Aspies For Freedom

I have an idea but do not know if it is feasible.   If a parent would like to homeschool their children but would rather work, could they hire someone to homeschool for them?  I have only heard of parents or grandparents homeschooling.

Yes I think they could hire someone else to do it, much like parents might hire a babysitter if they don't want to use daycare.  I think it would just be a mater of do you trust your children with the person your hiring and ensuring they follow whatever laws that might govern home schooling.

Home schooling may be an option for some who have the financial means, motivation,  and education themselves to undertake it, but is no substitute for proper provision for autistic children by the State.

It might even have a negative effect, by removing the more able and motivated parents from lobbying activities that would have brought about better provision by the State.

It is rare for parents to employ someone to do the homeschooling for them. It would be hugely expensive to get someone experienced and qualified every single day to just teach one child.

Well, I'm not sure if you live in the USA or not but we have a K12 program that I hear is really good (California is one of the best states). From what I undersand (in speaking with other parents about it) it does not take a highly educated parent to take this path either (an organized and dedicated one - YES). I think it might be a good option for us, one day, because my son is so good on a computer; he actually prefers learning this way because of the lack of face to face time with other students etc...
He has taught himself how to read, math, spelling, facial expressions, social stories and phonics I think largley because we have had him on a computer with good software (some of it was designed special for the autistic community) since he was 1. He elects to do this - we do not make him at all. It's just fun to him. A computer does not mind repeating a concept until he is READY to move on. I could go on and on about how much computers have done for my son's education. ANY person (no matter how patient) would not be able to repeat the things James wants repeated.  :lol:
My son currently attends a special education preschool but they want to put him in an intergrated kindergarten class for half a day next year. I just do not think he has the social skills it will require for him to learn and be happy in a class like that. I worry about the teacher to student ratio (here in the US it's like 1 to 28). I also worry about bullying (which is a VERY sad fact for our special kids). My son still wears diapers (sensory issues); I can just imagine what the other kids would do or say about that.
The sad thing about kids like James is that they think everyone is as nice, sweet and honest as they are. He does not even know that people are being mean - yet.
Here is a little information I grabed:
    
Get the support and accountability of a public school tuition free using K12’s outstanding curriculum, tuition free.  
The California Virtual Academies are a network of tuition-free, home-based virtual public charter schools. Enrolled families receive:

Materials
Online School
Planning tools
Assessments
Teacher support
Loaner computer
Community

Personally, I think that parents can do a better job of teaching than our child's peers can - which is how they learn a lot about life in school but it's not usualy in a good way. :cry:

I had mentioned, in an earlier post, that you could always share the responsiblity of teaching with 4 other parents making your contribution only 1 day a week. That is, if you can find 4 other parents you like and have the same goal. If it were me and I did that... I'd put in video cameras and do it in MY home. When/if the times comes, I might just stop working for awhile and watch the house hold budget a little closer.

I'd start talking to other parents that actually do this. There are a lot of online communities. I have never spoke to a parent that did this and went back to public school. I think that says a lot.

Good luck,

Rae

I agree that it takes real dedication amd organisation, and motivation to homeschool.

We home schooled two of our children at different times for different periods of time.  Both of them are AS children.  It worked really well for both of them but we made sure that they kept up the contact with other kids that they had got on with at school.  With regard to the education authorities you are required to teach your child to an"age and ability appropriate level".  Once you start home schooling your education authority should put you in touch with other people in your area that also home school, many areas have groups of people that do this and this can be beneficial for doing educational trips and working together programmes thereby ensuring some sort of social contact with others.

Not to my knowledge; as that is how I am being taught. I am not sure about the cost, but considering how my family is going thought problems with money, it can't cost too much.

Hi there!
Maybe you could give us some insight on this subject?
I have a few questions.
Do you like it?
Are you getting a good education?
Have you ever been to a public school? If so, how does it compare?
Any thoughts on being an aspie and home schooling?
I guess my main concern is... do you feel like you have worse social skills because you are home schooled? Or do outside activities replace the social skills school 'teaches'?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Rae

Hi Fishy,
Is 'somewhere cold' in the USA :?:
We have that 'no child left behind' act that puts us in a kind of a bind. My son's academic skills are far superior than his social ones. A slower class would not be an option for him because they can not 'hold him back'. A shadow/helper would be nice for him but I would feel bad about getting something like that. Wouldn't it be nice if all students had that special kind of attention? How much would he stand out by having that, I wonder, too?
What kind of effect do you think home schooling your children has had in your community/school system as far as autism awareness is concerned (by 'awareness' I mean OUR kind of awareness - not that ribbon kind:razz: )? Do you think the schools are more likely to have reduced class sizes, different learning style curriculum etc. because they are not receiving funds they would otherwise be getting? Just a thought.
Thank you for any information. I can read about home schooling all day long but it's very nice to hear about it from an ASD perspective.
Sincerely,
Rae

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I like to hear both sides of an issue before I make decisions as important as this. You have brought up some very good ideas, concerns and encouragement.

hi Rae May,
I'm sorry, somewhere very cold is in the uk! I live in East Anglia and when we get a wind from the East it's straight from Siberia!
With regard to home schooling we were lucky on a couple of fronts, one being that we are both university graduates. The first school that our kids went to was awful, they didn't want to know, they wouldn't help with the bullying and some of the bullying came from staff as well as pupils.  We reported the school to the education authorities.  We then had one son at home for three months whilst we looked into a new school for him.  We found a state school that not only let him start one afternoon a week but let him make the decision as to when he would attend full time, which he did after about five weeks.  They then gave him escape routes for when things got too much and zoned the playground into different areas, quiet play, organised games, running around, sporting activities so that he knew exactly what was going on.  He went full time a week before his SATs and scored highest in the school.  They actively encouraged his special abilities.    After this we couldn't find another state school and went the private route, fortunately we could pay monthly rather than horrific fees up front.  The school consult with us the whole time, they ensure that his work is age, ability and emotionally appropriate, they attend every education course on AS going and read every book we lend them.  Have you thought about the private option, they are (in the UK) not all horrifyingly expensive.  Our daughters are also at this school.  The only thing is they will have to move on to big school at some point and we will have to go through the whole process again.

I find that I am getting very good education. In addition to home schooling I take colledge classes, and therefore, get colledge credit. I had a normal education until 9th grade. The reason why I didn't go on to high school in middle school I was put in LD (learning disability) classes. "Ok class, today we are going to learn how to tell time". I didn't want to go though that again, so I desided on home school.

It is a very diffrent education. I have home school on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I go to school at 12:30 and I leave at 2:30 on Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30 to 4:30 on Friday. It is excellant education for an aspie. Unlike normal schools I can talk freely about obessions, and how they relate to what I am studing.

Hi Fishy,
I can relate. I live in the So. California mountains @7ooo feet up and it’s 7 degrees fahrenheit today.
I have thought about a private school for my son. We live in a very remote area so we’d have to move but it’s still an option. Anything for our boy!
I have been reading a lot about home schooling and here the students that are home schooled score higher on the SATs. That’s interesting. I also found out that there are courses the parents can and should take. It’s been a long time since I have been in college but I think I can keep up with an elementary level education for now and maybe a private school when he out learns me – which is sure to happen in the mathematics area very quickly – lol. Maybe my husband can help out with that subject.
I might hire a private tutor too. I have always been sure to include James in extracurricular activities with his friends.
Why do your girls have to go to a ‘big school’ at some point? High School? College?
Have a nice weekend,
Rae

Hi Rae May,
Sorry for taking a while to reply.  The education system in my county works in this way:nursery ages 3-5
first school, ages 5-8
middle school, ages 8-12
high school, ages 12-18.
This is a nightmare for my AS son and AS daughter, they just get happy and settled and then they've got to move schools again. Stupid system.
The thing about private schooling, we have found is that they do seem to listen, I think that they realise that the fees you pay are their wages, therefore it is in their best interests to adhere to the wishes of the parent.
It did however take us a few weeks to find the right school, we looked at half a dozen but I have no regrets about the one we chose.
Anyway, need to organise bed time, have a good weekend too,
Best Wishes.