Choosing to homeschool a child is a significant undertaking for a parent, who is opting to take on the monumental responsibility of educating her child. Parents who homeschool autistic children have an added challenge, as they must deal with their children's special needs as they design a homeschool curriculum that works. Understanding those needs and adjusting lesson plans accordingly can lead to a successful homeschool experience for children with autism.
Step 1
Assess the autistic student's goals and needs. Many school districts establish education plans for students with autism, and these guidelines can help homeschoolers as well. Identify what communication skills -- verbal and written -- you want the student to achieve that year. Include a list of behavioral milestones you want to help the autistic child to reach.
Step 2
Build a curriculum around the student's strengths and weaknesses. Your assessment should help to highlight areas where the student excels or struggles. Place added emphasis on the areas of weakness. As the Department of Defense Educational Activity's publication "Reaching and Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders" notes, autistic children have "non-typical learning profiles that require specific educational approaches to meet their needs." The advantage of homeschooling is that you can adjust lesson plans based on the student's specific educational needs.
Step 3
Use visual aids. Whitney Loring, Psy.D., writing for the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, explains that autistic children often struggle with spoken instructions, and visual aids can enhance their understanding. Likewise, these aids can help the student communicate. Reinforce a vocabulary definition by showing the student a picture, or supplement a history lesson with pictures from the historical event.
Step 4
Give specific feedback. Autistic students might struggle with communicating, but your communication with them can build their confidence and help them know what they are doing right. If you are working on a writing assignment, tell the student: "Great job writing complete sentences." In a homeschool environment, you can constantly provide one-on-one feedback that reinforces what the student is doing right.
Step 5
Offer the student choices. Autistic students might frustrate easily, so always have a backup assignment on hand in case your original lesson leaves the student frustrated. If you want to teach a math concept on the white board but the student shows no interest, opt to get hands-on with the problem by using blocks to figure it out.
Step 6
Speak concisely when giving directions. Long sentences can lose an autistic student's attention quickly, so give concise directions about an assignment. As Temple Grandin, an assistant professor at Colorado State University who overcame autism, explains, autistic students struggle with lengthy instructions, so writing them down can help aid understanding.
References
- British Columbia Ministry of Education; Teaching Students with Autism: A Resource Guide for Schools; 2000
- Autism Research Institute; Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism; Temple Grandin, Ph.D.; December 2002
- The Autism Life: Homeschooling Kids With Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Department of Defense Education Activity; Reaching and Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; September 2002
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorders; Whitney Loring, Psy.D.; March 2011
