Hello everyone, I home schooled my son from 6th grade through graduation. He has just started technical college. He is studying to be an I T Specialist. Anyway, he just took his first college test and made 100%!!! I am soooo proud of him. I should add that he has Asperger's Syndrome (High functioning Autism). He is loving his college classes and becoming much more confident. I spent 9 years homeschooling him and worrying whether I was making the right choices for him. There was a time when I thought he would never be able to go to college. :shock: He is extremely bright, but has a very strong LD in math. He has never been a good speller. He did decide somewhere along the way that spelling was important because his peers online pointed out his errors. He spent a lot of time unschooling himself about computers, website design, video games, electronics, technology and history (pleasant surprise for me--lol) and more. I insisted that he study traditional subjects and gain sufficient credits to graduate. It has been a long, hard and sometimes daunting task, but it was all worth it----believe me!! Did I mention that he is an Eagle Scout as well!!?? I just wanted to share this little victory in case there were others out there that had the same misgivings about homeschooling that I did. You can do it!! Bountiful blessings, Susan
Great Job!!! Both of you!! And thanks for the encouragement this gives those of us who have dc on the autism spectrum!!!
Thank you so much for sharing that! I have a 21 yr old ds with Aspbergers and I had the same worries as you, that he would never be able to go to college. He just called me the other day to tell me he had just payed for his next semester of classes. With his own money!! that is huge for this kid. I am so glad to hear from another mom that has a success story like that. It makes it easier to face the next 8-10 years with my youngest kids.
This is great! I have suspicions that my DS has Asperger's Syndrome. How do you get that diagnosed for sure?
Wow!! Thanks for all the wonderful responses. I just hoped that others would be encouraged. I never expected all this. I am still homeschooling my daughter, who is a senior this year. Bountiful blessings, Susan
Hi For the Son, Our son was diagnosed by a psychiatrist when he was about seven years old. He had been previously diagnosed with ADHD, Oppositional Defiant disorder, Receptive Language Disorder, and a few other things that I don't remember. He was diagnosed after he reacted badly to a med adjustment (Adderal). He was never able to tolerate stimulants very well. He ended up in the hospital under observation. They took him off all medications and watched him for a few days. He was given a battery of tests. The final consensus was that he was autistic (Asperger's Syndrome specifically). That was a diagnosis that made sense to us after all the other ones never quite seemed to fit him exactly. He still has attention problems, but the only thing he takes is an herbal for ADD symptoms. He has been weaned off all other meds for years. Please feel free to ask any other questions. I will be glad to try to answer them. I know how it feels to know that something is different about your child and have no answers. You can even email me, if you prefer. rose7212@hotmail.com Blessings, Susan
Wow, Leissa!!! Congratulations to you and your son. I know how amazing that is for any kid, but for an ASD kid, it is nothing short of miraculous!! You have a proven track record. Your other kids will find their way as well with your help, of course. I am still homeschooling my daughter who has LD's and ADHD. She is a senior this year. I am hoping everything falls into place for her as well. She wants to major in Social Work. Bountiful blessings, Susan
I will have more time on Tuesday and will type something out to you then. Thanks for responding to me. I was also told my son had ADHD, but he threw up when taking the meds and I refused to put him through it. Thus I homeschool.
