ABC Hut Home Schooling Ideas

Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD is a diagnostic classification designed to describe individuals who display similar characteristics. These characteristics fall into a 3 areas of impairments.

• Social / Emotional
• Communication / language
• Behaviour
  

Autism, PDD and Aspergers Syndrome are often simply referred to as Autism. Each of the different types has varying degrees of impairment in each of the 3 areas.

Typical symptoms or characteristics of Asperger’s

• Seem to use language appropriately but often does not understand idioms, hidden meanings, sarcasm or humor
• Difficulties with social skills
• Difficulties with change in routine or situation
• Obsessive routines
• Repetitive behaviors ( hand flapping, picking, tapping )
• Preoccupation with a specific topic, fixation
• Difficulty judging body space
• Overly sensitive to many things such as noise, taste, texture, light
• Often have high IQ

These impairments cause individuals to behave in ways that are very different.

A child with Asperger’s syndrome uses verbal language, however, they have severe impairment in the social understanding. Emotions, social interactions and appropriate behaviour can be very difficult to understand.

Asperger’s Syndrome is often also referred to as High Functioning Autism. Within the field there is great debate and crossover of diagnoses of Autism, Asperger’s and PDD.

It is essentially a continuum with High Functioning Autism, Asperger’s and Non-verbal Learning Disorders at one end; Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) on the middle and Autism at the other end.

Where each one ends and the next begins seems to be a judgment of the diagnosing professional and the age and skill development of the child when diagnosed.

PDD and Autism are more closely related. These children tend to have little if any verbal language abilities along with the other behaviour and social impairments.

In light of the 3 Impairments

An autistic child, regardless of the specific diagnosis, will have great difficulty interpreting social cues and situations.

What is normal and easily understood for average individuals is confusing and often terrifying for these children. They do not learn, or display social norms automatically.

While many children look forward to starting school, an autistic child cannot make sense of the situation and it often becomes an overwhelming, unsettling experience.

The impairment in communication leaves the autistic child unable to express these emotions or needs in appropriate ways.

The autistic child often ends up screaming, running away or hiding. The teacher, who does not know them, is left to try to interpret behaviors, which have no meaning at the beginning.

Autistic Child – Diagnoses

Many children who have Asperger’s are not diagnoses until after they enter school.

The routines, new social situations heavy reliance on verbal language all lead to difficulties. Parents are often frustrated and left wondering why their child is not succeeding.

The third impairment, which often creates unimaginable difficulty in a school environment, is the rigidity of thinking or lack of flexibility. A change in schedule or environment can be too much for them to understand or deal with appropriately.

Abstract thinking and universal sayings all create a problem. “Your going to get it!” leaves these children waiting for a gift.

Other Considerations for the autistic child

Individuals with ASD are visual learners. They must have information presented visually.

Words are very difficult to process. This one simple characteristic is reason enough to home school. Schools and classrooms are auditory places. The teacher talks, The PA talks, the other children talk.

Sensory input is everywhere in a classroom. The voices, lights, chairs rubbing on the floor, bells ringing, pencils being sharpened, foot steps in the hall, pages flipping, chalk squeaking on the board.

For many an autistic child, theses sounds are magnified and highly uncomfortable. The constant bombardment of sensory stimuli overwhelms them to the point of an outburst.

For many parents, home schooling an autistic child allows them to control the environment. They can eliminate the noises, maintain a schedule and create an environment that is much less stressful.

Often, an autistic child will learn very little in a school setting because the environment is so volatile to their senses.

They never get to an emotional state that allows them to take in information. Many schools spend the first 2 to 3 years just trying to get the environment right.

Put yourself in the shoes of an autistic child

Imagine you went to work every day and had to deal with lights that flickered constantly, loud bells going off every hour, music blaring outside your door and people standing in your office talking constantly.

Ad to that a boss who kept coming over to you and saying: “ You have to finish that report before you can leave that desk.”

To make this even worse, you have no ability to use language to tell him what the problem is.

Do you think you would get any work done?

I know I wouldn’t and, neither do many of these children. Home schooling allows you to control this environment so the learning can take place.

Get the facts

There is a wealth of information and support available for parents.

Whether you are trying to understand an autistic child or design a curriculum, the information is abundant.

Seek out other parents who have taken this journey, join associations and parent groups.

Not unlike home schooling the learning disable child ... your autistic child’s future depends on it.

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