Why Experts Aren't Always Right

Recently on a blog I read there was a series of articles about how to make school work for your child with Asperger's, and what you should and should not do in the IEP process.  I missed a few days of reading, and came back to find that there was a debate going on about whether or not homeschooling is a good placement for a child with Asperger's.  Apparently an expert had stated that he didn't feel it was a good solution for a child with Asperger's.  Since I have TWO boys with Asperger's, and we homeschool, I was very interested to see the debate this expert's opinion sparked.  There were many other parents of children with Asperger's who, like me, feel that homeschooling IS working for their child.  I made a small comment on the blog, but I thought I'd use my blog as a place to express my feelings on this debate.

First of all, I think you have to look at the situation a particular child is in.  You may have heard the expression, "If you've met one child with autism, you've met one child with autism."  That expression is definitely true.  It's always very interesting to me how children with Asperger's do have certain similar traits, but those traits manifest themselves in so many different ways.  Personality and environment certainly come into play with that, as well as other things.  So to make a general statement about children with Asperger's is really not a great idea.  Each child has their own situation and things that work for some may not work for others.  As a parent of TWO children with Asperger's, I can tell you with complete confidence that no one method works the same for different children.  My two are pretty different when it comes to what works for them, which can be very frustrating.  What I'm trying to say with all this is...homeschooling may, in fact, not be a good idea for some children with Asperger's, but I've seen with personal experience that it CAN be a positive thing.  Those who have read my blog before know what a nightmare we went through with Mason when it came to school.  I would NEVER in a million years subject him to that again.  In our situation, the option of homeschooling was a much better fit for Mason than continuing to have him in a school that wouldn't work with us and had no idea what to do with him. 

One of the big points of saying homeschooling is not ideal for Asperger's is that children with Asperger's need to learn how to interact with typical peers.  I agree.  However, I don't just keep the kids locked in the house 24/7.  Mason does Cub Scouts, they play with other typical kids, they interact at church with other kids...and there are all sorts of activities a child in homeschool can get involved with.  In fact, Mason interacts better with his typical peers now than he ever did in a public school.  Public school gave him a  lot of anxiety, which caused him to act out, which caused his teachers to separate him (yeah, that's a nice way of putting it.) from the other kids.  He wasn't given time to interact with other typical kids...or if he was, it was very rare.  So, again, in our situation, sending Mason to school wasn't doing a thing for him socially or academically.  Connor DID have a much better experience, and DID get that interaction, but he also was suffering academically because he needed more one on one attention than he was able to get.  I've seen both of my boys grow in so many ways since beginning homeschool.  Yes, it can be difficult, and, yes, I often worry and wonder if we are doing the right thing.  But I've seen so many improvements academically and way less anxiety coming from both my boys.  They're learning more easily and making a lot of progress, and are even interacting with others in a much more positive way.  Obviously something is going right!

I know the author of the blog stated that he has learned a lot and has begun to look at things a little differently since hearing the stories and opinions of other parents who let him know that homeschooling can be a good thing for children with Asperger's.  This debate made me feel even more confident about our decision, and confirmed with me, once again, that parents know their children and what works for them better than anyone else.




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