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Alternative Education for Aspergers and HFA Students

"We've had a rough school year with our son (6 year old with high functioning autism). So glad it's coming to a close in a couple weeks! My husband and I are seriously considering some alternate form of education for him in the next school year. What have other parents done in a situation where the school is simply not meeting their child's special needs?"

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More resources for parents of children and teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism:

6 comments:

Bethany said...

Thank you for this article. I chose to remove my 10 yr old son from PS last fall. Many factors including peer issues/teasing, intense stress for my son and a lack of help/understanding from the school led to our choice. He has changed so much for the better and is finally able to have positive social encounters. He is also learning much better now than he ever did in PS. For us, it was the best decision ever to chose homeschooling for him!

Anonymous said...

Vera Melianovich AMEN! You took the words right out of my mouth! What a battle last year trying to get the school, my son's teacher (who was a FIRST year teacher....not good!) to understand my son's needs.....and the bullying and teasing is the worst when the staff allows it :( I am currently exploring other alternatives..
4 hours ago · Like
Hilary Ann Baird oh yea Im 24 and was just diagnosed with aspergers and the teachers allowed me to get bullied as well

Anonymous said...

Jessica Swift Great article but might be good to mention that the supervision of homeschooling you described varies from state to state. Our state does NOT supply the curriculum, and it also doesn't monitor our progress. We love homeschooling as an alternative, and after a horrible time fighting teachers just during pre-k, we left the public school system and never looked back!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous is right - Homeschooling laws are different from state, and in some places different from town to town.
For instance, my state does not provide any curriculum or reimburse me for my homeschool expenses (though some states do).
My Aspie son loves homeschooling and would never go back to school full time if given the choice.

WAHAUF said...

I have been looking into a variety of Virtual Charter Academies as a solution to our problem. Our 16 year old Aspy son has refused to go to public school for months now, ever since moving from Houston, TX to Pittsburgh, PA, mostly because the school and classroom setting brings up a flood of memories of his old school, for which he pines, causing massive headaches. He doesn't believe an online school would be much better, but we have to try. Unfortunately, it is too late in the school year to transition. He needs an alternative way to try to catch up over the summer. What to do?
I also worry he and his stay-at-home mother have the self-discipline and drive to do it consistently.

Unknown said...

my son similiar problem. - "home instruction" can be implemented right away within the IEP - In Southern Calif orange county.

My child has been rejected by his peers, ridiculed and bullied !!!

Social rejection has devastating effects in many areas of functioning. Because the ASD child tends to internalize how others treat him, rejection damages self-esteem and often causes anxiety and depression. As the child feels worse about himself and becomes more anxious and depressed – he performs worse, socially and intellectually.

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How to Prevent Meltdowns in Children on the Spectrum

Meltdowns are not a pretty sight. They are somewhat like overblown temper tantrums, but unlike tantrums, meltdowns can last anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour. When it starts, the Asperger's or HFA child is totally out-of-control. When it ends, both you and your child are totally exhausted. But... don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. At the least provocation, for the remainder of that day -- and sometimes into the next - the meltdown can return in full force.

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Parenting Defiant Teens on the Spectrum

Although Aspergers [high-functioning autism] is at the milder end of the autism spectrum, the challenges parents face when disciplining a teenager on the spectrum are more difficult than they would be with an average teen. Complicated by defiant behavior, the teen is at risk for even greater difficulties on multiple levels – unless the parents’ disciplinary techniques are tailored to their child's special needs.

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Older Teens and Young Adult Children with ASD Still Living At Home

Your older teenager or young “adult child” isn’t sure what to do, and he is asking you for money every few days. How do you cut the purse strings and teach him to be independent? Parents of teens with ASD face many problems that other parents do not. Time is running out for teaching their adolescent how to become an independent adult. As one mother put it, "There's so little time, yet so much left to do."

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Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

Two traits often found in kids with High-Functioning Autism are “mind-blindness” (i.e., the inability to predict the beliefs and intentions of others) and “alexithymia” (i.e., the inability to identify and interpret emotional signals in others). These two traits reduce the youngster’s ability to empathize with peers. As a result, he or she may be perceived by adults and other children as selfish, insensitive and uncaring.

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to read the full article...

Highly Effective Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children with Asperger's and HFA

Become an expert in helping your child cope with his or her “out-of-control” emotions, inability to make and keep friends, stress, anger, thinking errors, and resistance to change.

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