Mild autism -- need advice for starting Kindergarten?

Question

Need advice for a bright kindergartner that has some special needs related to autism spectrum. He is very mild affected ,academically is a little above of what he should know for his age but he has a little expressive speech delay and does not seem to comprehend stories from books. I like Sonlight & Five in a row approach but I don't think it will work with him .

I am not even sure how to teach him and sometimes I just want to give up and let him go to school where there are special trained teachers to work with him.

He is very defiant and though many times I know he knows the answer in a workbook , he chooses a different one just to see my reaction.

Please advice if you have any experience as a professional or if you are a parent homeschooling a child with ASD .

Answer 1

You know what might help is if you are part of a homeschooling group that has others that have these same issues. It helps to hear what other parents are doing to teach their children at home that might have some learning difficulties in some areas. Also consider Charter school. They have a Teacher come in once a week to check and they are great for getting ideas and support. Kids that don't have issues have a hard enough time getting thru the public school so having any learning difficulties would be worse. Plus all the schools care about is getting their extra money per child these days. sad, but true. I know. I worked in the both the private and public school systems for awhile. It is hard, but the good Lord will help you thru. YOu just need to try some different approaches and ways of presenting learning to your child so he will grow up with a love of learning rather than being combative. This would no doubt happen in the school system. Don't give you. You are  doing the right thing with having your son at home. Read and do your research. There are groups on the internet with parents just like you. Bounce ideas and questions off of them.

My Daughter is not Autistic, but she is extremely gifted and it makes it difficult to do any kind of curriculum with her because she is a self learner so I have learned over time what is the right approach with her and what to ask and not to ask to get the information I need to know that "Yes she is truly learning" and a lot more than these children in the Public school system. You know they aren't learning everything at school by the amount of homework they send home with them even at the tender age of 5. Very sad. Keep at it. You will be so glad you did in the end and find others out there in your community that are dealing with the same thing.

Answer 2

I have an 8 y.o. DD with ASD, but she's in public school and always has been.  I homeschool her profoundly gifted brother.

Most kids on the ASD spectrum learn the best with audio-visual methods.  My DD has learned a TON from Leap Frog products - DVD's, toys, Leap Pad, Leapster, etc.  In addition, she learns the best when anything is on a computer.  The programs that are adapted for ASD use, however, are very, very expensive, so we have little at home.  The main reason she's PS'ed is because of the financial limitations we have.  The school district has the funds to purchase all the adaptive equipment and curriculum she needs.

Your DS is most likely not comprehending stories because they are not concrete.  ASD people think in black and white and have a hard time with social relationships.  So fairy tales and the like just fly over their head.

Your DS is going to need a lot of visual prompts.  Do you use any sort of picture exchange system with him?  Does he have an augmentative communication device?  If not, those would be the first things on your list.  Again, school districts can be a great help here.  My DD's speech board costs $15,000 - no way we can pay that, but the school district has to.

In some locations, you can have your child's LRE (least restrictive environment) be homeschool.  Then you can still have an IEP for therapy services, and supports, from the district.  Has he ever had an IEP or IFSP (through early intervention)?  Do you have private therapy coverage?  These are all questions to take into account when making your decision of PS, HS, or a blend of the two.

Yes, you're correct - Sonlight and FIAR would *not* be appropriate curricula for an ASD child.  You need something audio-visual, and multi-sensory, such as K12:

http://www.k12.com