Re: Re: was- rude now- HOMESCHOOLING

March 13, 2009

Jerri/etc,

My son is in the 4th grade and I'm scared for him to go to middle school

(6-8th). The school for our district we are zoned for has gangs, along with the

other pree-teen issues. If we still live here in 2 years I know I'll be

homeschooling- unless I magically come into money and can afford private

school/tutor.

I'd love to hear stories from homeschoolers on the list. Barbara in IL was

doing homeschool with her boys a few years ago but I haven't heard much lately

about it.

- in Mobile, AL

______________________________________

" You must write for children in the same way as you do for adults, only better. "

-Maxim Gorky (Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov)

" Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lamb he's digested, and

I've been reading all my life. " -Giorgos Seferis (Greek Poet)

Reality lies beyond the horizon... Wonderwegian

Re: Re: sales clerk rude about our child

It amazes me how many people feel the need to try and correct other

people's situation when they don't know a thing about them. What the

heck is all that about? I've never had anyone say anything to me but we

do get the looks. Now that my son is 12 and we've been at this so long,

the looks still upset me a little (a lot less then they use to) but I

have some relief knowing my son is oblivious to this and they are not

hurting his feelings any. But let me tell you if anyone hurts my son's

feelings I would hate to think what I might do. We've had a good

experience in school having an aide and he's now been in school with the

same children for seven years. They know him, understand him, help him

and defend him from new people. This is the one good thing school has

done for us. I do feel I need to homeschool him in 7th and 8th, maybe

beyond, we'll see how it goes. It's such a tough choice but I think my

son is at his limit of sitting in class for 6 hours trying to pay

attention to a lot of meaningless stuff. It's too much stress on him I

think. Anyway, I'm off the subject but just putting it out there for

parents with older children and hopefully some helpful info for the

parents just starting out on this path. Jerri

>

> I've had a couple of similar experiences; one time in Target, my son

> was having a terrible tantrum. He was only two years old and sick with

> an ear-infection, and of course, completely non-verbal. I was just

> there to get diapers and wanted to just get out of there get the kid

> back home, and the check-out clerk (what IS it with these check-out

> clerks anyway???) says " If he were my child, he'd be in time-out right

> now. " I said to her, even if my son weren't autistic, he would be too

> young for time-out! She said -- get ready -- " Oh, well, he doesn't

> *look* like he's autistic! " I guess she thought that was a compliment.

> Anyway, I reported her to the manager immediately afterward, and after

> he apologized to me profusely, I had the intense satisfaction of

> seeing him approach her and " invite " her into his office for a little

> private chat just as I was leaving the store.

>

> Another time when was about five, I was helping him wash his

> hands in a restaurant ladies' room. Some old bag standing nearby

> started lecturing me about about how if I didn't let him wash his own

> hands he'd never learn to do it himself! I said, well, he doesn't do a

> very good job yet, and I don't want him getting sick from eating with

> hands that aren't completely clean. She sort of harumphed, and then

> said a couple of off-wall-things to no one in particular,

> probably scripting, and she said, " You really should teach him to look

> at people when he's talking to them! " . Well...THAT. DID. IT. I can

> still remember the set of my jaw and my hands going into fists when I

> said,dripping with sarcasm, " Oh, are you an expert on autism? " She

> said " He's autistic? " And I said yes and ushered the hell out of

> there. I really wish I'd had a snappier comeback for that woman. I

> love the idea of the autism puzzle ribbons and the cards.

>

> Donna

>

No virus found in this incoming message

Checked by PC Tools AntiVirus (5.0.1.1 - 10.100.065).

http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/

No virus found in this outgoing message

Checked by PC Tools AntiVirus (5.0.1.1 - 10.100.065).

http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/

March 13, 2009

Hi -

We just started in Sept last year. My son is 7 and I homeschool him.

There are more than I would think in my area of metro Milwaukee, WI that

homeschool kids on the spectrum also.

My son has never really been in school full time, and when he was in K with 25

other kids he would come home and hit and be aggressive. We took him out and

started a handle program and he made many gains, the school Ot even asked what I

was doing with him, since he still whet for speech and OT.

For us, it has worked well. It obviously takes effort, but keeping up with a

child's issues in school also took a bit for me also. I am starting to have

some kids over one at a time to socialize and will increase over time. We also

do RDI and handle still, having him home gives me time to do theses things also.

I have an educator that sets up and does consulting for homeschooling. He helps

with materials to use also. I am also going to get in a parent group that is

for moms to meet that homeschool, and some also have special needs kids, some

with autism.

There are many out there that have ASD kids that homeschool and many resources

to support partent.

Angie>

Subject: Re: Re: was- rude now- HOMESCHOOLING

Date: Friday, March 13, 2009, 5:59 PM