anyone home school?

[mandco]

anyone home school? its it worth it? what are the pros/cons?

Its becoming more and more obvious that school is the main cause of a lot of ds worst behaviour issues and its got to the point that I'm really considering home schooling.
I'm torn as I know the social side of being in school is important for him as he does not socialise with kids outside of school and I'm worried that he'll end up being isolated and find it harder to mix with people as he gets older but making him go is making life at home hell for everyone.

[Omega1]

Education Otherwise
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[nadya]

Originally Posted by mandco

anyone home school? its it worth it? what are the pros/cons?

Its becoming more and more obvious that school is the main cause of a lot of ds worst behaviour issues and its got to the point that I'm really considering home schooling.
I'm torn as I know the social side of being in school is important for him as he does not socialise with kids outside of school and I'm worried that he'll end up being isolated and find it harder to mix with people as he gets older but making him go is making life at home hell for everyone.

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Sorry no experience but this is exactly how it is for ds and now they have cancelled his transport I've a feeling he will be home wether we choose this or not,feel for you.

[jemett]

I home schooled my youngest from age 7 to 16. He has medical needs and is SLD.
It was really great. There are many home Ed groups out there but we didn’t access these because of his SLD. If you need any more info pm me, I’d be happy to answer any questions.

[mandco]

thanks for the replies

Jemett I will pm you in the next couple of days if that's ok

[Tillyjcm]

Hi, I’ve been homeschooling Dd, 15 for 18 months now. She has Aspergers and all her anxiety was caused by secondary school environment. I was initially worried about taking the step but for us it has been life changing. We don’t access the home Ed groups, they tend to be for younger children but Dd attends musical theatre, drama and singing lessons 3 times per week and her social skills have massively improved. The other children/teens in the groups are fantastic with her, they include her in their conversations and accept her quirkiness.

Regarding ‘school work’, we took the decision not to follow national curriculum or gcse’s. Instead we focus on life skills, cooking, budgeting etc. We use online resources for maths and english and have used ‘NALA’ adult literacy for handwriting practice as her handwriting was atrocious trying to do cursive. She picks a subject which interests her and researches and produces project books. It’s a joy to see and listen to all the facts and knowledge she’s absorbed. She is also doing online courses on dog behaviour, weather and climate, solar system and evolution of mammals.

I send a report every six months or so to our local Elective Home Education Officer and she is always really impressed with the learning we’ve covered and tells us to carry on as we are because it obviously suits Dd.

[mandco]

Originally Posted by Tillyjcm

Hi, I’ve been homeschooling Dd, 15 for 18 months now. She has Aspergers and all her anxiety was caused by secondary school environment. I was initially worried about taking the step but for us it has been life changing. We don’t access the home Ed groups, they tend to be for younger children but Dd attends musical theatre, drama and singing lessons 3 times per week and her social skills have massively improved. The other children/teens in the groups are fantastic with her, they include her in their conversations and accept her quirkiness.

Regarding ‘school work’, we took the decision not to follow national curriculum or gcse’s. Instead we focus on life skills, cooking, budgeting etc. We use online resources for maths and english and have used ‘NALA’ adult literacy for handwriting practice as her handwriting was atrocious trying to do cursive. She picks a subject which interests her and researches and produces project books. It’s a joy to see and listen to all the facts and knowledge she’s absorbed. She is also doing online courses on dog behaviour, weather and climate, solar system and evolution of mammals.

I send a report every six months or so to our local Elective Home Education Officer and she is always really impressed with the learning we’ve covered and tells us to carry on as we are because it obviously suits Dd.

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I'm really glad its working for you and your dd

He's in year 2 so still quite young which I think worries me more as I don't want to hold him back and make things harder for him in the long run but I know he would be so much happier if he didn't have to go to school. He loves to learn facts if its about something he's interested in and he's very tech oriented loves puzzle/learning games online so I don't think I'd have too much issue getting him to do things as long as we went at his pace i think it would be more a case of finding enough to do to keep him progressing.

[Tillyjcm]

Originally Posted by mandco

I'm really glad its working for you and your dd

He's in year 2 so still quite young which I think worries me more as I don't want to hold him back and make things harder for him in the long run but I know he would be so much happier if he didn't have to go to school. He loves to learn facts if its about something he's interested in and he's very tech oriented loves puzzle/learning games online so I don't think I'd have too much issue getting him to do things as long as we went at his pace i think it would be more a case of finding enough to do to keep him progressing.

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I feel for you, it’s such a hard decision to make. I battled with school for nearly three years to get support for Dd but it just didn’t happen due to lack of funding, overstretched resources, constant intake of pupils requiring support. I looked into Autistic schools but my Dd didn’t meet criteria, academically she had no issues but social and sensory issues crippled her. A good friend who is a headteacher has said there is a real need to provide specialist education units for such as my Dd as there are so many with her needs who cannot cope in the large school environment.

I didn’t take the decision to home educate lightly, I’ll freely admit I had preconceptions of the stereotypes and I despaired that my Dd would miss milestone memories, friendships and even her prom. In reality she wouldn’t have made it to the end of her final year (there have been at least three children in our local secondary schools who have committed suicide since she left) and it was this overwhelming fear which made me take the plunge.

I would say she coped in primary school and her quirkinesses and shyness was accepted by her peers but at secondary school she was vastly behind her peers socially and emotionally and sadly she wasn’t treated very well.

I don’t know how much support you have had from school or if other options have been offered such as flexi-schooling where your son could go to school part time. This might suit your needs better and you would still have school support for his learning. When you take the decision to home educate you are taking full responsibility, there is no funding available for resources and if you want to take gcse’s later you will have to pay for them. There are loads of resources available online, both free and subscription based and if you join home education Facebook groups there are discounts and lots of great ideas.

I gave up work so I could commit fully and although I have Dd with me always (unless she’s at her theatre groups) life is so much easier as she is happy and relaxed. Her confidence and social skills have improved so much as we are out and about everywhere, she now has full conversations with the butcher when she’s getting ingredients for cooking.

I really hope everything goes well for you and your Ds. X

[TryAnything1317]

We do. My son is only 5 so it's early days. He has ASD (diagnosed) and possible ADHD and Tourettes (Yet to be diagnosed). It wasnt always my plan, he went to nursery and I enrolled him in school but after speaking to the school I decided he would stay with us. Atleast for now. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about it. Happy to tell all and help how I can. It's overwhelming x

[michala]

We have now for nearly 5 years. Listen and follow the needs of your child.
Your child sounds in distress. He is probably demonstrating his high levels of stress via his behaviour.

Please don’t worry about HE not being social, it is the biggest myth. At school right now he is probably learning far more anti social behaviour than you would like.