Guest guest Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 From my experience - which may not apply to everyone - where there is no interest there will be no progress. My son in grade 6 would complain that his grade six reader was 'too hard' when he wasn't interested in the subject, but would read adult books (no, not that type of 'adult' book ) for fun becasue he was interested in the topic. The teacher also is important. If he doesn't get on with the teacher, there will not be any progress unless he finds another source of motivation. This has nothing to do with the teacher's ability or likeablility, it is just one of those indefinable things. Either your son will get on with a teacher, or he won't. In time he will learn to work better despite the teacher, but you can probably look forward to report cards like my son has gotten consistently for 11 years: A's when he likes the teacher and/or subject, C's (or worse) when he doesn't. He got 2 F's and one E in year 10 mostly on the basis of what he thought of the teacher. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time. Your son will eventually work out how to cope - with school work and with you  You need to accept that, while you can do everything you possibly can, some of the work has to be done by your son, and you cannot make him do it if he refuses. You can encourage, help, bribe, threaten and cajole (and we all do all of those things), but in the end your son has to do his work. I have seen the process from both sides, so I really do feel sympathy for you and your son. My report cards usually had lots of A's, and lots of comments along the lines of "could do better if paid more attention", "could do better if made more effort", etc. I visited almost every classroom in the school as my teachers tried different ways to get me to focus and not to chatter to those near me. They did eventually work out that sending me to another classsroom just gave me someone new tro talk to. A number of teachers told my mother I would never get anywhere if I didn't work harder. I have 2 degrees and have almost finished my PhD (almost on time!), so with persistence teachers can be proven wrong. But, to be honest, if my supervisors were asked to comment on my work, they would write much the same things as all my other teachers  I have learnt to work around both my Aspergers and the education system. I am sure your son will too, in time. the secret is in finding some form of internal motivation, and that takes time. This is a long way of saying that the location of learning may not be the biggest issue. Your son may do better with home-schooling, but he may not. I decided against it with my son. By age two we had a 'fighting' beanbag where we went and sat together and watched videos after fighting over anything (or, some days, everything). It was a very well used beanbag. I decided that someone else should have the pleasure of learning how to get my son to cooperate and work when he didn't want to. That way, I could be on his side (while trying to be objective). I am not convinced everyone copes well with being their child's teacher and parent. For some of us, it would just add more stress to the relationship. And, BTW, some days there isn't an up side to autism.  Some days it is just a pain in the butt and has to be endured. Some days I just keep repeating one of my grandfather's favourite sayings "This too shall pass". It always does - the days when you can see ways that autism is special in good ways come around again. On 2/02/2011 8:12 AM, wrote:  I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing).     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.  So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days.  From a very frustrated mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 We just pulled our 6th grader out of public school for a variety of reasons, one, the schedule of every other day core classes was maddening and confusing...homework was stressful as my son lacks organization (adhd and aspie), the administrator didn't get aspies at all, and tried to get him expelled for something he said to himself, and bullying. We just started homeschool yesterday and so far so good. Math is a struggle to get going, he stalls a lot, but now he realizes the sooner he gets it done the quicker he can go to the other subjects he enjoys more and we are done by lunchtime. Our other son learned to read mostly from a website online called starfall, he loves it. Once he learned how to use a mouse and the computer, he can navigate to the website and play and read all the time. Within a couple of weeks, he was showing us books he could read like " Go Otto Go " and the like. I think your son may need pull out reading help from that classroom...and of course do what you can at home... Best of luck, Please note: message attached From: <chadderboxesmom@...> Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: homeschool vs. public Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 16:12:53 -0500 (EST) I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing). Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days. From a very frustrated mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I homeschool both of my sons. My oldest is on the spectrum (aspie and attention difficulties). He is now in fifth grade. I won't say every day is easy, because my son can procrastinate. But homeschooling enables him to get all the basics over with quickly and then study in great detail all the subjects he's interested in. He was in public school through third grade, so this is the second year of homeschooling. He did pretty well in school, but he was bored, and he had trouble sitting still. I also found it was not an efficient use of time, and didn't enable him to get much time to study music, which he loves. My youngest son is very bright. I pulled him out after kindergarten, because he was already reading chapter books, and the school was still doing phonics. He was so bored. The teacher discussed possibly promoting him a couple of grades ahead, but instead I've chosen to homeschool. He loves science and reading, and he has more time for those things. We also do wonderful field trips, sometimes on our own and other times with other homeschoolers. The flexibility is wonderful. But I know it is a lot of time, and I don't work outside of my home, plus my husband is writer with a very flexible schedule. I know not everyone can afford to do this, but if you can, it's wonderful. There are also many charters available that are homeschooling with the guidance of a teacher, or online schools available. I don't use those myself, but I can get you more information about those if you're interested. Good luck, Lora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Lora-I have just just jumped into homeschooling last week for my 10 year old (the school just wasn't working anymore). This was a little bit ahead of my schedule as I am not totally prepared, but I am trying to get up to speed quickly. I am confident that it will all work out eventually but any bits of advice you can throw my way would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance,On Feb 1, 2011, at 7:02 PM, Lora JB wrote: I homeschool both of my sons. My oldest is on the spectrum (aspie and attention difficulties). He is now in fifth grade. I won't say every day is easy, because my son can procrastinate. But homeschooling enables him to get all the basics over with quickly and then study in great detail all the subjects he's interested in. He was in public school through third grade, so this is the second year of homeschooling. He did pretty well in school, but he was bored, and he had trouble sitting still. I also found it was not an efficient use of time, and didn't enable him to get much time to study music, which he loves. My youngest son is very bright. I pulled him out after kindergarten, because he was already reading chapter books, and the school was still doing phonics. He was so bored. The teacher discussed possibly promoting him a couple of grades ahead, but instead I've chosen to homeschool. He loves science and reading, and he has more time for those things. We also do wonderful field trips, sometimes on our own and other times with other homeschoolers. The flexibility is wonderful. But I know it is a lot of time, and I don't work outside of my home, plus my husband is writer with a very flexible schedule. I know not everyone can afford to do this, but if you can, it's wonderful. There are also many charters available that are homeschooling with the guidance of a teacher, or online schools available. I don't use those myself, but I can get you more information about those if you're interested. Good luck, Lora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I home school my youngest two sons (the youngest has Aspergers) but my older two go to public school. I totally agree with what has written. It is different with everyone and sometimes you just have to do the best you can. Some will have a great experience home schooling while others find it too difficult. Personally, I found it more difficult fighting with the teachers over my son's schooling than it is to actually help him learn. It is not easy, but it is a great opportunity when it goes right. The relationship between the student and the teacher is very important. It seems that your son's relationship with his teacher could be better. There may be ways to work on that, but I don't know the teacher and how much effort is put in. Is the teacher willing to work with you to get the best out of your son? If keeping your son in school is the best option for you, and the teacher is not co-operative, is it possible to change teachers? There are many ways to help your son if he is willing to do the work (as said). It isn't always a case of public school or home school. Sometimes, you can have a good mix of both. Judy > Riley <klriley@...> wrote: > > From my experience - which may not apply to everyone - where there is > no interest there will be no progress. My son in grade 6 would complain > > that his grade six reader was 'too hard' when he wasn't interested in > the subject, but would read adult books (no, not that type of 'adult' > book ) for fun becasue he was interested in the topic. The teacher > also is important. If he doesn't get on with the teacher, there will > not be any progress unless he finds another source of motivation. This > has nothing to do with the teacher's ability or likeablility, it is just > > one of those indefinable things. Either your son will get on with a > teacher, or he won't. In time he will learn to work better despite the > teacher, but you can probably look forward to report cards like my son > has gotten consistently for 11 years: A's when he likes the teacher > and/or subject, C's (or worse) when he doesn't. He got 2 F's and one E > in year 10 mostly on the basis of what he thought of the teacher. One > of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject > was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time. > > Your son will eventually work out how to cope - with school work and > with you You need to accept that, while you can do everything you > possibly can, some of the work has to be done by your son, and you > cannot make him do it if he refuses. You can encourage, help, bribe, > threaten and cajole (and we all do all of those things), but in the end > your son has to do his work. I have seen the process from both sides, > so I really do feel sympathy for you and your son. My report cards > usually had lots of A's, and lots of comments along the lines of " could > do better if paid more attention " , " could do better if made more > effort " , etc. I visited almost every classroom in the school as my > teachers tried different ways to get me to focus and not to chatter to > those near me. They did eventually work out that sending me to another > classsroom just gave me someone new tro talk to. A number of teachers > told my mother I would never get anywhere if I didn't work harder. I > have 2 degrees and have almost finished my PhD (almost on time!), so > with persistence teachers can be proven wrong. But, to be honest, if my > > supervisors were asked to comment on my work, they would write much the > same things as all my other teachers I have learnt to work around > both my Aspergers and the education system. I am sure your son will > too, in time. the secret is in finding some form of internal > motivation, and that takes time. > > This is a long way of saying that the location of learning may not be > the biggest issue. Your son may do better with home-schooling, but he > may not. I decided against it with my son. By age two we had a > 'fighting' beanbag where we went and sat together and watched videos > after fighting over anything (or, some days, everything). It was a very > > well used beanbag. I decided that someone else should have the pleasure > > of learning how to get my son to cooperate and work when he didn't want > to. That way, I could be on his side (while trying to be objective). I > > am not convinced everyone copes well with being their child's teacher > and parent. For some of us, it would just add more stress to the > relationship. > > And, BTW, some days there isn't an up side to autism. Some days it is > just a pain in the butt and has to be endured. Some days I just keep > repeating one of my grandfather's favourite sayings " This too shall > pass " . It always does - the days when you can see ways that autism is > special in good ways come around again. > > > > On 2/02/2011 8:12 AM, wrote: > > > > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The > > reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below > > > level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed > > for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's > > in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was > > told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with > > them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got > > here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided > > that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also > > > thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and > > teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing). > > Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he > > is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C > > is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is > > unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has > > _NO_ interest in doing _ANY_ schoolwork. He will sometimes respond > > verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him > > everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > > continue to work w/ him. When he _does_ respond, he is very bright & > > very sweet.:-) > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never > > forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations > > on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read > > a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet > > if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read > > through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words > > like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be > > such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just > > ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just > > not one of those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I pulled my daughter out of public when she was in 5th grade, and we've been homeschooling for a year now. She is one of those kids like yours who HATES doing any kind of " work " if it doesn't involve her interest. She was failing every subject in school even though she is very smart. She HATED school (still does) and she got to the point where she flat out refused to go anymore. I couldn't get her ready, I couldn't get her in the car to go...it was awful. Homeschooling her has been one of the hardest things I've ever done, BUT she is getting 4 A's and 2 C's. A huge improvement over last year. It is like being on a rollercoaster with her. Some days she does awesome and I am so proud of her because she does all these assignments (with lots of supervision from me) even though she doesn't want to. Other days (like yesterday) she does one assignment and then completely quits for the rest of the day and refuses to do any more. For me, I have seen some improvements in her sense of responsibility that she needs to get some schooling. I know I have made a difference and I am hoping that with age and maturity she will understand the importance of education. I have hope that she will realize that life is full of doing stuff we don't want to do, but we do it because it is important. If you decide to homeschool, be prepared with LOTS of patience, creative ideas on learning, flexibility, and giving frequent breaks. I use the point system with my daughter. She earns points for each assignment and then she gets 100 bonus points if she finishes all her assignments for the day. She gets to use her points for all kinds of stuff she likes. Sheryl > > > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing). > Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Thank you , I really liked what you wrote. You have a great perspective as both a parent and an adult with Aspergers. The motivation factor was a big reason we finally put our son in regular school. By 7th grade we were constantly fighting about math, and I was always the bad guy. It's nice to let someone else be the bad guy! I would add that, while " regular " school has been great for my son in many ways, he has notable strengths that he would not have, if he had not been homeschooled. He excels in certain subjects because they fascinated him and he had the time to study indepth. He has a lot of self confidence and, usually, a positive attitude--- possibly the result of his homeschool years. There is another side to the homeschooling issue. I myself suffered deeply from the social isolation caused by my child's Aspergers. I was always acutely aware that other children were not interested in his friendship. However, I also homeschooled his siblings, and his cousins were homeschooled as well. Homeschooling with his siblings and cousins allowed him to develop close bonds with them--- to the extent that he himself, never noticed his isolation. Had they all been in regular school, I think he might have been much more lonely and isolated. Thinking back, I think this might be one of the biggest blessings of homeschooling for us. -- On 2/1/2011 2:46 PM, Riley wrote: > From my experience - which may not apply to everyone - where there is > no interest there will be no progress. My son in grade 6 would > complain that his grade six reader was 'too hard' when he wasn't > interested in the subject, but would read adult books (no, not that > type of 'adult' book ) for fun becasue he was interested in the > topic. The teacher also is important. If he doesn't get on with the > teacher, there will not be any progress unless he finds another source > of motivation. This has nothing to do with the teacher's ability or > likeablility, it is just one of those indefinable things. Either your > son will get on with a teacher, or he won't. In time he will learn to > work better despite the teacher, but you can probably look forward to > report cards like my son has gotten consistently for 11 years: A's > when he likes the teacher and/or subject, C's (or worse) when he > doesn't. He got 2 F's and one E in year 10 mostly on the basis of > what he thought of the teacher. One of the F's was with the same > teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he > doesn't waste his time. > > Your son will eventually work out how to cope - with school work and > with you You need to accept that, while you can do everything you > possibly can, some of the work has to be done by your son, and you > cannot make him do it if he refuses. You can encourage, help, bribe, > threaten and cajole (and we all do all of those things), but in the > end your son has to do his work. I have seen the process from both > sides, so I really do feel sympathy for you and your son. My report > cards usually had lots of A's, and lots of comments along the lines of > " could do better if paid more attention " , " could do better if made > more effort " , etc. I visited almost every classroom in the school as > my teachers tried different ways to get me to focus and not to chatter > to those near me. They did eventually work out that sending me to > another classsroom just gave me someone new tro talk to. A number of > teachers told my mother I would never get anywhere if I didn't work > harder. I have 2 degrees and have almost finished my PhD (almost on > time!), so with persistence teachers can be proven wrong. But, to be > honest, if my supervisors were asked to comment on my work, they would > write much the same things as all my other teachers I have learnt > to work around both my Aspergers and the education system. I am sure > your son will too, in time. the secret is in finding some form of > internal motivation, and that takes time. > > This is a long way of saying that the location of learning may not be > the biggest issue. Your son may do better with home-schooling, but he > may not. I decided against it with my son. By age two we had a > 'fighting' beanbag where we went and sat together and watched videos > after fighting over anything (or, some days, everything). It was a > very well used beanbag. I decided that someone else should have the > pleasure of learning how to get my son to cooperate and work when he > didn't want to. That way, I could be on his side (while trying to be > objective). I am not convinced everyone copes well with being their > child's teacher and parent. For some of us, it would just add more > stress to the relationship. > > And, BTW, some days there isn't an up side to autism. Some days it > is just a pain in the butt and has to be endured. Some days I just > keep repeating one of my grandfather's favourite sayings " This too > shall pass " . It always does - the days when you can see ways that > autism is special in good ways come around again. > > > > On 2/02/2011 8:12 AM, wrote: >> >> I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The >> reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is >> below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically >> designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report >> card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level >> yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being >> disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him >> veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby >> (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period >> came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD >> and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do >> with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills >> thing). >> Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he >> is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C >> is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is >> unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has >> _NO_ interest in doing _ANY_ schoolwork. He will sometimes respond >> verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him >> everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will >> continue to work w/ him. When he _does_ respond, he is very bright & >> very sweet.:-) >> So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never >> forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations >> on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read >> a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet >> if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read >> through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words >> like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be >> such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just >> ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO >> HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just >> not one of those days. >> From a very frustrated mom. >> >> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy. By being able to supervise all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to get any services. 5) Our local schools stink. She's 5th grade, which is middle school in our area. Our local middle school is well known for dealing with issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! Kiara From: <chadderboxesmom@...>Autism and Aspergers Treatment Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PMSubject: homeschool vs. public I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing). Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days. From a very frustrated mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Hi everyone: This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks, : ) > > I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________ > From: <chadderboxesmom@...> > Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM > Subject: homeschool vs. public > >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Thanks, . > > > > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The > > reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below > > level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed > > for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's > > in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was > > told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with > > them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got > > here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided > > that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also > > thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and > > teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing). > > Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he > > is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C > > is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is > > unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has > > _NO_ interest in doing _ANY_ schoolwork. He will sometimes respond > > verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him > > everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > > continue to work w/ him. When he _does_ respond, he is very bright & > > very sweet.:-) > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never > > forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations > > on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read > > a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet > > if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read > > through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words > > like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be > > such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just > > ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just > > not one of those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 This sounds very familiar to me. Student’s dx with Aspergers tend to fall short in either English/Reading OR Math. My son is gifted with a dx of both Aspergers and ADHD. If you are homeschooling him now; I would suggest you DO NOT cut back on the amount of math problems that typical 7th graders are doing. This was an accommodation that the public school did for my son (which we thought was a good thing at the time). He knew how to do the math so they suggested this accommodation that they called “curriculum compacting”. An advocate suggested that he knew the work so in his mind why should he have to repeat? This was true and things got better for some time however it fell back to refusing to do the math. Math for some reason it was a battle for him. Perhaps your son will do better if you have tackled geometry? You will need to boost his self esteem and show him he can do the work. One suggestion would be giving him five problems at a time on ONE sheet. Then do something else then come back to five more problems. In other words hes not overwhelmed by the amount of work shown on his paper that he can see or you might try covering the rest of the problems show five at a time. I would suggest the five on one sheet first then come back to do more five at a time. Hope that helps! Deb’s From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of JAMES W Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 9:21 PM Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public Hi everyone: This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks, : ) > > I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________ > From: <chadderboxesmom@...> > Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM > Subject: homeschool vs. public > >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 7th grade aint easy. Don't know why, but every parent I have talked to had a hard year when their son was in grade 7. Whether it was Aspergers or ADHD, or both, it was a hard year. It is probably something to do with hormones. My son 'forgot' how to do things he had been good at, but was also good at things he had struggled with before.  It does get better. My son was diagnosed with ADHD in grade 1, with his paediatrician mentioning he might have 'Aspergers, or something else' as well. He was diagnosed formally with Aspergers in grade 5. There is quite a bit of overlap, and we have given up trying to work out which causes what behaviour. Boys hit another rough patch about grade 10. Wasn't as bad for my son (or me) as grade 7 was. On 3/02/2011 2:20 PM, JAMES W wrote:  Hi everyone: This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks, : ) > > I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________ > From: <chadderboxesmom@...> > Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM > Subject: homeschool vs. public > >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Grade 7 sucks for everyone on or off the spectrum. I loathed Jr High School and I have yet to meet an adult that didn't have gruesome memories of those years. It's not always Autism/ADHD/Etc--sometimes it's just the age. I'm really dreading it with my kids--I have twins! (one on the spectrum, my son, and then my daughter who is neurotypical but a very high-strung drama queen). Someone is going to be medicated during those years and I don't care much who, them or me, LOL! MarilynFrom: Riley <klriley@...>Autism and Aspergers Treatment Sent: Thu, February 3, 2011 12:41:20 AMSubject: Re: Re: homeschool vs. public 7th grade aint easy. Don't know why, but every parent I have talked to had a hard year when their son was in grade 7. Whether it was Aspergers or ADHD, or both, it was a hard year. It is probably something to do with hormones. My son 'forgot' how to do things he had been good at, but was also good at things he had struggled with before. It does get better. My son was diagnosed with ADHD in grade 1, with his paediatrician mentioning he might have 'Aspergers, or something else' as well. He was diagnosed formally with Aspergers in grade 5. There is quite a bit of overlap, and we have given up trying to work out which causes what behaviour. Boys hit another rough patch about grade 10. Wasn't as bad for my son (or me) as grade 7 was. On 3/02/2011 2:20 PM, JAMES W wrote: Hi everyone: This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks, : ) > > I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy. By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink. She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area. Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________ > From: <chadderboxesmom@...> > Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM > Subject: homeschool vs. public > > > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > > Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Yes! My daughter is only 10 but she began hating math in 2nd grade when she had to learn carrying. She just didn't get it so we stayed on the same level for 2 full years. She's now 2 years behind, but I have to keep building up her self esteem in the subject by having her practice skills she's good at before we can move on to something new. It creates high anxiety in her to the point of tears. She claims she hates math when she used to do addition problems for fun when she was 3. She has always had a tough time with directions. They have to be broken up into small pieces or she will forget them and freak out. When asking her to do something, I usually just give her one step at a time, but she is getting a bit better at this. For school I just review the directions with her to be sure she really understands or she may miss a small detail. She has Aspergers. From: JAMES W <cmurray326@...>Autism and Aspergers Treatment Sent: Wed, February 2, 2011 9:20:37 PMSubject: Re: homeschool vs. public Hi everyone:This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar.Thanks, : )>> I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________> From: <chadderboxesmom@...>> Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM> Subject: homeschool vs. public> >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.> > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days.> > From a very frustrated mom.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 I homeschool my older two, and my youngest goes to the SPED program, GE'ed to a better district. For her, it was a question of transitioning into a frame of mind she could focus and learn, she needs the difference in situation to focus. At home, in her mind , you goof off and play. I spent 2 years trying to get her to learn at home. My son, the oldest, is suspected to have sensory integration disorder, and they're saying ADHD but it really doesn't fit, from what I've read and seen, i would be more inclined with maybe mild aspergers. (taking him in for a second opinion. Another topic another day). He does great in math. Absolutely awesome. He can READ about on par for his age. His reading COMPREHENSION... is abysmal. So along with that, is his writing. He has a very odd speech pattern, and his writing matches his speech pattern(of course), but no matter what we do, he will and seems only able to answer questions about things hes reading by repeating back word by word what was in the story. After rereading it, once he knows the questions. It's not a lack of intelligence, and as time goes on I don't even feel its a lack of focus the way I used to. He is 1-2 grades beyond average math progress for his age. So my answer is this - it is situational dependent. For everyone, not just families with special needs. I've had parents , friends, ask me about it and if i think they should homeschool. I am personally very pro-homeschooling.. However, there is a time and a place for either one. Some children learn better at school. My husband has told me repeatedly that the motivation at school of getting it done with the rest of the class, and knowing that there were a bunch of other kids doing the same thing, helped keep him on track. But again, average situation. You know your child best. Research the schools that would be an option, research homeschooling options. Take into account additional factors such as behavior, attention span, etc, things that the state is REQUIRED to provide therapies for, and progress your decision from there. Also, a note for those who don't know.. I don't know how this varies from state to state. But in Hawaii, once the child is SPED qualified, even should I decide say to pull Elora out and homeschool her, since she already recieves behavioral therapies, speech therapies, etc.. The school is required to continue providing it, at the same yearly total hour count as stated on the IEP, of course to be adapted and changed based on the child's progress. I have no idea how this applies to other states, but in Hawaii, that's the case. Obviously, the parents responsible to provide transportation to get them there.. But they have to provide it. Just another tidbit to think about and perhaps research, that might influence your decision.Hope this helps.-NinaOn Feb 2, 2011, at 8:10 PM, Kiara wrote: Yes! My daughter is only 10 but she began hating math in 2nd grade when she had to learn carrying. She just didn't get it so we stayed on the same level for 2 full years. She's now 2 years behind, but I have to keep building up her self esteem in the subject by having her practice skills she's good at before we can move on to something new. It creates high anxiety in her to the point of tears. She claims she hates math when she used to do addition problems for fun when she was 3. She has always had a tough time with directions. They have to be broken up into small pieces or she will forget them and freak out. When asking her to do something, I usually just give her one step at a time, but she is getting a bit better at this. For school I just review the directions with her to be sure she really understands or she may miss a small detail. She has Aspergers. From: JAMES W <cmurray326@...>Autism and Aspergers Treatment Sent: Wed, February 2, 2011 9:20:37 PMSubject: Re: homeschool vs. public Hi everyone:This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar.Thanks, : )>> I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________> From: <chadderboxesmom@...>> Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM> Subject: homeschool vs. public> >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.> > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days.> > From a very frustrated mom.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 , Just curious, you said: “. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time.” Is this a subject he normally excels in? I often wonder if my son already knows the material and is bored with the work or is simply not willing to listen because he already knows the work. I totally agree 100 percent of what you posted and over my son’s 13 years and his education wondered if this is a part of it as well. The teachers he has had over the years totally misunderstand and I have often relayed they needed further training in HIGH functioning Autism. Let’s face it, I believe my son has tons of potential and in a way he is falling behind because the schools don’t recognize or not willing to go the extra mile to reach that potential because it’s outside the box. Deb’s From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Riley Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 4:47 PM Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public From my experience - which may not apply to everyone - where there is no interest there will be no progress. My son in grade 6 would complain that his grade six reader was 'too hard' when he wasn't interested in the subject, but would read adult books (no, not that type of 'adult' book ) for fun becasue he was interested in the topic. The teacher also is important. If he doesn't get on with the teacher, there will not be any progress unless he finds another source of motivation. This has nothing to do with the teacher's ability or likeablility, it is just one of those indefinable things. Either your son will get on with a teacher, or he won't. In time he will learn to work better despite the teacher, but you can probably look forward to report cards like my son has gotten consistently for 11 years: A's when he likes the teacher and/or subject, C's (or worse) when he doesn't. He got 2 F's and one E in year 10 mostly on the basis of what he thought of the teacher. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time. Your son will eventually work out how to cope - with school work and with you You need to accept that, while you can do everything you possibly can, some of the work has to be done by your son, and you cannot make him do it if he refuses. You can encourage, help, bribe, threaten and cajole (and we all do all of those things), but in the end your son has to do his work. I have seen the process from both sides, so I really do feel sympathy for you and your son. My report cards usually had lots of A's, and lots of comments along the lines of " could do better if paid more attention " , " could do better if made more effort " , etc. I visited almost every classroom in the school as my teachers tried different ways to get me to focus and not to chatter to those near me. They did eventually work out that sending me to another classsroom just gave me someone new tro talk to. A number of teachers told my mother I would never get anywhere if I didn't work harder. I have 2 degrees and have almost finished my PhD (almost on time!), so with persistence teachers can be proven wrong. But, to be honest, if my supervisors were asked to comment on my work, they would write much the same things as all my other teachers I have learnt to work around both my Aspergers and the education system. I am sure your son will too, in time. the secret is in finding some form of internal motivation, and that takes time. This is a long way of saying that the location of learning may not be the biggest issue. Your son may do better with home-schooling, but he may not. I decided against it with my son. By age two we had a 'fighting' beanbag where we went and sat together and watched videos after fighting over anything (or, some days, everything). It was a very well used beanbag. I decided that someone else should have the pleasure of learning how to get my son to cooperate and work when he didn't want to. That way, I could be on his side (while trying to be objective). I am not convinced everyone copes well with being their child's teacher and parent. For some of us, it would just add more stress to the relationship. And, BTW, some days there isn't an up side to autism. Some days it is just a pain in the butt and has to be endured. Some days I just keep repeating one of my grandfather's favourite sayings " This too shall pass " . It always does - the days when you can see ways that autism is special in good ways come around again. On 2/02/2011 8:12 AM, wrote: I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing). Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days. From a very frustrated mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 The subject was his Bible class, taken by the same teacher that took him for Maths. He attends a Christian school, so it is compulsory all the way through. While it is a denominational school, only about 25% of the kids are from our church. About half don't claim any religion. The teacher was struggling to find a course that would suit everyone. The one he chose was not only very 'touchy-feely' in that it often asked "how do you feel about ...", but my son felt (quite correctly) that it had a different view of God to what our church teaches. To him, it taught that we decide what we want, and if we work hard for it, God will give it to us. Nowhere did it ever mention seeking God's will first, but God seemed to be some sort of 'magic' friend who granted your wish if you really wanted it. It also had other elements that weren't traditional Christian views, but I suspect if I go into that aspect it will either offend people or start a debate - or both - so I'll leave it at that. My son's main complaint was that he had told us he didn't want to do the study, and we 'hadn't listened'. What he said was "I don't like Bible and I'm not going to do it". We responded - in typical parent fashion - "you can't just decide not to do schoolwork because you don't like it". So, deciding we wouldn't listen, he said no more. It wasn't until the year was over that he told us why he didn't like the course. Had he done so at the beginning, I would have been up at the school the next day to request he be allowed to do something else. He is at the moment going through a stage where he says he doesn't really want to think about religion at all. His words were "after 16 years of having it rammed down my throat at church and school, I just don't want to know". He is more advanced than most kids his age, so he does find it boring at times. He still reads his bible daily, and usually has a couple of books on religion or philosophy he is reading through at any time, so we are taking his declaration of being "over" religion as a comment on the school and church's teaching methods rather than lack of interest in religion itself. He is enjoying reading C S 's works at the moment, so we have decided not to tell him they are religious books and hope he doesn't notice This year he is not doing Bible, but instead doing a course on religion - looking at different religions, what they believe, how believers in different faiths form their ethical beliefs, different rituals, etc, and he thinks he will enjoy that more. It is part of the state curriculum, so it doesn't push any one religious view. He has talked to me a little bit about it, as I am doing my PhD in anthropology of religion, and he thought I might know "something" about it. It's nice when my son thinks I know something On 5/02/2011 5:10 AM, Deborah Hitchcock wrote:  , Just curious, you said: “. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time.†Is this a subject he normally excels in? I often wonder if my son already knows the material and is bored with the work or is simply not willing to listen because he already knows the work. I totally agree 100 percent of what you posted and over my son’s 13 years and his education wondered if this is a part of it as well. The teachers he has had over the years totally misunderstand and I have often relayed they needed further training in HIGH functioning Autism. Let’s face it, I believe my son has tons of potential and in a way he is falling behind because the schools don’t recognize or not willing to go the extra mile to reach that potential because it’s outside the box. Deb’s    From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Riley Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 4:47 PM To: Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public   From my experience - which may not apply to everyone - where there is no interest there will be no progress. My son in grade 6 would complain that his grade six reader was 'too hard' when he wasn't interested in the subject, but would read adult books (no, not that type of 'adult' book ) for fun becasue he was interested in the topic. The teacher also is important. If he doesn't get on with the teacher, there will not be any progress unless he finds another source of motivation. This has nothing to do with the teacher's ability or likeablility, it is just one of those indefinable things. Either your son will get on with a teacher, or he won't. In time he will learn to work better despite the teacher, but you can probably look forward to report cards like my son has gotten consistently for 11 years: A's when he likes the teacher and/or subject, C's (or worse) when he doesn't. He got 2 F's and one E in year 10 mostly on the basis of what he thought of the teacher. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time. Your son will eventually work out how to cope - with school work and with you  You need to accept that, while you can do everything you possibly can, some of the work has to be done by your son, and you cannot make him do it if he refuses. You can encourage, help, bribe, threaten and cajole (and we all do all of those things), but in the end your son has to do his work. I have seen the process from both sides, so I really do feel sympathy for you and your son. My report cards usually had lots of A's, and lots of comments along the lines of "could do better if paid more attention", "could do better if made more effort", etc. I visited almost every classroom in the school as my teachers tried different ways to get me to focus and not to chatter to those near me. They did eventually work out that sending me to another classsroom just gave me someone new tro talk to. A number of teachers told my mother I would never get anywhere if I didn't work harder. I have 2 degrees and have almost finished my PhD (almost on time!), so with persistence teachers can be proven wrong. But, to be honest, if my supervisors were asked to comment on my work, they would write much the same things as all my other teachers  I have learnt to work around both my Aspergers and the education system. I am sure your son will too, in time. the secret is in finding some form of internal motivation, and that takes time. This is a long way of saying that the location of learning may not be the biggest issue. Your son may do better with home-schooling, but he may not. I decided against it with my son. By age two we had a 'fighting' beanbag where we went and sat together and watched videos after fighting over anything (or, some days, everything). It was a very well used beanbag. I decided that someone else should have the pleasure of learning how to get my son to cooperate and work when he didn't want to. That way, I could be on his side (while trying to be objective). I am not convinced everyone copes well with being their child's teacher and parent. For some of us, it would just add more stress to the relationship. And, BTW, some days there isn't an up side to autism.  Some days it is just a pain in the butt and has to be endured. Some days I just keep repeating one of my grandfather's favourite sayings "This too shall pass". It always does - the days when you can see ways that autism is special in good ways come around again. On 2/02/2011 8:12 AM, wrote:  I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing).     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.  So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days.  From a very frustrated mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks for the reply . For what it’s worth, I graduated from a Christian School. I understand what you’re saying here. Are there any other subjects he has refused or just said he’s not going to do it? In our situation with religion; we currently do not attend but believe. It’s various reasons as to why but my son is one of the reasons. We don’t feel comfortable and now that he’s 13 he doesn’t attend like his sister does. It’s a long story but he believed he was going to H** because he thought he couldn’t behave. This was the start of it all. In class with the other peers at church he really stood out and it wasn’t meaningful to him. He’s been baptized and I wonder if I were to attend to a church with instruments i.e. guitars etc. and a good youth group that he thinks is cool and go places together. I would love that for him. It’s wonderful when your child knows you know something and ask you about it. What a wonderful way to spend some time together. Deb’s From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Riley Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 5:57 AM Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public The subject was his Bible class, taken by the same teacher that took him for Maths. He attends a Christian school, so it is compulsory all the way through. While it is a denominational school, only about 25% of the kids are from our church. About half don't claim any religion. The teacher was struggling to find a course that would suit everyone. The one he chose was not only very 'touchy-feely' in that it often asked " how do you feel about ... " , but my son felt (quite correctly) that it had a different view of God to what our church teaches. To him, it taught that we decide what we want, and if we work hard for it, God will give it to us. Nowhere did it ever mention seeking God's will first, but God seemed to be some sort of 'magic' friend who granted your wish if you really wanted it. It also had other elements that weren't traditional Christian views, but I suspect if I go into that aspect it will either offend people or start a debate - or both - so I'll leave it at that. My son's main complaint was that he had told us he didn't want to do the study, and we 'hadn't listened'. What he said was " I don't like Bible and I'm not going to do it " . We responded - in typical parent fashion - " you can't just decide not to do schoolwork because you don't like it " . So, deciding we wouldn't listen, he said no more. It wasn't until the year was over that he told us why he didn't like the course. Had he done so at the beginning, I would have been up at the school the next day to request he be allowed to do something else. He is at the moment going through a stage where he says he doesn't really want to think about religion at all. His words were " after 16 years of having it rammed down my throat at church and school, I just don't want to know " . He is more advanced than most kids his age, so he does find it boring at times. He still reads his bible daily, and usually has a couple of books on religion or philosophy he is reading through at any time, so we are taking his declaration of being " over " religion as a comment on the school and church's teaching methods rather than lack of interest in religion itself. He is enjoying reading C S 's works at the moment, so we have decided not to tell him they are religious books and hope he doesn't notice This year he is not doing Bible, but instead doing a course on religion - looking at different religions, what they believe, how believers in different faiths form their ethical beliefs, different rituals, etc, and he thinks he will enjoy that more. It is part of the state curriculum, so it doesn't push any one religious view. He has talked to me a little bit about it, as I am doing my PhD in anthropology of religion, and he thought I might know " something " about it. It's nice when my son thinks I know something On 5/02/2011 5:10 AM, Deborah Hitchcock wrote: , Just curious, you said: “. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time.” Is this a subject he normally excels in? I often wonder if my son already knows the material and is bored with the work or is simply not willing to listen because he already knows the work. I totally agree 100 percent of what you posted and over my son’s 13 years and his education wondered if this is a part of it as well. The teachers he has had over the years totally misunderstand and I have often relayed they needed further training in HIGH functioning Autism. Let’s face it, I believe my son has tons of potential and in a way he is falling behind because the schools don’t recognize or not willing to go the extra mile to reach that potential because it’s outside the box. Deb’s From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Riley Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 4:47 PM Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public From my experience - which may not apply to everyone - where there is no interest there will be no progress. My son in grade 6 would complain that his grade six reader was 'too hard' when he wasn't interested in the subject, but would read adult books (no, not that type of 'adult' book ) for fun becasue he was interested in the topic. The teacher also is important. If he doesn't get on with the teacher, there will not be any progress unless he finds another source of motivation. This has nothing to do with the teacher's ability or likeablility, it is just one of those indefinable things. Either your son will get on with a teacher, or he won't. In time he will learn to work better despite the teacher, but you can probably look forward to report cards like my son has gotten consistently for 11 years: A's when he likes the teacher and/or subject, C's (or worse) when he doesn't. He got 2 F's and one E in year 10 mostly on the basis of what he thought of the teacher. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time. Your son will eventually work out how to cope - with school work and with you You need to accept that, while you can do everything you possibly can, some of the work has to be done by your son, and you cannot make him do it if he refuses. You can encourage, help, bribe, threaten and cajole (and we all do all of those things), but in the end your son has to do his work. I have seen the process from both sides, so I really do feel sympathy for you and your son. My report cards usually had lots of A's, and lots of comments along the lines of " could do better if paid more attention " , " could do better if made more effort " , etc. I visited almost every classroom in the school as my teachers tried different ways to get me to focus and not to chatter to those near me. They did eventually work out that sending me to another classsroom just gave me someone new tro talk to. A number of teachers told my mother I would never get anywhere if I didn't work harder. I have 2 degrees and have almost finished my PhD (almost on time!), so with persistence teachers can be proven wrong. But, to be honest, if my supervisors were asked to comment on my work, they would write much the same things as all my other teachers I have learnt to work around both my Aspergers and the education system. I am sure your son will too, in time. the secret is in finding some form of internal motivation, and that takes time. This is a long way of saying that the location of learning may not be the biggest issue. Your son may do better with home-schooling, but he may not. I decided against it with my son. By age two we had a 'fighting' beanbag where we went and sat together and watched videos after fighting over anything (or, some days, everything). It was a very well used beanbag. I decided that someone else should have the pleasure of learning how to get my son to cooperate and work when he didn't want to. That way, I could be on his side (while trying to be objective). I am not convinced everyone copes well with being their child's teacher and parent. For some of us, it would just add more stress to the relationship. And, BTW, some days there isn't an up side to autism. Some days it is just a pain in the butt and has to be endured. Some days I just keep repeating one of my grandfather's favourite sayings " This too shall pass " . It always does - the days when you can see ways that autism is special in good ways come around again. On 2/02/2011 8:12 AM, wrote: I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing). Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days. From a very frustrated mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 He also failed science. He believed his teacher didn't know what he was doing. The teacher also didn't know what the kids were doing. He was a maths teacher on a 1 year contract to fill in as a science teacher. Probably not a good idea. Ben almost passed - he got 47%, which was made up of his exam mark + 2.5 marks he got for the 2 pieces of work he did hand in. The funny thing us, he is taking physics and chemistry this year. He has good tteachers for both, so we are hopeful. Ben still attends church when he is rostered on to work the computer. As that is every 3-4 weeks, he goes fairly regularly. He also goes once in awhile to please his mother. We attend a contemporary service, so we have a band, etc, every week. Some of his friends play in the bands, so that helps a little. He won't attend any youth programs, but he knows most of the leaders and they stay in touch with him. I am one of the worship planners, so he knows not to complain too much about worship On 6/02/2011 3:21 PM, Deborah Hitchcock wrote:  Thanks for the reply . For what it’s worth, I graduated from a Christian School. I understand what you’re saying here. Are there any other subjects he has refused or just said he’s not going to do it?  In our situation with religion; we currently do not attend but believe. It’s various reasons as to why but my son is one of the reasons. We don’t feel comfortable and now that he’s 13 he doesn’t attend like his sister does. It’s a long story but he believed he was going to H** because he thought he couldn’t behave. This was the start of it all. In class with the other peers at church he really stood out and it wasn’t meaningful to him. He’s been baptized and I wonder if I were to attend to a church with instruments i.e. guitars etc. and a good youth group that he thinks is cool and go places together. I would love that for him. It’s wonderful when your child knows you know something and ask you about it. What a wonderful way to spend some time together.  Deb’s   From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Riley Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 5:57 AM To: Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public   The subject was his Bible class, taken by the same teacher that took him for Maths. He attends a Christian school, so it is compulsory all the way through. While it is a denominational school, only about 25% of the kids are from our church. About half don't claim any religion. The teacher was struggling to find a course that would suit everyone. The one he chose was not only very 'touchy-feely' in that it often asked "how do you feel about ...", but my son felt (quite correctly) that it had a different view of God to what our church teaches. To him, it taught that we decide what we want, and if we work hard for it, God will give it to us. Nowhere did it ever mention seeking God's will first, but God seemed to be some sort of 'magic' friend who granted your wish if you really wanted it. It also had other elements that weren't traditional Christian views, but I suspect if I go into that aspect it will either offend people or start a debate - or both - so I'll leave it at that. My son's main complaint was that he had told us he didn't want to do the study, and we 'hadn't listened'. What he said was "I don't like Bible and I'm not going to do it". We responded - in typical parent fashion - "you can't just decide not to do schoolwork because you don't like it". So, deciding we wouldn't listen, he said no more. It wasn't until the year was over that he told us why he didn't like the course. Had he done so at the beginning, I would have been up at the school the next day to request he be allowed to do something else. He is at the moment going through a stage where he says he doesn't really want to think about religion at all. His words were "after 16 years of having it rammed down my throat at church and school, I just don't want to know". He is more advanced than most kids his age, so he does find it boring at times. He still reads his bible daily, and usually has a couple of books on religion or philosophy he is reading through at any time, so we are taking his declaration of being "over" religion as a comment on the school and church's teaching methods rather than lack of interest in religion itself. He is enjoying reading C S 's works at the moment, so we have decided not to tell him they are religious books and hope he doesn't notice This year he is not doing Bible, but instead doing a course on religion - looking at different religions, what they believe, how believers in different faiths form their ethical beliefs, different rituals, etc, and he thinks he will enjoy that more. It is part of the state curriculum, so it doesn't push any one religious view. He has talked to me a little bit about it, as I am doing my PhD in anthropology of religion, and he thought I might know "something" about it. It's nice when my son thinks I know something On 5/02/2011 5:10 AM, Deborah Hitchcock wrote:  , Just curious, you said: “. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time.†Is this a subject he normally excels in? I often wonder if my son already knows the material and is bored with the work or is simply not willing to listen because he already knows the work. I totally agree 100 percent of what you posted and over my son’s 13 years and his education wondered if this is a part of it as well. The teachers he has had over the years totally misunderstand and I have often relayed they needed further training in HIGH functioning Autism. Let’s face it, I believe my son has tons of potential and in a way he is falling behind because the schools don’t recognize or not willing to go the extra mile to reach that potential because it’s outside the box. Deb’s    From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Riley Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 4:47 PM To: Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public   From my experience - which may not apply to everyone - where there is no interest there will be no progress. My son in grade 6 would complain that his grade six reader was 'too hard' when he wasn't interested in the subject, but would read adult books (no, not that type of 'adult' book ) for fun becasue he was interested in the topic. The teacher also is important. If he doesn't get on with the teacher, there will not be any progress unless he finds another source of motivation. This has nothing to do with the teacher's ability or likeablility, it is just one of those indefinable things. Either your son will get on with a teacher, or he won't. In time he will learn to work better despite the teacher, but you can probably look forward to report cards like my son has gotten consistently for 11 years: A's when he likes the teacher and/or subject, C's (or worse) when he doesn't. He got 2 F's and one E in year 10 mostly on the basis of what he thought of the teacher. One of the F's was with the same teacher as his A+ - he thought the subject was a waste of time and he doesn't waste his time. Your son will eventually work out how to cope - with school work and with you  You need to accept that, while you can do everything you possibly can, some of the work has to be done by your son, and you cannot make him do it if he refuses. You can encourage, help, bribe, threaten and cajole (and we all do all of those things), but in the end your son has to do his work. I have seen the process from both sides, so I really do feel sympathy for you and your son. My report cards usually had lots of A's, and lots of comments along the lines of "could do better if paid more attention", "could do better if made more effort", etc. I visited almost every classroom in the school as my teachers tried different ways to get me to focus and not to chatter to those near me. They did eventually work out that sending me to another classsroom just gave me someone new tro talk to. A number of teachers told my mother I would never get anywhere if I didn't work harder. I have 2 degrees and have almost finished my PhD (almost on time!), so with persistence teachers can be proven wrong. But, to be honest, if my supervisors were asked to comment on my work, they would write much the same things as all my other teachers  I have learnt to work around both my Aspergers and the education system. I am sure your son will too, in time. the secret is in finding some form of internal motivation, and that takes time. This is a long way of saying that the location of learning may not be the biggest issue. Your son may do better with home-schooling, but he may not. I decided against it with my son. By age two we had a 'fighting' beanbag where we went and sat together and watched videos after fighting over anything (or, some days, everything). It was a very well used beanbag. I decided that someone else should have the pleasure of learning how to get my son to cooperate and work when he didn't want to. That way, I could be on his side (while trying to be objective). I am not convinced everyone copes well with being their child's teacher and parent. For some of us, it would just add more stress to the relationship. And, BTW, some days there isn't an up side to autism.  Some days it is just a pain in the butt and has to be endured. Some days I just keep repeating one of my grandfather's favourite sayings "This too shall pass". It always does - the days when you can see ways that autism is special in good ways come around again. On 2/02/2011 8:12 AM, wrote:  I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle of wills thing).     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.  So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of those days.  From a very frustrated mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 My son has a real problem with math. Since he started homeschooling he has done much better in every area He was failing geometry in public school and got an A in his independent studies . His IEP carried over since it's part of the school district. he goes in for an hour or so of instruction twice a week. He has a resource teacher once a week. The advantage is he gets to choose his core subjects. for instance with English he has a list of topics that counts towards English. Same for History etc.. So he chooses topics that interest him. He learns home ec and social skills from me. Going to work with his dad counts as business.He can do what ever he wants for PE. He's been doing it for a month and it really seems to be a great fit. He takes one subject at a time and when he finishes moves on to another. We have some great museums and we are planning a field trip soon. -Son B 15,ASP 10th grd. Starting a charter school in Jan. From: JAMES W <cmurray326@...>Subject: Re: homeschool vs. publicAutism and Aspergers Treatment Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 7:20 PM Hi everyone:This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar.Thanks, : )>> I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________> From: <chadderboxesmom@...>> Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM> Subject: homeschool vs. public> >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.> > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days.> > From a very frustrated mom.>------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I totally agree with kevin about 7th grade .7 th grade was my worst year ever. My son also had some problems entering 10th grade. -Son B 15,ASP 10th grd. Starting a charter school in Jan. Hi everyone:This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar.Thanks, : )>> I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy. By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink. She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area. Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________> From: <chadderboxesmom@...>> Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM> Subject: homeschool vs. public> > > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > > Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.> > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days.> > From a very frustrated mom.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 What might help your son with math is to give it to him in small doses. Instead of giving him 20 problems to do at once; start with five, and then do a second and third session later in the day. If you normally do an hour of math a day, just break it up into three 20-minute sessions. I know this isn't always possible, but it helps my son who has attention issues along with Aspergers. I'm homeschooling my two sons, so I know some days are harder than other. The other thing that I do some days is take the work outside. I don't know why this works, but doing math at a picnic table in the park is easier for my son than doing it at his desk or the kitchen table. Luckily, I live in Southern California, so the weather allows us to do this all year. Good luck. Thanks, Lora Autism and Aspergers Treatment From: cmurray326@...Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 03:20:37 +0000Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public Hi everyone:This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar.Thanks, : )>> I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________> From: <chadderboxesmom@...>> Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM> Subject: homeschool vs. public> >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, "C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet.> > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days.> > From a very frustrated mom.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Music with headphones and chewing gum helps. Is this a BIG no no for you’re parenting? Understand our children need stimulation. An ADHD child most definitely and AS children! Try letting the child choose his/her own music and with promises they can use the music player and gum (sugar free if u choose) if they are to do the work but let them know it’s a privilege! If they aren’t doing the work then the headphones/gum are taken away. Once they do a small amount of problems, try letting them chew on something i.e. gum, sucker etc. In addition to chewing and music you may try a computer chair so that they can swirl/twirl this allows them to fidget. Sit back and watch do some observation. Don’t get on to them let them do it their way, say nothing when they twirl or bounce. Observe only. The reason being is to allowing them to make these movements, it will help their concentration so that they can get more done and hopefully without you being the police and shadowing them. Try it, sit back and watch. Don’t have a computer chair? Remember the bouncy balls? Stimulate them with the big bouncy balls….the ones we had when we were kids with a handle? Let them sit on these while doing their work they can roll around while sitting their on their bottoms creates stimulation. You may need a lower table/ coffee table etc for the right height. The balls allows them to roll with their behinds on the ball, bounce if they want to (slightly) because they can’t do big movements and write it restricts them in a way and also distracts them with allowing them to move at the same time. Make sense? I hope Im saying this right! A routine of exercise before the work calms them down enough to be willing to get it done with the props that I mentioned above. If you have a daily routine like we did (even though it was really tough for me to get my kids started and continue doing this…it takes time) walking, riding bike, bouncing on trampoline etc., it does something to their brains and they are more willing (with being told their schedule; “we are going on a bike ride and when we return we will do our math” after you return from exercise tell them it’s now time for math. Then do the five problems at intervals. Then sit back and watch, observe from a distance, tweak to whatever works for the child. I had to make it fun and walk with them and we played games along the way and I taught them safety rules of the road along the way. I’ve even did this in the rain so that the routine would stick. They were always reluctant but once we got going it worked. Besides it was good quality time with them. With exception of my children’s ages (big age difference) so it was hard to walk slow because of the smaller one and the older one wanting to do races and get far beyond us. This is when I allowed the bicycle to come in to play with the little one. Then the older one (not understanding his little sister can’t do the things he does) wanted to race. Anyway, we got through it and I found it was relaxing homework/ during this period it was summer and I was trying on home school before school began to see if I wanted to do this for them each. It worked for us and homework/school work was not as bad as it was before! I realize some of you are Home School but perhaps an exercise program “before” that tough subject that’s been so hard before may help. If you do this stick to a routine! Debs From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Lora JB Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 6:05 PM Autism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: RE: Re: homeschool vs. public What might help your son with math is to give it to him in small doses. Instead of giving him 20 problems to do at once; start with five, and then do a second and third session later in the day. If you normally do an hour of math a day, just break it up into three 20-minute sessions. I know this isn't always possible, but it helps my son who has attention issues along with Aspergers. I'm homeschooling my two sons, so I know some days are harder than other. The other thing that I do some days is take the work outside. I don't know why this works, but doing math at a picnic table in the park is easier for my son than doing it at his desk or the kitchen table. Luckily, I live in Southern California, so the weather allows us to do this all year. Good luck. Thanks, Lora Autism and Aspergers Treatment From: cmurray326@... Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 03:20:37 +0000 Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public Hi everyone: This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks, : ) > > I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________ > From: <chadderboxesmom@...> > Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM > Subject: homeschool vs. public > >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days. > > From a very frustrated mom. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks so much for this! I start K12 with my son today, and needed to figure out a daily routine, and this helps TONS!!! We tried public school, but because of all my son's disabilities, his fear of germs, acting younger emotionally... I am scared for him to start Jr. High next year, and I know it won't work for him! Lately at his regular school he hasn't been doing any of his work, because he has a very hard time with reading comprehension, so he doesn't understand the written instructions, and his teachers can't give him 'one on one'. In Utah it is really hard to get an Aide for him. Lately, he has also been 'wandering' the halls at school, and recently they lost him at school! It didn't take long for them to find him, but it was a very scary experience! Last month we put him on a waiting list for K12, and he was approved last week! I am nervous and feeling overwhelmed about doing this, but when I think about Jr. High next year, that really scares me a lot more! At least now, I can give him the 'one on one' he needs, and the curriculum is already planned out for us. Thanks again!Jenn On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 10:28 PM, Deborah Hitchcock <debshitchcock@...> wrote: Music with headphones and chewing gum helps. Is this a BIG no no for you’re parenting? Understand our children need stimulation. An ADHD child most definitely and AS children! Try letting the child choose his/her own music and with promises they can use the music player and gum (sugar free if u choose) if they are to do the work but let them know it’s a privilege! If they aren’t doing the work then the headphones/gum are taken away. Once they do a small amount of problems, try letting them chew on something i.e. gum, sucker etc. In addition to chewing and music you may try a computer chair so that they can swirl/twirl this allows them to fidget. Sit back and watch do some observation. Don’t get on to them let them do it their way, say nothing when they twirl or bounce. Observe only. The reason being is to allowing them to make these movements, it will help their concentration so that they can get more done and hopefully without you being the police and shadowing them. Try it, sit back and watch. Don’t have a computer chair? Remember the bouncy balls? Stimulate them with the big bouncy balls….the ones we had when we were kids with a handle? Let them sit on these while doing their work they can roll around while sitting their on their bottoms creates stimulation. You may need a lower table/ coffee table etc for the right height. The balls allows them to roll with their behinds on the ball, bounce if they want to (slightly) because they can’t do big movements and write it restricts them in a way and also distracts them with allowing them to move at the same time. Make sense? I hope Im saying this right! A routine of exercise before the work calms them down enough to be willing to get it done with the props that I mentioned above. If you have a daily routine like we did (even though it was really tough for me to get my kids started and continue doing this…it takes time) walking, riding bike, bouncing on trampoline etc., it does something to their brains and they are more willing (with being told their schedule; “we are going on a bike ride and when we return we will do our math” after you return from exercise tell them it’s now time for math. Then do the five problems at intervals. Then sit back and watch, observe from a distance, tweak to whatever works for the child. I had to make it fun and walk with them and we played games along the way and I taught them safety rules of the road along the way. I’ve even did this in the rain so that the routine would stick. They were always reluctant but once we got going it worked. Besides it was good quality time with them. With exception of my children’s ages (big age difference) so it was hard to walk slow because of the smaller one and the older one wanting to do races and get far beyond us. This is when I allowed the bicycle to come in to play with the little one. Then the older one (not understanding his little sister can’t do the things he does) wanted to race. Anyway, we got through it and I found it was relaxing homework/ during this period it was summer and I was trying on home school before school began to see if I wanted to do this for them each. It worked for us and homework/school work was not as bad as it was before! I realize some of you are Home School but perhaps an exercise program “before” that tough subject that’s been so hard before may help. If you do this stick to a routine! Debs From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Lora JB Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 6:05 PMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: RE: Re: homeschool vs. public What might help your son with math is to give it to him in small doses. Instead of giving him 20 problems to do at once; start with five, and then do a second and third session later in the day. If you normally do an hour of math a day, just break it up into three 20-minute sessions. I know this isn't always possible, but it helps my son who has attention issues along with Aspergers. I'm homeschooling my two sons, so I know some days are harder than other. The other thing that I do some days is take the work outside. I don't know why this works, but doing math at a picnic table in the park is easier for my son than doing it at his desk or the kitchen table. Luckily, I live in Southern California, so the weather allows us to do this all year. Good luck. Thanks,Lora Autism and Aspergers Treatment From: cmurray326@... Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 03:20:37 +0000Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public Hi everyone:This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks, : )>> I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________> From: <chadderboxesmom@...>> Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM> Subject: homeschool vs. public> >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days.> > From a very frustrated mom.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks so much for this! I start K12 with my son today, and needed to figure out a daily routine, and this helps TONS!!! We tried public school, but because of all my son's disabilities, his fear of germs, acting younger emotionally... I am scared for him to start Jr. High next year, and I know it won't work for him! Lately at his regular school he hasn't been doing any of his work, because he has a very hard time with reading comprehension, so he doesn't understand the written instructions, and his teachers can't give him 'one on one'. In Utah it is really hard to get an Aide for him. Lately, he has also been 'wandering' the halls at school, and recently they lost him at school! It didn't take long for them to find him, but it was a very scary experience! Last month we put him on a waiting list for K12, and he was approved last week! I am nervous and feeling overwhelmed about doing this, but when I think about Jr. High next year, that really scares me a lot more! At least now, I can give him the 'one on one' he needs, and the curriculum is already planned out for us. Thanks again!Jenn On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 10:28 PM, Deborah Hitchcock <debshitchcock@...> wrote: Music with headphones and chewing gum helps. Is this a BIG no no for you’re parenting? Understand our children need stimulation. An ADHD child most definitely and AS children! Try letting the child choose his/her own music and with promises they can use the music player and gum (sugar free if u choose) if they are to do the work but let them know it’s a privilege! If they aren’t doing the work then the headphones/gum are taken away. Once they do a small amount of problems, try letting them chew on something i.e. gum, sucker etc. In addition to chewing and music you may try a computer chair so that they can swirl/twirl this allows them to fidget. Sit back and watch do some observation. Don’t get on to them let them do it their way, say nothing when they twirl or bounce. Observe only. The reason being is to allowing them to make these movements, it will help their concentration so that they can get more done and hopefully without you being the police and shadowing them. Try it, sit back and watch. Don’t have a computer chair? Remember the bouncy balls? Stimulate them with the big bouncy balls….the ones we had when we were kids with a handle? Let them sit on these while doing their work they can roll around while sitting their on their bottoms creates stimulation. You may need a lower table/ coffee table etc for the right height. The balls allows them to roll with their behinds on the ball, bounce if they want to (slightly) because they can’t do big movements and write it restricts them in a way and also distracts them with allowing them to move at the same time. Make sense? I hope Im saying this right! A routine of exercise before the work calms them down enough to be willing to get it done with the props that I mentioned above. If you have a daily routine like we did (even though it was really tough for me to get my kids started and continue doing this…it takes time) walking, riding bike, bouncing on trampoline etc., it does something to their brains and they are more willing (with being told their schedule; “we are going on a bike ride and when we return we will do our math” after you return from exercise tell them it’s now time for math. Then do the five problems at intervals. Then sit back and watch, observe from a distance, tweak to whatever works for the child. I had to make it fun and walk with them and we played games along the way and I taught them safety rules of the road along the way. I’ve even did this in the rain so that the routine would stick. They were always reluctant but once we got going it worked. Besides it was good quality time with them. With exception of my children’s ages (big age difference) so it was hard to walk slow because of the smaller one and the older one wanting to do races and get far beyond us. This is when I allowed the bicycle to come in to play with the little one. Then the older one (not understanding his little sister can’t do the things he does) wanted to race. Anyway, we got through it and I found it was relaxing homework/ during this period it was summer and I was trying on home school before school began to see if I wanted to do this for them each. It worked for us and homework/school work was not as bad as it was before! I realize some of you are Home School but perhaps an exercise program “before” that tough subject that’s been so hard before may help. If you do this stick to a routine! Debs From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Lora JB Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 6:05 PMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: RE: Re: homeschool vs. public What might help your son with math is to give it to him in small doses. Instead of giving him 20 problems to do at once; start with five, and then do a second and third session later in the day. If you normally do an hour of math a day, just break it up into three 20-minute sessions. I know this isn't always possible, but it helps my son who has attention issues along with Aspergers. I'm homeschooling my two sons, so I know some days are harder than other. The other thing that I do some days is take the work outside. I don't know why this works, but doing math at a picnic table in the park is easier for my son than doing it at his desk or the kitchen table. Luckily, I live in Southern California, so the weather allows us to do this all year. Good luck. Thanks,Lora Autism and Aspergers Treatment From: cmurray326@... Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 03:20:37 +0000Subject: Re: homeschool vs. public Hi everyone:This is new to us too. I have been homeschooling since my son has been in fifth grade and wanted to ask if these characteristics sound familiar. He did fine in school up until 7th grade. He was a little behind in math and now he does well in English/Social Studies but falls apart with math. He really gets upset and all he can think about is the amount of work to do instead of focusing on the one problem. The same thing is happening with directions. Sometimes he is just not understanding them and if he doesn't see its importance he gets frustrated. He was diagnosed with just ADHD when he was little but they recently mentioned Asperger's. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks, : )>> I homeschool, and have done so before I had a diagnosis. My daughter is 10 and > has Aspergers. Some days (like today) can be a huge struggle. Some days (like > today) I just want to scream (ok, I admit, I did already) and send her down the > street to the public school. There are several reasons why I just can't bring > myself to do so: 1) She's all over the place academically, very bright, reads > ahead, poor comprehension, no understanding of phrases, excellent use of > vocabulary but doesn't understand the meanings when someone else uses them, > terrified of math and is 2 years behind. At home, I can address each one of > these issues by meeting her where she is instead of her having to get lost in a > group environment. 2) Her self esteem is healthy.  By being able to supervise > all of her socializing, I can ensure she is around kids who help build her up > instead of tearing her down. 3) Along the same lines, healthy examples of > correct behavior. Having a girl Aspie, they tend to imitate so it's vitally > important that she has kids around her who are presenting positive behavior. 4) > No IEP's! I'll admit, I've never had to go through the process, but I've read > more than my share of others experiences. A lot can be said for not having to > fight for accomodations in a classroom. My daughter can appear so NT and > functions fairly well in a classroom that I know it would be a battle for her to > get any services. 5) Our local schools stink.  She's 5th grade, which is middle > school in our area.  Our local middle school is well known for dealing with > issues like sex, pregnancy, drugs and gangs. Simply put, she's safer at home. > > > There are other reasons, but I won't bore you with the details. My point is, > you have to weigh out all the pro's and cons. On one hand, it sounds really > nice to give over control to another adult during the day, but at the end of the > day you still have to deal with the results. It's nice to be fully in control > of your child's education, to address problems as soon as you see them, and > to make accomodations where necessary. You can switch up styles, curriculum, > pacing, methods, even location. You can let them run around between subjects, > or between math problems, they can eat a snack in your classroom, and they can > regulate their environment better (no flourescents, no other children to > distract, no school bells ringing and interrupting.) But it's not easy! > > > Kiara > > > > > ________________________________> From: <chadderboxesmom@...>> Autism and Aspergers Treatment > Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 3:12:53 PM> Subject: homeschool vs. public> >  > I would like to know who homeschools and who uses public school. The reason for > this is because report cards came out again and he is below level on reading and > math. My son is in a room specifically designed for children with autism. Now > after seeing his S/N report card (he's in first so they don't have letter grades > for that level yet). I was told they were pushed at school and he was being > disagreeable with them. So I decided to let up at home and let him veg out when > he got here. Also b/c we just recently had a baby (shortly after school > started). The first 9 weeks grading period came out and we decided that it was > a combination of him having ADHD and the new baby. I also thought that it may > have something to do with the fact that he and teacher may not get along (battle > of wills thing). > >     Now today I get the 2nd 9 weeks report card and as I said earlier, he is > still working at below level and the comment reads as follows, " C is continuing > to chatter in class or else gazes into space and is unresponsive. He appears to > be more calm in the afternoon, but has NO interest in doing ANY schoolwork. He > will sometimes respond verbally-and then fades out again. We work one on one > with him everyday-but most of the time he refuses to co-operate. We will > continue to work w/ him. When he does respond, he is very bright & very sweet. > > So apparently I need to supplement him at home (which I will never forgive > myself for stopping in the first place) any recommendations on a curriculum? I > pulled out one of his level K readers and he read a word here or there. He > acted like he didn't know how to read, yet if it something he wants to find on > the internet to watch he can read through lists of words to find the one he > wants, but can't read words like mom or mop? Come on, what's the deal? Why > does this have to be such a fight constantly? He's frustrated, I'm frustrated > and it just ends in a fight and both of us crying. WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO > HARD??? Somedays I can see the speciality in autism, today is just not one of > those days.> > From a very frustrated mom.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.