Why Would Anyone Want to Homeschool Their Child With Autism?

Parents sometimes assume that sending their child with ASD to school is the best thing that they can do for them. They feel they are not qualified enough. But that is just simply not true.

If you as a parent you feel compelled to homeschool, you should explore your options. You may not have a teaching degree, or any child development training, and that’s OK. In the end you are the leading expert in the most important subject. That subject is your child.

No one knows your child better then you do. What triggers a meltdown, what helps soothe an overstimulated moment, what your child’s strengths are. Sure teachers can get to learn a lot about their students, but they will never know your child the way you do.

As long as you are willing to learn along side with your child, you are qualified. I became a better reader by teaching my kiddos to read. Back when I learned to read, I did it basically by the whole word method. Phonics just did not make sense to me. However after teaching two kiddos how to read, I have figured out phonics myself.

Pros and Cons

Like anything parents need to evaluate the pros and cons of homeschooling.

Pros

• You know your child best
• The curriculum can be adapted for your child. They are no longer forced to fit into a cookie cutter program laid out by the school, designed for neurotypical children.
• Because homeschool does not need happen between 9-3, our kiddos can attend any therapy that you want them to and they do not have to miss school.
• During a regular school day a lot of time is spent just managing the class. You can spend less time doing actual school because your time is typically used more effectively at home. This allows your child to spend extra time working on special interests, or therapy.
• Movement breaks are easy to incorporated.

Cons

• Requires parents to be organized: It is the parents responsibility to make sure your family is meeting the states or provinces homeschool regulations.
• Less breaks or downtime for parents: Not only are you mom, but you also become teacher too. There is no downtime during the school day for respite.
• Some school divisions will not allow homeschool students to access public services like Occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc, and parents must pay out of pocket. That being said, with our school division, we are not missing much. Most of these services are stretched thin as it is, and students are getting maybe 30 mins every few months of services. Hardly enough to be effective.
• Cost of curriculum. While you can homeschool for cheap or next to nothing, I have found, you either pay with your money or you pay with your time.

Why Do We Homeschool Our Son With Autism

Last month I shared a dedicated post to Why We Homeschool. You can check out that post for a detailed explanation.

But for the Coles Notes version, we homeschool mostly because:

• of safety.
• the ability to tailor our son’s education to his interests, learning style and needs
• we know our son is extremely intelligent, however in a classroom setting he would likely be managed and not educated. We want to support his weaknesses while helping him blossom more in his strengths. We believe home is the best place for this.
• we need to allow time for alternative therapies that have helped him so much.

Homeschooling your child with autism, or any other special needs can be a daunting endeavor. But the fruits of your labor can be second to none.

Looking for a new homeschooling blog to follow?

Boy do I have a list for you! Check out these awesome homeschoolers in the list below and the linky! Your in for a real treat.

• CREW @ Homeschool Review Crew – 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog Hop 
• Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag – Adding Fun to Your Homeschool Day
• Erin @ For Him and My Family – Large Family Homeschooling
• Lori @ At Home Where Life Happens – Learning Life Skills
• Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling – Homeschooling the High School Years
• Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range – 5 Days of Upper Grades Homeschooling