Fwd: [IHS] Autistic boy attempts suicide six times

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/6/01 9:07:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

rachel@... writes:

>

I have thought of homeschooling my DD, but she's an only child.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/6/01 9:07:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

rachel@... writes:

>

Sorry, I goofed.

I have thought of homeschooling DD, but she's an only child and I'm concerned

about the lack of social opportunities.

She's entering a special eduation class in the fall. It's a great class, and

the teacher has a real " feel " for special kids. She seems to know how far

they can go and pushes them to the limit of their abilities. I know this is

the best placement

for her now, but I am concerned about what will happen in a couple of years.

Obviously I would like her to advance enough that she can be mainstreamed

into kindergarten, with an aide if necessary, but if this doesn't happen, I

may seriously consider homeschooling.

How can I ensure that she gets the social " training " she's going to need?

We have no family in the area, so

going to see cousins, etc, isn't possible.

Margaret

[Guest guest]

>Autistic boy attempts suicide six times

>http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_317785.html?menu=news.latestheadlines.ukne\

ws

>

>The parents of an autistic boy say their son has attempted suicide six times

>after suffering at the hands of school bullies.

>

>Eileen and Falconer, from Edinburgh, say the latest incident came after

>their son Dominic, 13, was allegedly assaulted by a fellow pupil.

>They have vowed to keep the boy away from St Augustine's High School in the

>city until the situation is resolved.

>

>The couple claim the school has failed to tackle bullying and accuse teachers

>of acting too late. But education chiefs said they have met Mr and Mrs

>Falconer, adding the couple are due to discuss the situation again with

>headteacher Win Brogan tomorrow.

>

>A spokeswoman for Edinburgh City Council's Education Department said where

>incidents of bullying had been reported in the past they had been

>investigated.

>

>Dominic suffers from a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome. His parents

>said in the past they had found their son trying to tie nooses with neckties

>and belts and attempting to jump out of a window.

>The latest attempt came after an incident on the same day when, they claimed,

>their son was punched by a fellow pupil as he waited at a bus stop.

>Mrs Falconer said: " Dominic seemingly ran away before another pupil brought

>him back and then he threatened to jump in front of a bus because he was so

>distraught. "

>

>She said her son then disappeared for 30 minutes, adding: " When we found him

>he was trying to slit his wrists with a bit of glass. "

>A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said officers are investigating

>the latest incident.

>

>Last updated: 17:42 Wednesday 6th June 2001

[Guest guest]

*

Wow, your post made me sit here and wonder about the world. I just got

done posting how I thought school was so important for the social issues

of asd children, but now I read this and............

in New York

*

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[Guest guest]

> >

> >The parents of an autistic boy say their son has attempted suicide

six times

> >after suffering at the hands of school bullies.

>

The above is yet another reason I homeschool!

[Guest guest]

Margaret,

I have homeschooled my son for 4 years. I had the same reservations as you,

and thought that only large families should homeschool. We ended up

homeschooling unexpectedly and I thought temporarily and now I am really

glad we ended up pushed into homeschooling and the older he gets the more

grateful I am he is not exposed to a lot of what goes on in schools.

I suppose I should explain how someone can homeschool unexpectedly. Timmy

went to prekdg and kdg, and did great and was extremely social and had lots

of friends. My younger son died Timmy's last week of kdg though, and when

it came time for first grade to start I realized he wouldn't be able to

manage it. He was still not sleeping or eating and having meltdowns as a

reaction to his brother's death, and I couldn't see forcing him into a full

day of school at that point. So I thought I would keep him home until he

was ready to go back, thinking he would miss out on socialization being the

only child at home now. It's come out several times since he's been home

now, that although it seemed he was getting along great with all the other

kids and having fun when he went to school, he was actually quite tense the

whole time he was there and wishing he could be home. He likes playing with

other children, but finds it too stressful for prolonged time periods

because of sensory issues. And when you think about school, the children

aren't necessarily " socializing " while they're there, and a lot of

" socializing " is actually bullying. The older the children get, the more

consuming school gets and especially when homework and activities start

taking up a lot of time, children lose their opportunity to just play and be

kids. When a child is homeschooled, s/he is socialized with real life and

by a mature example. How better to prepare for life than to be a part of

real life? And as far as playing with other children goes, there are lots

of homeschool support groups or sports or dance lessons or any number of

things that can give children a chance to be with other children.

So, just in case you really feel you want to homeschool, don't feel you

can't homeschool an only child. I do think it's harder to homeschool an

only child than to homeschool siblings, but if it's what you think may be

best for your child, it is possible. If you're seriously considering it,

you could start seeking out some support groups in your area even while your

daughter is in school and see if there's one or two you feel comfortable

with.

HTH<

in IL

Re: Re: Fwd: [iHS] Autistic boy attempts suicide six

times

> In a message dated 6/6/01 9:07:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

> rachel@... writes:

>

>

> >

>

> Sorry, I goofed.

>

> I have thought of homeschooling DD, but she's an only child and I'm

concerned

> about the lack of social opportunities.

>

> She's entering a special eduation class in the fall. It's a great class,

and

> the teacher has a real " feel " for special kids. She seems to know how far

> they can go and pushes them to the limit of their abilities. I know this

is

> the best placement

> for her now, but I am concerned about what will happen in a couple of

years.

> Obviously I would like her to advance enough that she can be mainstreamed

> into kindergarten, with an aide if necessary, but if this doesn't happen,

I

> may seriously consider homeschooling.

>

> How can I ensure that she gets the social " training " she's going to need?

> We have no family in the area, so

> going to see cousins, etc, isn't possible.

>

> Margaret

>

>

>