the typical child. They need to be that way so as to cater to the majority of the population. It is just not feasible to customise an education for every individual child. So average children benefit the most, if you are on either side of the bell curve you can easily fall through the cracks. Schools try compensate for this by providing IEP or individual learning plans, and teacher aids, but funding and resources are scarce and these plans are often battle grounds between parents and educators.
Homeschooling allows your child to have a learning environment and plan that will suit them best, as opposed to other children. You will continue to be the main care provider and maintain that level of involvement as they learn to navigate life in their own time.
A Sensory Friendly Environment
Schools are loud. Schools are overwhelming and schools are full of sensory overload. Just thinking of it makes me cringe so I can only imagine what it would be like for a child who is hyper sensitive to sensory input.
In your own home you can design your “school” around your child. You don’t have to have the traditional desk and chair set up. Many autistic children find it difficult to be constrained to a chair to work when the need to move is an itch that needs itching. One of these awesome wobble chairs might be just what you need. It helps work both sides of the brain resulting in increased focus. They are able to engage the need to move while not disrupting others working around them or constant chair tilting which is either going to ruin your chairs or someone is going to get hurt eventually.
During school hours there is often no escape from the noise and chaos. Noise cancelling headphones are a brilliant idea solution for situations where your child needs to be in such and environment but that is hardly an ideal solution for every day for the next 12 years. Your home is able to be a refuge from the crazy. You can create that calming space where they can go, relax and take the time they need to carry on. I am quite in love with these cuddle hammocks. If I could have one as a grown up I totally would. I think all children would benefit from these hammocks but they are definitely on the top of the list for kids with autism. I saw them for a really reasonable price on Amazon, way cheaper than specialist therapy stores. Definitely check out the reviews because some of them are really really good.
Individualised Education
The autistic brain does not work like a typical brain does. It is just wired differently. Children with autism are often incredibly intellectually talented. I remember at a family reunion and my little 2 year old cousin who has autism could tell you the answer to any multiplication fact you threw at her. It would be impressive if a two year old could multiply by two’s but she was spurting out answers to double digit multiplication that we all needed a calculator for.
Homeschool allows you the ability to work with your child to educate them how they learn. You don’t need to fit the public school mould. If your child does not learn through textbooks then get rid of them. If they learn by watching videos or reading work with that. If a child is not interested in what they are learning they will not learn it. You don’t need even work at grade level. Many autistic children soar far ahead of their grade level in some subjects. You can let them do that. There is no need to hold them back to allow other children to catch up. The same goes in reverse. If they need more time to learn something you can take that time without fear of them being left behind and forgotten.
Many parents of autistic kids like to follow the unschooling route which is a child led education. This opens up the freedom of education even more. If you want to know more about this homeschooling method you can read about it here.
More Freedom
There is no question about it that families that homeschool their children have more freedom to decide how they spend their time. Children who are on the autism spectrum will usually have many different therapy appointments on a regular basis. If you decide to homeschool you will have the flexibility to schedule these throughout the day instead of trying to fit them all in after school along side home work and extra curricular activities.
This freedom in your schedule also means that places like libraries, museums, science centres etc are all super quiet during the day. You will often hear homeschoolers grumbling when it’s school break times and the parks and museums are swarming with kids again. We love the ability to take out time wandering through the zoo without a million other people!
But What About the Socialisation?!
This is a question that you will get regardless of whether your child has autism or not. You may however encounter this question a lot more as a homeschooling parent of an autistic child.
Let’s be honest children can be cruel, and say and do nasty things. Even if you are the slightest bit different you become and easy target. The social politics of schools is ridiculous. Autistic children often lack the social skills to be able to navigate all the unwritten rules of the social aspect of school. They will have strange behaviours that make them stand out…when the overall aim of school is just to blend in and not be noticed.
Stimming behaviours and lack of social skills can sometimes relegate autistic children to the sidelines of the playground. Homeschooled children tend to be more inclusive and accepting. In our current homeschool co-op there are around 40 children. Out of those children about 20 fall somewhere on the autism spectrum or have some other kind of special need. Guess what? there is no bullying, name calling and everyone figures out how to play together. The children are aware of the differences but have become so accustomed to them that they think nothing of it when they see one of their friends stimming next to them in the sandpit. The children with autism find it to be a safe place where they can relax and be themselves. You will also find the parents of homeschooled kids to be equally as understanding and accepting.
Socialisation doesn’t just happen at schools. How many times were you told at school “you’re not here to socialise”? At least one too many I am suspecting. I remember my uncle asking me when we first began homeschooling “but how will they learn to wait their turn in a line?” Well you know there’s the supermarket, the playground, and don’t forget those long lines at Disneyland (which we took them to during school hours!) Life is not like school. Once you leave school you are never in that type of situation again. Imagine your boss at work making you raise your hand to go to the bathroom? Or only being able to interact with people your own age?
You can cover the socialisation thing by just doing life. As a bonus you are able to work along side your child to help them to navigate those social situations, nip bullies in the bud and explain to them why your child might be a little different. Sometimes that is all that is needed, a little explanation.
My Child is Already in School, is it Too Late?
No way! It is never too late. You may have started on the public school journey because “that’s what you do when they turn five” or they may have been absolutely thriving at school for the past few years but starting to flounder a little recently. Perhaps they have started to be bullied or they simply aren’t getting the support they need. There are a multitude of reason you may be considering bringing them home.
One thing that I would consider vital when bringing home a child from the school system regardless of it they have autism or not is to make sure you deschool for a certain amount of time. It is a very vital part of homeschooling a previously schooled child. Deschooling will allow you and your child a chance to reset your mindsets around school and education and an opportunity to heal from any scars caused by bullying.
What now?
If you think this is something that could work for your child then embrace it. Google like crazy. Join lots of Facebook groups. There are so many parents out there homeschooling their children with autism and they are willing and able to help guide you along. Your child is precious and important and they deserve to have the best opportunities you as a parent can provide. Homeschooling could be one of those opportunities but only you know what is best for your child. I spoke to a doctor recently who said if a mother ever questions there is something wrong with their child he will always trust her even if he can’t immediately see something. That is because if a mothers gut is telling her something it is usually for a reason. So if your gut is telling you to homeschool, then do it. There will be people to hold your hand. It is not easy, but it is worth it.
