What do I need to do to homeschool my daughter with autism?

Question

I have a 3 year old daughter who has autism. She is going to start going to PPCD this month and we are going to see how that goes. However, I have done quite a bit of research on the public school system and how lacking it is when it comes to meeting the needs of autistic children. I have also spoken with many parents who have horror stories to tell about how it affected their children, and I have decided that I will homeschool my daughter when she is ready for kindergarten if I feel it is needed. I need to know what the laws are and how I go about doing this (we live in Texas). One of the parents at her therapy group was telling me that the school district will fight us on this choice and the state will be on their side. I would really appreciate some feedback from someone who is familiar with the laws and regulations regarding this issue. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

3 is to young to start,,,most kids start kindergarden at age 5 or 6

Answer 2

Good for you to start planning soon.  There are many homeschoolers in Texas.  You need to find out what the laws are there to make it legal and then just do it.  Never mind the school district, it's none of their business. If you want toknow about homeschooling, ask the homeshoolers. Keep checking the HS site here.  

    Basically once you have checked on the legality, (and it is legal) You have to choose some sort of curriculum that reflects your child's learning styles, needs and abilities.  There are many different philosophies regarding homeschooling as well.   It is pretty wide open and it is important for you to know all the options available to you.  You know your child better than anyone so you are in a position to choose what is best for her.

     Keep checking your area for homeschool conventions.  That is where all the suppliers come to show their wares and give speeches.  Be careful about buying anything too soon though.  Some stuff is really expensive and may look good but not work for you.

   I am not an expert on autism, but I know there are autistic children out there who are homeschooled.  See if you can find what curriculum/style of learning works best for them.  

       I wish you all the best.   You sound like a good, careful, caring mother.  Keep asking questions on the HS site.  You will get answers and encouragement.

Answer 3

I just want to add something I didn't see in the other answers. As a parent of a special needs child, you need a break. While your child is at school you have a chance to recharge your battery, so to speak. Be involved, make sure your child is in a good situation that you are happy with, and let the teachers work with your child. When you pick your child up you will be refreshed and ready to do homework and other things with your child. And you will be able to work with her a lot longer. My child is now 31 and I have her at home with me, but she goes to work 5 days a week, and 8 hours a day. If I had kept her at home to home school her, I wouldn't be able to keep her with me now. Besides, there is a lot more to school then just reading and math. Children need that interaction.

Good Luck to you. You have a long hard road ahead, let others help you.

Answer 4

You have the right to homeschool your child, but maybe not at public expense.  Peer relationships are a huge and difficult challenge for autistic students, and a public school may be a more logical place to work on those challenges than your dining room. It depends on how functional the public school is, overall, and what resources are available in your community.

The school system may take you to due process in order to evaluate your child for Special Education. They might prevail (nobody wins in due process, and the child tends to lose the most). But they would still need your consent for the Initial Provision of Special Education and Related Services if your daughter was found eligible.

A diagnosis of autism is not a ticket to services. If your child's impairment impacts a major life activity, she may require a Modification Plan under Section 504. If she has a disability, her education is adversely affected, and she requires Specially Designed Instruction to benefit from a Free and Appropriate Public Education, then a team may find her eligible for Special Education. They will have a list of criteria that must be met under state and federal law.

Public schools are required to include you in the teams that make the important decisions, such as developing an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Believe me, most teachers would rather see the parent who insists on accomodations and services for their child than always be trying to locate the unreachable parent!

The biggest group of due process and court actions in Special Education seem to be the families of autistic children. Why? My guess is that this field of study is growing so fast, with so many approaches inside and outside of the classroom, and not much time to do the research and evaluate the studies properly. It's not difficult for schools and families to find themselves on very different pages about these issues.

I have personally assessed some autistic students who have made tremendous gains over the years in public school, with the parent as active advocate, though there are aspects of autism that they will probably always have to deal with.

All schools and all school districts are not created equal, and some have many more problems than others. The thing about the horror stories is that some schools learn from their mistakes. I know a school system that has quadrupled their special education budget since a lawsuit fifteen years ago. I know a smaller one that gets about 24 times as many due process requests these days!

I suggest you make an appointment with the principal at the elementary school in your neighborhood, leaving the message that you want to talk about services for autistic students. The principal may very well ask someone in the school or district with a more detailed knowledge of that area to speak to you. In my district, you might find yourself talking to a Special Education Teacher, a Student Services Coordinator, an Autism Consulting Teacher, a School Psychologist, a Behavioral Health Specialist, or a District Education Specialist, for example.

See if they'll let you observe a special education classroom or a general education kindergarten, or even the lunchroom. You can learn a lot in the lunchroom!

I don't think it's too early to start building relationships with the other members of the team. It's through those good relationships that students get appropriate accomodations and services and make progress toward independence.

And by the way, three is not too young to start special education services. Early interventions are particularly crucial for autistic children, though special education services in your community may be delivered outside the local elementary school.

Answer 5

Hi

I don't know the answer to your question because I live in the UK.  However I would like to applaud your brave choice because I did the same thing with my autistic son.  If you are looking for something to do as part of his home education and are looking for a programme to aid your daughter's development, go to http://www.snowdrop.cc  They give 'distance advice' on the things you can do to help your daughter.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

start planning now-

go to parent trainings-

learn about different techniques

ABA

Miller

GreenSapn

SonRise

standard instructional techniques

I don't know the law-but  to help your case you need to be prepared-

what about speech, OT consultations?

Answer 7

Homeschool is legal in all 50 states and the public school can not fight your decision to do homeschool.

You are so right, there are MANY horror stories of corruption of special ed in public schools.

First of all, check on your state dept of education website for the 'compulsory age' law. This is the law that states when children should start school.

Your child will HAVE to start school at this age.

Every state has an official homeschool agency. Search google for yours. THey will have everything about homeschool pertaining to your state.

Answer 8

It would be no different than the law requires for you to homeschool a typical child. I wouldn't understand why the school system would want to fight you. Having a child with autism in the school system actually cost the school quite a bit of money. Yes they do receive extra money from the state for a special needs child, but most of the time it does not compare to the cost they have to meet. The cost is quite great if your child requires a one on one aide.

Google state laws for homeschooling in Texas. They can not force you to put your daughter in school. If they try claim you will file a lawsuit for discrimination against a handicap child. If a parent can homeschool a typical child then as long as you follow the homeschool laws they can not discriminate against your daughter.

On a different note: All three of my children (with autism) go to our public school. They love school. The teachers are wonderful. But the main thing is I am a very involved parent. I drop them off every morning and I pick them up every afternoon. I know a lot of what goes on in that school (even stuff that don't have to do with my kids). School has helped them make major adjustments. My kids went to preschool, but they did not start public school (kindergarten) until age 6. That is when they seemed to be ready.

Good Luck.