Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
homeschooling difficult child?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 133977" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>We're in a similar situation to Heather, only difficult child 3 gets most of his lessons in the mail. He has occasional study days at the school in the city (optional, but he earns credit points for going).</p><p></p><p>I have found this works so much better for us - difficult child 3 was spending so much time home from school because he was sick (turned out to be extreme anxiety masquerading as stomach bug, or ulcer, or something - plus this kid can get so worked up he gets low-grade fevers just from anxiety!) that I couldn't organise my life. I would beg work from the teacher and also bought books etc, for him to work on when he was home. No way was I going to reward "I'm sick" with relaxing play time. Instead I brought in the rule, "School work during school hours" and the only way he could get out of schoolwork was by sleeping - which he would only do if he was genuinely sick, often not even then. He could be in his pyjamas sitting in bed, and I would get a clipboard for him to do his work on.</p><p></p><p>When I tried sending him to school (and he loved school, he wanted to go) I would get a phone call from them to come fetch him. Often I would be on the way to a doctor's appointment, or to do the shopping, and have to cancel my plans. Sometimes when I had an important appointment and I wasn't sure about sending him, I would choose to keep him with me, because at least tat way I wasn't going to get called to come collect him from school.</p><p></p><p>Now he's in correspondence, the situation is much more stable. I can even leave him on his own, and find completed work when I get home. He still does better when I'm home, with some subjects.</p><p></p><p>To do this, you need discipline and motivation. I use reward system, I don't punish or nag (not too much nagging, anyway). It's HIS work, but sometimes he needs to bounce ideas off me. </p><p></p><p>If you have the opportunity and mainstream is a big headache, I would seriously consider this, if only to see how he goes and if it's a lot better.</p><p></p><p>Th big argument the schools used on us to stop us - "what about his social interaction? Because he's autistic, he NEEDS to be with other kids, to learn appropriate social interaction."</p><p>I told them, "APPROPRIATE - that is not what he's getting now. He is learning some very bad habits socially, and suffering. Even at school he's alone at playtime most of the time anyway. Autistic kids do not pick up social skills by osmosis, and he's actually not learning any positive social skills at school that he couldn't learn even better from home."</p><p></p><p>What has happened socially - difficult child 3 comes shopping with me sometimes and interacts with members of the pubic, with shopkeepers. He observes how I interact and models his behaviour on me (instead of on the snot-nosed bullies who were getting a lot of enjoyment from his misery).</p><p>difficult child 3 finishes his schoolwork which is also homework, with plenty of time to go visit friends nearby. When other kids are doing homework, difficult child 3 is ready to go out riding his bike.</p><p></p><p>We're never going back - this is working for us!</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 133977, member: 1991"] We're in a similar situation to Heather, only difficult child 3 gets most of his lessons in the mail. He has occasional study days at the school in the city (optional, but he earns credit points for going). I have found this works so much better for us - difficult child 3 was spending so much time home from school because he was sick (turned out to be extreme anxiety masquerading as stomach bug, or ulcer, or something - plus this kid can get so worked up he gets low-grade fevers just from anxiety!) that I couldn't organise my life. I would beg work from the teacher and also bought books etc, for him to work on when he was home. No way was I going to reward "I'm sick" with relaxing play time. Instead I brought in the rule, "School work during school hours" and the only way he could get out of schoolwork was by sleeping - which he would only do if he was genuinely sick, often not even then. He could be in his pyjamas sitting in bed, and I would get a clipboard for him to do his work on. When I tried sending him to school (and he loved school, he wanted to go) I would get a phone call from them to come fetch him. Often I would be on the way to a doctor's appointment, or to do the shopping, and have to cancel my plans. Sometimes when I had an important appointment and I wasn't sure about sending him, I would choose to keep him with me, because at least tat way I wasn't going to get called to come collect him from school. Now he's in correspondence, the situation is much more stable. I can even leave him on his own, and find completed work when I get home. He still does better when I'm home, with some subjects. To do this, you need discipline and motivation. I use reward system, I don't punish or nag (not too much nagging, anyway). It's HIS work, but sometimes he needs to bounce ideas off me. If you have the opportunity and mainstream is a big headache, I would seriously consider this, if only to see how he goes and if it's a lot better. Th big argument the schools used on us to stop us - "what about his social interaction? Because he's autistic, he NEEDS to be with other kids, to learn appropriate social interaction." I told them, "APPROPRIATE - that is not what he's getting now. He is learning some very bad habits socially, and suffering. Even at school he's alone at playtime most of the time anyway. Autistic kids do not pick up social skills by osmosis, and he's actually not learning any positive social skills at school that he couldn't learn even better from home." What has happened socially - difficult child 3 comes shopping with me sometimes and interacts with members of the pubic, with shopkeepers. He observes how I interact and models his behaviour on me (instead of on the snot-nosed bullies who were getting a lot of enjoyment from his misery). difficult child 3 finishes his schoolwork which is also homework, with plenty of time to go visit friends nearby. When other kids are doing homework, difficult child 3 is ready to go out riding his bike. We're never going back - this is working for us! Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
homeschooling difficult child?
Top