homeschool and aspergers's

i can hardly call myself an expert on the subject of asperger's or homeschooling seeing how i am new to both.  calvary's diagnosis was only just "official" earlier this year (although we have suspected it for much longer) and monday is our first day of homeschooling.  that being said, having a child that has an ASD makes parenting atypical...but when you are parenting an atypical child in the midst of typical children it can feel like burning a candle by two ends. 

i knew homeschooling was going to be a challenge for me as an individual because i am not very organized and high pressure/high "to-do"s make me incredibly stressed.   but it is a challenge that i feel up to and it is a challenge that i feel will strengthen me both as an individual and as a mother...if i don't quit...which may or may not have already crossed my mind.  but in addition to being a challenge for me, i knew that it would stretch all of my children.  of course harper was thrilled with the concept and couldn't wait to turn our home into her schoolhouse.  i worried about her leaving her friends and her incredibly adoring fans (teachers and staff) at her school because i need her to feel like the amazing girl that she is...and sometimes i have to be the bad guy and bring her back down to size...i guess i will just have to tell her how wonderful she is an additonal 50 times a day to make sure she continues her development of that incredible self-image. 

truth be told, harper isn't really with whom i was concerned.  of course i have had countless conversations with her about her concerns or fears.  we have tried to make special efforts to preserve her friendship with her best friend from school.  but harper is fearless.  as long as she can home at night she is ready to conquer the world by day (she has even been known to leave home for a few days too)...

calvary on the other hand is the one that i knew that would need extra precautions. so i designed our entire homeschooling experience with his needs in mind.  thankfully, most kids also thrive in this kind of environment so i knew that it would be conducive for all of my children...but calvary NEEDS these provisions in order for there to be much chance at all for success in homeschooling. 

1. we made designated areas for every activity.  there is a cozy "nest" area for reading, a computer room, and a place for seat work

finley modeling the "nest"

2.  i knew that calvary would need a quiet place to "escape" to when he needed to focus on his work.  he is becoming more aware of his super senses and sometimes has a difficult time processing his own thoughts when everyone is around...so we moved the computer into a separate room in hopes to give him a little more peace while he works on the computer. 

the computer in the "ish" room--meaning that it is not quite designated for any one purpose.

3.  i made several busy bags with sensory input in mind.  i have lacing boards to help develop those motor skills, button threading, marble sorting...lots and lots of activities for hands-on-energy-focusing time. 

drawer full of fun...puzzles, busy bags, memory games

4. calvary his own designated place for seat work.  this will not change.  his area will remain his area and the other kids will not be allowed to invade this "safe place".  it is important that calvary knows what to expect, where to be, and where to find things.  every thing has a place and a time.  this will help him maintain his sense of order when everything inside his head sometimes feels so chaotic. 

calvary land...we have one everywhere...the car, his room, and now the homeschooling room. 

5. again, lots of sensory input for supplies.  play-d'oh was his outlet in kindergarten.  whenever mrs. thomas noticed that calvary was having a difficult time she would allow him to disconnect and go to play-d'oh for some relaxation.  i am not even sure she knew what a great service she was doing for his internal processing but her instincts where amazing.  i wish i could bring her home with me :).  we also have finger paints, pipe cleaners, glitter and tons of other fun messy, sensory delights. 

6.  we are also working on a sensory table so that we can have a place to work with water, lima beans, and sand.  i almost cringe just thinking of the messes i will be cleaning up because of that one. 

7.   certainly by far the most mind consuming for me has been social interaction....with children with asperger's social training is not something with which to be taken lightly.  i have even noticed this summer has been a difficult time with calvary for proper peer relations.  he has started, as to be expected, to gravitate towards younger children.  whenever we play with peers he has a very difficult time cooperating with play, bending to others needs, understanding how to be part of group, and proper conflict resolution.  my challenge is to find balance so that he has enough opportunities to practice social graces without it becoming overwhelming.  kyle, calvary's therapist, and i all agree that 7 hours a day 5 times a week is a bit excessive for exercising a weakness.  all this being said, we are juggling two possible options for extra curricular individualized team sports...one of which is swimming and the other is tae kwon do.  swimming is our first option and he goes to a 2 week trial session next week and harper is going to go with him.  if he doesn't like swimming (or more importantly, if we cannot afford it) then he will go for tae kwon do. 

8. chewy tubes so that he will not chew his fingers raw.  between his need for sensory input, his perfection seeking attitude, and anxiety his fingers (and toes...ewww) have taken quite a punishing this past year.  hopefully, something like this will help. 

 

so, i am sure we are missing loads of points that need to be addressed...but we are going to take this one day at a time. even though the stress is a pretty intense fog through which to see...one thing i know for sure, i am going to love having harper and calvary home all year and i am going to try and revel in the gift in which i have been given

this blog is written in participation with kate krull's blog party with this week's theme being about kids with special needs and school.  feel free to join!