homeschooling

March 13, 2000

sorry all, computer is acting weirder than Seth!

Loriann,

Sounds like you keep pretty busy with . His attention span is great. I

think it's so cool you're educating him on your own! 1 therapist..WOW. I

homeschool my girls and I just love it, but teaching academics to them is a

whole lot different from teaching basics to Seth. He has learned to sit in a

chair and some basic push-in jobs. He is up to 10 objects in beginning pecs.

So maybe by next year I will have learned enough to continue his education!

He is eating some REAL food now and his spinning has decreased for the

moment, so maybe we have a window here for a couple of new things to be

learned. What is Edmark Reading? Sounds like has quite a

schedule....cursive? WOW! He must have great fine motor skills. Teaching

my girls academics is easy and fun, and they are old enough and (I hope)

disciplined enough to work quite independently while I work with Seth. They

too can share some of the teaching responsibility of Seth. I noticed you

didn't mention speech therapy. Does talk? I'm so encouraged by you,

sounds like it's going so well! Thanks Loriann.

Gail, Mom to Seth(4) jo(7) (9) (22) (24) grandma to

Errick(4) and wife to (my hero)

March 13, 2000

I'm trying to get " self determination funds " which is supposed to be for

whatever the parent deems necessary, but haven't heard back yet.

Loriann

March 13, 2000

Loriann,

Thanks Lori! I will check these things out. I don't understand why you have

to pay for them. Can't your service coordinator get them funded for you?

Seth's gets him just about anything, right down to the wet wipes she working

on now. She's even checking on unitards and rompers for him. She brought

over a catelog so I could pick out a new hi-chair for him, which should be

here any day now. (yea!!!) I have her through UCP house, and she said the

Lion's Club funds these things through them I think.

Gail, Mom to Seth(4) jo(7) (9) (22) (24) grandma to

Errick(4) and wife to (my hero)

March 13, 2000

Loriann,

Thanks Lori! I will check these things out. I don't understand why you have

to pay for them. Can't your service coordinator get them funded for you?

Seth's gets him just about anything, right down to the wet wipes she working

on now. She's even checking on unitards and rompers for him. She brought

over a catelog so I could pick out a new hi-chair for him, which should be

here any day now. (yea!!!) I have her through UCP house, and she said the

Lion's Club funds these things through them I think.

Gail, Mom to Seth(4) jo(7) (9) (22) (24) grandma to

Errick(4) and wife to (my hero)

March 13, 2000

Lori,

That is so clever about the attention span and cursive. I would have never

thought like that, do you? Seth's service coordinator has a list of places to

apply for different things. We use to get diapers through one place, but

Medicaid pays for them after the child is 3 years old. Now we have respit

(my daughter) through one organization, wet wipes through another, and she

applied for some kind of hard plastic wall covering for the house through

another. I think I will hold off on that one for a while. I don't want my

house to look like a doctor's office! Seth isn't eligible for SSI for

anything other than Medicaid Waiver that we applied for his past and future

surgery. His coordinator also made the arrangments for Medicaid to pay for

his hi-chair . She comes over once a month to see what she can do for Seth.

I am ready with a list of things to ask her about and she either gives me the

answer then or calls me back when she finds the answer. Does everyone else

have this sevice? Someone e-mailed me the other day and didn't know that

Medicaid paid for diapers. When the thing with unitards was being discussed

here a couple of weeks ago, I asked her to check it out and she said she had

some catalogs and would get back to me on it. I can't wait to see it.

Thanks again for the info Lori. :-)

Gail, Mom to Seth(4) jo(7) (9) (22) (24) grandma to

Errick(4) and wife to (my hero)

March 14, 2000

,

Your post about homeschooling Evie sounds like it's the ideal choice! That's

just how I imagine life in a couple of years. Seth had therapy 8-10 hours a

week before, so I think we will go that route again and I will add in all the

fill in parts for the first year. After that I hope to cut back on therapy

and add a lot more " life skills " to his day. After reading your post, now I

know it's not just a far fetched dream, I know it can be done and done well!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I have been tempted every now

and then to send my girls to school. I think of how peaceful it would be and

how much I could get done with them gone, but then they do something really

sweet and nice. I would really miss them if they were at school. Not to

mention worrying about what could happen to them. Thanks again .

Gail, Mom to Seth(4) jo(7) (9) (22) (24) grandma to

Errick(4) and wife to (my hero)

September 9, 2000

<< he just lost a year's worth of work here at home! I just don't know what

to do. >>

Hi, Everyone............Loriann........ has not lost a year of school.

You have taught him far more than any school could in one year even if you

don't like his 'test results'. I agree with Ann, perhaps he had a bad day.

DS kids are able to learn and retain that knowledge. They do have a tendency

to plateau out at different ages, but they can still continue to learn.

S.........we tried that extended Ritalin on Gareth. He was up

till 10 and 11 each night!!! They say it only lasts 12 hours, but for him it

went a lot longer!!! Even with regular Ritalin, he only takes the minimum

dosage of 10 mg. and he weighs 115 now. ....('s

mom) I don't think I would ever try a drug that we had bad results with a

second time. Have you done it? I know that Prozac and Luvox worked for

extended periods of time (over a year) it's just that he can't tolerate any

increase in dosages. It seems like the minimal amts. work for him and the

higher dosages get him really antsy and agitated.

BTW...........all this talk about chewing and licking brings back some fond

memories. Gareth use to lick everybody when he was giving kisses.......he

would say that was what Mowgli did in the Jungle Book. He also had a soft,

rubber, green cow about 2 " long and an inch high that he would constantly be

chewing on. Of course, at the time, I had no idea it was autism. I just

thought it was his way of teething and felt good on his gums. Have a good

day, Everyone.

Margaret

December 15, 2000

I have a question.. I was thinking of homeschooling my daughter who

has OCD. The therapist said that would be the worst thing for her. She said

she will have more time to worry about her obsessions.. I was wondering if

anyone has any other thoughts on that?

Thank you all

Steph

December 15, 2000

Hi Steph, when Kel was born I had thoughts of homeschooling to provide a

better, more interesting and varied education than what I experienced in

public school. And since Kel had her OCD onset, I have fantasized about

homeschooling to get away from the neverending hassle of explaining OCD and

coordinating with teachers.

But with OCD in the picture, I would never homeschool Kel unless it were

absolutely the only option, for the reason 's therapist gives, and

also because it would quickly shrink Kel's world for her. OCD tries to do

that enough, I don't want to help it out. Traditional school offers

structure, opportunities for socializing and daily practice in coping with

OCD in the real world, all invaluable and difficult to provide in a

homeschool situation. Also, most kids in any community attend a local

school, and homeschooling is just one more thing that would set my child

apart, and she is becoming sensitive to the fact that OCD makes her

" different " than other kids (takes meds, sees a psychiatrist, works on

bossing things, has weird thoughts and urges.)

IMO homeschooling is last choice for our kids. Consider how many children

represented on this list have been or are being homeschooled because OCD

makes attending traditional school impossible. Also, OCD would likely

complicate reversing this decision down the road, if you were unable to

continue homeschooling for whatever reason.

What are your reasons for considering homeschooling for ? If they are

religious, perhaps you could instead consider a small, private religious

school for her. If you are concerned about the quality of education she is

getting, perhaps an enrichment program would be an option. If is

having OCD problems at school, perhaps it's time to consider formal

accomodations (or updating current ones) for her that can allow her to be

successful in that setting.

Kathy R in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

From: <midniteswim2@...>

> I have a question.. I was thinking of homeschooling my daughter who

> has OCD. The therapist said that would be the worst thing for her. She

said

> she will have more time to worry about her obsessions.. I was wondering if

> anyone has any other thoughts on that?

December 15, 2000

The reason I was thinking about homeschooling is many of the reasons you all

have said.. She doesn't have many friends and they don't understand her.. she

is in a Private school.. her sister (Non OCD) has been at that school for 8

years and it is a great school. But last year I sent her to a public school

because we couldn't afford private for both girls.. and that was a

NIGHTMARE.. it is much better here but I just feel bad for her not having

friends like her sister and she really doesn't feel she is DIFFERENT she just

doesn't understand why the kids don't ask her over like the other girls do.

I have another question.. do any of your children CHANGE there obsessions?

seems to do hers in one year time tables.. Thank you all for your

comments and suggestions. they are helpful.. this is all so new to me..

Thanks

Steph

December 15, 2000

I too, have thought of doing this for my son,

especially last year when his OCD and depressive

symptoms were causing him to act out toward the adults

working with him at his school, and the closest

special needs school that would be able to accept him

is about an hours drive from my home and that is too

much for a 1st or 2nd grader. I know that around here

(southwestern PA, northern DE area) there are a number

of very active homeschooling organizations that have

activities for the kids on a daily basis.I also know a

mom who is sending her boys to another moms house a

couple of days a week because she has year old twins

who make homeschooling difficult. I would consider

this as a last resort option were my child to start to

go downhill again as he did last year from the

pressure the school administrators and teachers were

putting on him. I guess I am grateful that this is an

option, even though it may not be best in the long

term for a child with ocd, it is certainly one for the

short term, at least in my case. Good luck,

--- midniteswim2@... wrote:

> I have a question.. I was thinking of homeschooling

> my daughter who

> has OCD. The therapist said that would be the worst

> thing for her. She said

> she will have more time to worry about her

> obsessions.. I was wondering if

> anyone has any other thoughts on that?

>

> Thank you all

> Steph

>

__________________________________________________

December 15, 2000

HI Steph:

Yes, we have seen obsession change and morph over time. SOme of the old

standbys keep coming back at tough times. I doubt there is any aspect of

human existence which cannot be affected by OCD in some way. Take care,

aloha, Kathy (H)

kathyh@...

At 07:35 PM 12/15/2000 -0500, you wrote:

>The reason I was thinking about homeschooling is many of the reasons you all

>have said.. She doesn't have many friends and they don't understand her..

she

>is in a Private school.. her sister (Non OCD) has been at that school for 8

>years and it is a great school. But last year I sent her to a public school

>because we couldn't afford private for both girls.. and that was a

>NIGHTMARE.. it is much better here but I just feel bad for her not having

>friends like her sister and she really doesn't feel she is DIFFERENT she

just

>doesn't understand why the kids don't ask her over like the other girls do.

>I have another question.. do any of your children CHANGE there obsessions?

> seems to do hers in one year time tables.. Thank you all for your

>comments and suggestions. they are helpful.. this is all so new to me..

Thanks

> Steph

December 15, 2000

Steph:

Although my son's school wanted home tutoring for him when his OCD was at its

absolute worst, (and I did think about it briefly), the pdoc was adament that

this would simply reinforce the OCD behaviors. At this point Aiden was

convinced that if he left the house one of us would die or the house would blow

up. It was imperative to get him out of the house, even if only for a few hours

at a time, and sometimes that was all he could handle.

My other feeling about homeschooling is that it lets school districts off the

hook. IDEA and Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) demand

that school systems provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for

ALL children. When we don't demand that they provide services for our kids, we

help to weaken the law for other parents. Please understand that I know how

difficult it is to fight these battles -- fighting the ocd battle at home is bad

enough, but educating the schools and teachers can throw a mother over the edge.

There were times when I thought I would have to quit my job in order to cope,

but eventually the school became more aware and more accommodating.

I also think that our kids need to learn to cope with the real world. In a way

I think of it as ERP. Sometimes they need to work a little lower on their

heirarchy -- modified school days or special classes -- but they do see

themselves as being successful in this world of their peers, which is ultimately

what they truly wish for. Aiden has had some meltdowns in class and was too

embarrassed to go back. With support from us, his teachers, and the guidance

counselor, he did go back. And he learned that the kids were still willing to

talk to him and have lunch with him. He may not be the most popular kid in

school, and he isn't invited over much, but at school he is with other kids his

age, and is learning that we all have warts.

I probably sound preachy, and I don't mean to. I certainly want to protect my

kids from the cruelties of the world, but sooner or later, I'm not going to be

there to protect them. The best I can do is give them the armour and the

strength to protect themselves.

Jule

December 18, 2000

To add my thoughts to homeschooling:

Right now we don't have a choice, too enraged too constantly to be

able to withstand school at all, but I think she has definitely regressed

being home full time. In a lot of ways just being home has gotten her more

OCDish, and more depressed, and more socially dysfunctional. We are seeking

to get her back ASAP. That said, I choose to not return her to the regular

public school system, because that would be a nightmare for her.

Ellen

February 8, 2001

thanks soooooo much sara, those were greatl......

peg

April 8, 2001

Hi All,

Sorry if I may have angered anyone. If you can afford to pay for related

services and have a resource for social gatherings with plenty of peers it

could work. Most of us are so isolated it isn't possible. You most be a

special mom!

Charlyne,Pete, Cait LD 20 Zeb DS-? 8

July 27, 2001

Deanna,

I see you are just beginning the odyssey of homeschooling. While we

have only done it for one year, feel free to email me with any

questions. I'd be happy to help.

Peace,

July 29, 2001

Dear Cheryl, a very smart lady once said " you have to do what's best

for you and your family " . I finally posted about my decision to

homeschool after having sat on it for about a week. You see, I

really love being part of this list of strong, funny, honest, full of

love and faith, bright gals...I felt that my decision could possibly

end up in some way keeping me apart from many of you because for the

time being anyway, I won't be dealing with school districts and

IEP's. I don't do anything without alot of study and thought. I

have always wanted to homeschool, I don't particularly have any

affection for our public school system here. I am making the choice

based on numerous factor's. Bridget needs 1:1 work in some areas, am

I better to do this or is the untrained aide they have hired.

Bridget needs Language therapy that challenges her, the district

speech path set the overall receptive language goal at 10% even tho

she is a fast learner and 2 of the goals written she has already

reached 80% or more. The graduate students at the college clinic may

be green but I hear they really are interested in brainstorming and

pushing the kids as far as they can go. When the NW autism clinic

opens up I will take her with the idea in mind that we will probably

do a yeast kill followed possibly by chelation for heavy metals- the

kids get very tired and sometimes sick etc. I don't thnk it's fair

to do that to her and then send her off to school and tell her to

behave. There is a great OT place, but it is very far from my home-

about an hour and 20 minutes. They do sensory integration intensives

that last a couple of weeks at a time. I would have to pull her out

of school to take advantage of this. I would much rather push myself

to do the driving over a couple of weeks than go once a week for the

forseeable future. That would be impossible for us. For me sunday

school once a week, library craft and story time once a week, speech

twice a week, swimming two nights a week, and horsebackriding once a

week is about all the socializing I can handle. I always socialized

better with older kids and adults when I was a kid. The kids my age

were mean and cliquesh(sp?). I really hope to meet some

homeschooling families to spend time with and to renew a friendship

with a really neat gal up the road, it slowly petered out because I

was always so busy having to take Bridget somewhere. I really feel

like this will in some ways give me my life back. I know I have

taken on a responsibility to keep Bridget constructively occupied,

we'll just do our best. I love reading your posts Cheryl, so keep

writing. Here's Bridget's quote for the day, " Chocolate is

beautiful " ( I give her a gfcf chocolate chip cookie about once in a

blue moon and lets just say she was 'over the moon' about it. Take

Care,

Deanna

> Just a note to say that any of you who are homeschooling or

> contemplating it are so brave compared to me. I thought of it for a

> fleeting moment, when it was time for Hannah to start school, and

> especially after the first few weeks of school, as it took her ages

> to settle in. I remember telling the school councillor at the time,

> that if she didn't settle in by the end of term, i would seriously

> consider taking her out, and either homeschooling her, or waiting

> another year to enroll her. After watching her, and her routines,

and

> silly little things that must be done, for her personally, i think

> taking her out of school would be the worst thing i could do.

Hannah

> is the middle child yes, and she gets on with her older sister and

> younger brother to a degree, but anyone else, they may as well be

> invisible 98% of the time. if i took her out of the school

> environment, i think it would do her more harm than good in

> socialising skills. Afterall, she has to get on in this world

> somehow and to the best she can. I don;t know what the future holds

> for her, she may never want to leave home, she maybe unable, and

i'm

> certainly not going to force her too, but i am going to treat her

as

> normally as i can, and see what happens in the end. i maybe totally

> doing the wrong thing, but when i have two others, i have to think

of

> them as well. I am rambling, does anyone understand what i'm

trying

> to say????? oh well, i tried, cheryl

July 29, 2001

>>> " Chocolate is beautiful " <<<

That Bridget is one smart girl!!!! Penny-------------------------------------------------------- " Just remember this: Plenty of Horsepower, No Traction " - R. S. on

" If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away. " --Henry Thoreau

July 29, 2001

Cheryl, this is much the way I feel about my daughter.

There were times when I felt like taking her out of

school because I didn't feel she was making as much

progress academically as she should, that the school's

goals for her were too low, but I just worked with her

at home and things got better. I agree that they need

contact with other people, especially those without

disabilities, as much as possible so that they will

learn to " blend in " . Right now that is my major goal

for her.

Tamara

--- cmsommerfeld@... wrote:

> Just a note to say that any of you who are

> homeschooling or

> contemplating it are so brave compared to me. I

> thought of it for a

> fleeting moment, when it was time for Hannah to

> start school, and

> especially after the first few weeks of school, as

> it took her ages

> to settle in. I remember telling the school

> councillor at the time,

> that if she didn't settle in by the end of term, i

> would seriously

> consider taking her out, and either homeschooling

> her, or waiting

> another year to enroll her. After watching her, and

> her routines, and

> silly little things that must be done, for her

> personally, i think

> taking her out of school would be the worst thing i

> could do. Hannah

> is the middle child yes, and she gets on with her

> older sister and

> younger brother to a degree, but anyone else, they

> may as well be

> invisible 98% of the time. if i took her out of the

> school

> environment, i think it would do her more harm than

> good in

> socialising skills. Afterall, she has to get on in

> this world

> somehow and to the best she can. I don;t know what

> the future holds

> for her, she may never want to leave home, she maybe

> unable, and i'm

> certainly not going to force her too, but i am going

> to treat her as

> normally as i can, and see what happens in the end.

> i maybe totally

> doing the wrong thing, but when i have two others, i

> have to think of

> them as well. I am rambling, does anyone understand

> what i'm trying

> to say????? oh well, i tried, cheryl

>

__________________________________________________

July 29, 2001

Cheryl, this is much the way I feel about my daughter.

There were times when I felt like taking her out of

school because I didn't feel she was making as much

progress academically as she should, that the school's

goals for her were too low, but I just worked with her

at home and things got better. I agree that they need

contact with other people, especially those without

disabilities, as much as possible so that they will

learn to " blend in " . Right now that is my major goal

for her.

Tamara

--- cmsommerfeld@... wrote:

> Just a note to say that any of you who are

> homeschooling or

> contemplating it are so brave compared to me. I

> thought of it for a

> fleeting moment, when it was time for Hannah to

> start school, and

> especially after the first few weeks of school, as

> it took her ages

> to settle in. I remember telling the school

> councillor at the time,

> that if she didn't settle in by the end of term, i

> would seriously

> consider taking her out, and either homeschooling

> her, or waiting

> another year to enroll her. After watching her, and

> her routines, and

> silly little things that must be done, for her

> personally, i think

> taking her out of school would be the worst thing i

> could do. Hannah

> is the middle child yes, and she gets on with her

> older sister and

> younger brother to a degree, but anyone else, they

> may as well be

> invisible 98% of the time. if i took her out of the

> school

> environment, i think it would do her more harm than

> good in

> socialising skills. Afterall, she has to get on in

> this world

> somehow and to the best she can. I don;t know what

> the future holds

> for her, she may never want to leave home, she maybe

> unable, and i'm

> certainly not going to force her too, but i am going

> to treat her as

> normally as i can, and see what happens in the end.

> i maybe totally

> doing the wrong thing, but when i have two others, i

> have to think of

> them as well. I am rambling, does anyone understand

> what i'm trying

> to say????? oh well, i tried, cheryl

>

__________________________________________________

July 29, 2001

Go for it Deanna, you know in your heart what is best, i hope you didn;t

think i was criticising you, as i wasn't, far from it. Today i'm supposed

to be cleaning house, for birthday party for oldest daughter this week, but

i just can't get away from answering these letters,[haha] i love a good

indepth conversation i guess, and i like to keep the ball rolling. all the

best, cheryl

Re: Homeschooling