suggest best homeschool methods for Aspie

Page 1 of 2 [ 21 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

aann
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 19 Nov 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 486

13 Jan 2011, 8:43 am

Thanks so much for all your replies. Each is helpful.

Bittersweet, thanks much for your posting. I really think this would be best for my son , but I have no idea how I'd pull together all those subjects myself. Sounds like a ton of work and I would have no idea if I am teaching at the right level. If you have any examples of how you go about coming up wih lesson plans, please let me know.



bittersweetaffinity
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 8 Jan 2011
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 31

13 Jan 2011, 2:14 pm

It's not as hard as it sounds just think about all the aspects of the subject he is interested and pick it apart in reverse and then rebuild the different aspects into lessons. I use the internet to give me ideas sometimes or I just come up with them on my own. We did this really fun lesson a couple of weeks ago (before I really figured out about the AS diagnosis) where she had to go through the Help Wanted section of the newspaper and make a list of all the traits or adjectives that employers listed as desirable traits for their employees. We spent a lot of time talking about why those traits might be important to the business, co-workers, and customers. She seemed to get a lot out of the conversation. Then we took it a step farther outlining which traits she was strong in and which ones needed improvement and planned a couple of activities to improve the things that needed work. We also went places to observe those behaviors in action. I don't work on the assumption of grade level, and the reason that I don't is because she is way over her peers in a lot of things and I think if she expresses an interest in learning about something she is ready to learn it. She is my guide, if I plan something that is way to intense we'll break from it and do a puzzle or something, if I plan something and it's too easy she asks me a lot of questions that shows me she already understands what I am telling her and is ready to move on to bigger bits of information. Sometimes I don't know the information myself, and I tell her to go find the answer to that question and teach it me. :) The thing I have noticed with her is that once she understands it, makes a few connections with it, she's done. The information is encoded and her brain has already moved on. It is pretty pointless to test her so I don't keep grades. In math after she has seen 1-2 examples and done one problem correctly without guidance she knows it. We are fortunate to live in Illinois where there really aren't many rules for homeschoolers. I keep a log sheet every week of what we've done, resources we used, and activities and that is enough for us. I know some states are much more rigid. I also know with my daughter there really is no MAKING her do anything. If she doesn't want to do it, there is really no amount of coaxing, cajoling, or forcing her that works and yields successful results. I hate it when people say "You're the mom, just make her". I have never quite worked out how that's done, I don't know if it's due to her AS or I am just lousy, I don't know. When she was very little I taught her the fine art of negotiation because as demanding and inflexible as she was I felt like it was the only thing that was going to help her get by in this world. My husband thinks I created a monster because now she's so good at it, it always comes out in her favor, but I think if I can get her to do anything at all that she otherwise wouldn't have then I've won too. But anyway that sounds like another topic for another day. I can provide you with the outline for our log sheet if you'd like, it helps put your thoughts in order.



aann
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 19 Nov 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 486

13 Jan 2011, 3:01 pm

Thanks for this. You wrote: "with my daughter there really is no MAKING her do anything." My son is the same way but only 9 yo. I decided to try Time4learning to give me a break for a while and get my head wrapped around the unschooling idea. I've been sick so we aren't doing very well. He's waking me up and then screaming at me if I try to help him. Unschooling may be the way to go, but we'll still be in trouble when I'm sick. My county has loose application of homeschool law so I'm okay there. I just can't see me figuring out what he needs to learn - this will take so much attention and I fear I don't have it. Yeah, see if you can send me an outline of a log sheet if you think that will help.
Thanks so much!



aann
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 19 Nov 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 486

13 Jan 2011, 3:18 pm

Thanks for this. You wrote: "with my daughter there really is no MAKING her do anything." My son is the same way but only 9 yo. I decided to try Time4learning to give me a break for a while and get my head wrapped around the unschooling idea. I've been sick so we aren't doing very well. He's waking me up and then screaming at me if I try to help him. Unschooling may be the way to go, but we'll still be in trouble when I'm sick. My county has loose application of homeschool law so I'm okay there. I just can't see me figuring out what he needs to learn - this will take so much attention and I fear I don't have it. Yeah, see if you can send me an outline of a log sheet if you think that will help.
Thanks so much!



Todesking
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Age: 53
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,088
Location: Depew NY

13 Jan 2011, 3:24 pm

I still think homeschooling can end up hurting an autistic child in the long run. The kid needs to learn how to interact with a wide variety of people that includes bullies and other assorted @ssholes. School was a place I went to be picked on and tormented but I eventually learned to defend myself verbally and physically. Even after all that torment I went through I would have to say I was better off for it. When I went into the work force I thought my days of bullying were over and I was wrong. They only got worse on the job I could not hit my bully like I did in high school so I had to go after my bullies verbally. My insult skills were sharpend in high school dealing with idiots who could not stand up to my high verbal IQ. :wink: Home school your kid and he will have even worse social skills and the employees at his first job will make his life a hell like in school.


_________________
There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die -Hunter S. Thompson


bittersweetaffinity
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 8 Jan 2011
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 31

15 Jan 2011, 9:51 am

First let me say sorry Todesking that people are so mean and cruel. There are parts of me that wonder if homeschooling is right for my child or if I am over-protecting her. We didn't and still don't plan on doing this forever but if I hadn't done it my daughter probably would have killed herself, she was at that point. I looked at homeschooling this year as a chance to regroup and identify the problems and address them and if I hadn't I wouldn't have seen that she has Aspergers and we would have just continued the cycle and perhaps she wouldn't be here with us anymore. I am leaving it up to her if she thinks she can return to school. Kind of like in the military every good general knows that retreating is a strategy too as long as you keep your eyes on the end result.

The log sheet is something that I write on notebook paper every week. I could type it but I enjoy writing it and it keep me focused and thinking on all the aspects of the log sheet as I am planning.

It is as follows:
Studies covered:
then I have a little Checkbox Core subjects covered: SocSci, Lit, Lang Arts, Hist, Math, Sci, Geo, Arts

Then I continue with the short answers fashion for categories:
Resources used:
Books read:
Movies watched:
Projects:
Field Trips:
Miscellaneous:
Unplanned acadamia:
Skills practiced or learned:
Chores:
Physical Activities: (our state has PE requirement)
Notes:

In the notes section I put anything I want or make notes for ideas for later or things that she expressed interest in.

Basically this fits on 1 notebook page front and back. I fill it out everyday so I don't miss anything. Also so that if by Thursday/Friday I find areas lacking I can find things to do to fit in there. I found this log sheet very important to us because I deem that the most important learning my daughter needs right now isn't academic, it is social and interpersonal and this was the only way I could find to record those needs.