Will college be correct for her?
As we approach the new year some major decisions must be made by your older home school student. Should they be applying to various colleges in the hope of being admitted? The first thing to consider is what is it that your child wants to do with their life. Are they headed into a medical profession, a college degree is going to be a must. Are they going to be an entrepreneur starting their own business, college is questionable.
I just read a really interesting article written by Kate Fredkis a home school student and it sparked a look at what my own home school students were doing with their lives. My oldest son, who is into computer software, sampled college before he turned 18 and found that it had limited application for his needs. He embarked on an odyssey that included ordering the books from Harvard University and reading the subjects that interested him. He absorbs information quickly and is able to apply it to whatever he is doing. His journey has included running his own businesses, working as a consultant for major companies and running software teams. Did his lack of a college degree hurt him? I think his ability to learn what he needed and his drive to succeed were the important parts of his life so far. He is a firm believer in the home school system and advocates for it whenever questioned about it.
My daughter wanted a horse when she was little and I told her when she could afford the Vet bills she could have one. Well, she can afford them now as she started college when she was 16 and went on to complete her Veterinarian degree and become a Doctor before she turned 24. College was a must for her. She found some of the subjects boring as they really did not apply to what it was she wanted to do with her life, but persevered because they were necessary. She is a firm home school enthusiast and is planning on home schooling her own daughter.
Now we come to youngest son. He is on his third college. He started at our local technical institute and transferred to a University after finishing his second year, after graduation he decided that his big sister could not out rank him in degrees and has continued on in his college to become a Doctor. He is not a home school enthusiast. He debates whether or not home school was correct for him and is unsure if he will send his children to school or not when he has some. Several college degrees are important to him.
An item to consider when your child is looking at further education is how have they learned in the home school environment? Did you have a very structured setting where the children were instructed from 9 till 2 everyday and worked on their subjects in order, or did you have a very free structure where your children learned what they wanted and how they wanted? If they are use to a structured class then college will not be a shock to them and they may learn very well in a classroom setting. However, if your student had a more open way of learning then college life will be hard and unproductive to start. For the free learning style student I would suggest taking a few courses at a community college to start and begin the adjustment process.
Is a college degree necessary for them? Only if they are going into a field of medicine that requires it in order to practice. Do they just want a sample of what college is like? So study the alternatives and good luck on your journey!
Congrats ~ Found your blog on Google while searching for a related topic, your site came up, it looks good, keep them coming !
I was interested to read this. I have a son who is 16, and about to leave sohcol and keen at the moment to go on to college, to do a foundation course to make up for the learning he didn’t do/education he couldn’t access at sohcol. He had his diagnosis of aspergers amongst other things at age 11, in France, carried out in a language foreign to him, heavily subjective and reliant on my comments rather than his.It became obvious to me at age 6 that my son was having a really difficult time at sohcol; he’d gone very rapidly from being a confident, happy child to being someone full of worries, fears, concerns, phobias and lacking the confidence to even speak out loud. I was furious that sohcol hadn’t picked up on this and helped him, and having friends who were home educating, decided to join them and de-sohcol both my son and my daughter (2 years younger).We spent 18 months home-sohcoling, meeting up with other home educators on a weekly basis to share experiences and socialise children. This was great for me and my daughter, but for my son nothing much changed; he was still a person whose behaviour was at frequently at odds and not understood by those around him, and social life was frustrating and confusing. In terms of education, on reflection anything he learned was down to his own motivation he learnt what and when he wanted, and not otherwise. I remember vividly the overwhelming despair and frustration trying to teach him anything, despite the fact that I was his parent, had been a teacher and had experience of special needs education. Please be aware of the legislation surrounding home education; both in the UK and here in France, there are regular check ups to verify that some sort of curriculum corresponding to national requirements is taking place. I do believe in child centred learning, but also see that there is a necessity too for children to be taught some things that may not be immediately obvious or interesting no matter how skilled the teacher! particularly where formal monitoring by local educational authorities is an obligation.He eventually went back into sohcol as I really couldn’t cope any more with the feeling of futility, and this time started the process instigated by sohcol to diagnose his difficulties. The assessment team recommended all the things one would expect for an aspergers child social stories, sensory strategies, variety of learning/teaching styles, physiotherapy for dyspraxia.. but did not put a label on his problems. The actual, practical help was extremely limited; a handful of sessions too few and far between to be meaningful to him and unrelated to the rest of his life, in sohcol or out. He started secondary sohcol, and the help dwindled further with lack of communication between his teachers, and despite repeated visits and explanations and requests from myself. He coped for 2 years there, but by the time he left he wasn’t doing his homework, he wasn’t doing the work set in classes and his work was so illegible that some of his teachers had refused to read or mark it anyway, so he wasn’t very motivated. He was also by now more in his own world, and seemed to not be aware of any behaviours from other kids which I would have termed bullying. The other kids seemed to just leave him alone thankfully.We moved to France when he was 12 hoping a more structured educational system, more gentle society, wealthier health system may offer some help for him. He had always been interested in words, the roots of words, language so we didn’t anticipate problems with him learning French, however this has proved disastrous for him educationally. He doesn’t feel he’s learned anything throughout his secondary education (although his conversations with us show he has). He had an other assessment shortly after arriving here and eventually was given the label aspergers/dyspraxia which entitled him to a classroom assistant. We were fortunate in fighting the system for an English assistant who was superbly well suited, but unfortunately, being Aspergers, Thai doesn’t like having people close to him, so sitting side by side at a desk hasn’t worked; Thai has been pre-occupied with sensory overload smells, sounds of his helper, and his helper for the last 6 months has retreated to the back of the classroom and even resorted to changing his tack completely so he is advising the teachers rather than assisting my son.Socially he was bullied at the first 2 secondary sohcols he tried. In retrospect, had we stuck with the first, state sohcol he would have received specialist support and I believe they would have been effective, however he would have had to withstand a period of unsettling isolation and fear first before they recognised his needs.At the second sohcol, things got even more out of hand and culminated in him walking out of sohcol after being badly bullied in the playground. The sohcol hadn’t even noticed he’d walked out. He had several weeks out of education, before he tentatively started at his 3rd secondary sohcol here. This was the final sohcol locally accessible, and was a private sohcol which has been a drain on finances. Apart from the help given him from Chris, his assistant, the sohcol has been useless in that they have consistently ignored requests to implement the most rudimentary of strategies, for example presenting the core of each lesson in written form. This however is partly due to the inflexibility of the French system which we had stupidly not anticipated or understood sufficiently; the majority of teaching is chalk and talk the kids copy what the teacher writes on the board (if they can read his handwriting) and try to take notes simultaneously while he talks. Apart from the aspergers, Thai has hearing problems and needs to wear hearing aids. This was a disastrous combination for him. However, along the way both us (me his Mum and his step-dad), Chris and the occasional teacher have tried to individualise his learning more, but Thai has consistently chosen not to be engaged in the majority of situations. Occasionally he has shown interest in something and, regardless of how it’s been taught or presented, he’s picked it up BECAUSE HE’S WANTED TO. I don’t think he would have succeeded in sohcol anywhere, or through home ed, unless he wanted to. He reads constantly, researches on his computer and spends the majority of time pursuing his own interests, only interacting with the rest of us when he feels a need to. Being here has at least given him space and peace when he wants it, and he is a LOT less stressed than he was in the UK. Perhaps the language barrier helped, in that it gave him a reason to cut off from the rest of his peers. There has been no bullying for the past 2 years. He ignores them, and they ignore him mainly, although several children have tried to talk to him. He retreats into his book.He’s leaving sohcol this June, without formal qualifications, and is lucky that there is provision on foundation courses in the UK for children like himself who have not gained anything from the education system. He is also at the moment motivated about the idea of returning to the UK studying the subjects he’s interested in English, history, art, IT, at his own levels high in some cases, rock bottom in the case of maths! I don’t know if he’ll make a go of this, but I’ve learned over the course of his life that he will only do what HE wants, when and how he wants, and IF he wants, he CAN succeed.In retrospect, it feels like the whole educational experience (primary and secondary) has been simply marking time for him. He’s now maturer and choosing to learn, which is what will make the difference. I wish all parents of aspergers children luck, and buckets full of patience, and faith that their child will find their own way in life because I don’t feel anything I’ve done for my son has made any difference. He has always been and always will be his own person, uninfluenced by anyone else around him.It’s been like watching a chrysalis; Thai retreated, has been protected and allowed to retreat for several years, and it is fascinating seeing him emerge with more self-confidence, knowledge and awareness. His strange behaviour is less noticeable as he becomes more adult, external expectations are more respectful of the individual which is to his benefit, and I am quietly optimistic for him.
I have read all the comments and reelips from Dave Angel. It is always extremely interesting and educating to be informed about any experiences people have with Asperger persons.I have a 6 year old son. He was spotted by his reception teacher in November last year. My wife and I were called for a meeting with the SENCo and my son’s teacher. We were told they believed he is a high functioning autistic child, most likely an Asperger. After a long fight and a bit of persuasion with our GP, in September last he was finally diagnosed as an Asperger. He is in year one and, so far, he has dome it very well. As opposed to Sarah Ann Higgins son, ours enjoys the support, care and understanding on the part of not merely the SENCo but also the rest of the staff at his primary school. Not surprisingly, this school is a community mainstream school totally devoted to create a social atmosphere within the community. And they have really achieved it! In terms of its social progress and achievements the last of Ofsted report gave it a 1 2 performance. That is outstanding and good.So, for the time being all seems to go well. We are aware that he is only 6 years old and we can say it is just the beginning of a long and unpredictable process. In the circumstances, my wife and I do believe that he should go to a mainstream school where, despite the inevitably level of bullying that prevails (I must say that in his school that issue is very much under control. So, it takes place but at a very small scale). My son is surrounded by excellent friends and parents who do try to be understanding and supportive. Therefore, it is no comparison to having him at home than at the school. I repeat, at least for the time being this appears to be working well. I do not dare to anticipate anything, be this good or bad.I must say that although it is important, very important to be knowledgeable about the legal side it is even more important to give your children love and understanding. They feel it and this has a definite impact in their lives. For their confidence and self-esteem is at all times present and this can be used as a shield to mitigate, if only a bit, any aggression and isolation they may feel while at the school.Yes, what a shame about Diane’s on. This issue of people with Aasperger syndrome has only been brought to the attention of more people since the beginning of the 90 s. What a shame too, that the famous article the Austrian specialist, Hans Asperger, wrote in 1942 about that group of children he was working with. It was written in German and therefore remained in the obscurity until 1991. And the fact that Aspies are not so obvious like other more severe autistic people made it all more confusing and hence led people to take the very wrong decisions, as it was the case with Diane’s son. But I cannot accept he will remain as afraid or isolated as he is now. Time and being always alert as to what his interest are will play a decisive roll in successfully bringing up your son, Diane. Just do never give up. be realistic, not optimistic or pessimistic. Just observe him and, of course, make him to feel loved and important to you and other people. Let us not be confused with the fact they cannot understand the social environment, the unwritten social rules, with the fact they do feel and observe like us.As we know, a lot of work in this field has been done since the early 80 s. But it is us, the parents/carers or any person who is in one way or another involved with autism who must convey the message to the public at all times. For not only is it our role to learn, understand, teach and give support to our children with Autism but also to constantly tell people about it. After all, Autistic persons are just different people. That’s all. If people understand this condition, that is, that they are simply different people, a lot can be done to help them to live normal lives.Sorry for being too long. It is my first involvement in this forum and although I have been reading what Dave Angle has sent us over the last few months, it is not always the same to be participating in an open forum exchanging one’s experiences and opinions with other people who know about this world of the autistic spectrum.
Good morning I am elhilrtd that this opportunity is here to share school experiences! First, I believe that the method of teaching our children should be based on the child’s needs. I believe homeschooling, private schools, charter schools, public schools, etc all have an important role in educating kids. Each child is unique therefore, different teaching methods need to be available. I have an 11 year old daughter with Aspergers. She was dignosed at approx 6 years old although we knew she had sensatory issues earlier. We started her off with homeschooling she has always been a very bright child, ahead of schedule intellectually.I got negative comments that homeschooling doesn’t allow enough socialization for kids my response was and still is it is up to the parents to ensure they are providing a well rounded experience for the kids. We had her in Home schooling activities with other kids, home schooling co-op once a week (where she took classes with other home schooled kids), Story time at the local book store, library activities, and Sunday activities. Once we learned of her being on the spectrum, we made a concious decision to place her in a charter school that focused on ADHD/ADD/High functioning Autism/Asperger students. Why? To provide her with the daily opportunity to use and learn social skills, would have entaled having her in too many activities at once (the items listed above varied, not all at once). With her transition and sensatory issues, this would have been an issue. I was very specific of the school I sought for her I was putting her there to have the opportunity to use her social skills (Now, coming from a person who usually feels, school is to learn and not socialize, this took some adjustment for me! However, I go back to my earlier statement that foremost is the needs of our children).The school has been working wonderful she LOVES school, and was even promoted ahead a grade and continues to be in the top groups. The positives of the school are:It is structured to address aspergers needs, teaches to where the child’s ability is (ie my daughter is ahead they still provide her with challenges and opportunites). She is getting a great education and able to use her social skills every day (Although they learn social skills through the day, they even have a period of time set aside in the morning to help role play social skills). The negatives are: Due to have special needs primarily represented in the school, the state has given the school a low rating since test scores are not at state standard. My issue with this is that you are not dealing standard children. The rating system needs to change to reflect a metric more suiting to specialized schools how? Baseline the test scores then set a metric that these students need to improve by X% and X% of the student population needs to change to meet standards. This would allow the state to see if the schools are making progress, the kids are making progress and rate the school appropriately. By having one set of standards for all schools, the state does a disservice to specialized schools.Also, the elementary school has changed their format so far, it has been discouraging to me as it loses the individual focus of the original model. The middle school doesn’t use the same format and am still pleased with the results. I do not have experience with the high school. Socially, I love they have the role playing time to learn skills in a time when they are outside of a potential situation that could cause an aspie moment .I tell my children that we evaluate the best place for them to learn on a year to year basis. This allows my daughter to transition easier if we would change schools. Because, no matter what the model the school uses, it also comes down to how good the teachers interact and share with the students. Looking forward to reading others comments and sharing experiences!
I think you are doing a wonderful job! Paying attention to what is best for our children is the way to make sure they progress through life! Home schooling was right for our three youngest and they have turned into great adults. All have found what will make them happy during their work lives and have gone on to college at one point or the other to further their goals. Welcome to the groups!!! Please check back often and share.
Sounds like you have done the best for him that you could. Might want to show him Khan Academy on You Tube. It has courses on many subjects and may be exactly what he needs to study and progress at his own rate. This is a totally free service and is a wonderful resource.