• What is autism?
• What is Asperger's Syndrome?
• Join our ADD & Special Kids Community
• Books for ADD & Special Needs Children

It's circle time. . . You hear "Pay attention!" as conversations from adjacent classrooms, growling stomachs and buzzing fluorescent lights pound your ears. Light rays bouncing off the chalkboard prevent lip-reading. Your clothing tag scratches your neck and tiny dirt particles stick between your toes. You softly rock to soothe your frazzled brain. You get scolded for rocking, so you scream in frustration. Welcome to the world of autism!

Because traditional classrooms bombard their delicate senses, autistic children learn more freely at home. The "experts" discourage diving into homeschooling, so parents cautiously dip their toes into supplementing part-time. Once they wade into full-time teaching, many find the waters refreshing! Like parents, most autistic children need acclimation to homeschooling, or "deschooling" The more traumatized by school, the longer deschooling takes. A peaceful atmosphere, begging children to explore their interests through books, television, videos, outdoor play, self-directed projects, computers and field trips, can revive natural curiosity, or sprout it for the first time.

Deschooling helps parents study how children learn best.
Evaluations, reports and observing self-directed activities provide clues. Comparing findings with materials written by autistic authors and understanding professionals triggers deeper insight. The literature on autism states children are typically:

• gifted in mathematics, art, music and self-directed hobbies
• sequential (crave order and structure)
• visual (memorize by seeing, reading and watching),
• analytical (focus intently on details, challenged to separate wheat from chaff),
• concrete (trust their senses and experience).

Autistic children crave structure with hands-on learning, such as projects, vivid books or software. Some prefer unit studies or unschooling, They memorize visually: sight reading, flash cards, map puzzles, timelines, charts, matching games, etc. Musically gifted children enjoy song tapes! Their analytical nature craves facts, details and logic presented methodically, making computers patient teachers. They favor working alone in uncluttered, quiet settings. Clear guidelines help them respond better in social situations. But, the literature ignores the reality that autistic children are unique as their fingerprints. They can be auditory or kinesthetic memorizers, random learners or big-picture thinkers. Learning soared at the discovery that my daughter, Pamela, is visual and kinesthetic!

Autistic children learn best by launching their interests as springboards for learning. Pamela adores music. We encouraged eye contact by singing her favorite songs when she looked at us. We expanded vocabulary through songs and television ads. An animal lover, she learned animal names and sounds through flash cards and "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." We stretched a favorite commercial, which melodically chanted: "It's Sunday!" We taught calendar concepts for months: "It's Tuesday!" "It's not Friday!" "Tomorrow's Wednesday!" "It's April!" Pamela aced geography tests in a homeschooling cooperative by singing songs about states and state capitals. On test day, she wrote her answers verse by verse! Aiming for goals by channeling interests creates success through success and prevents frustration by lacing challenges with fun.

Children with autism have difficulty mastering language -- some remain nonverbal. They learn speech best, person-to-person, in quiet settings, focused on their interests. Written scripts, picture cue cards, sign language and communication devices increase their understanding. Some children plug phrases from television, computers and audio tapes into their vocabulary. Objects and pictures provide concrete bridges to words. Language generalizes best from daily activities in natural environments when parents shape existing phrases into more complex expressions. Families find more opportunities to teach language in the home and community than therapists at schools. Noisy schools distract these children so, ideally, speech language pathologists should provide ideas and resources for home teaching.

Reading is critical for acquiring language!
Some nonverbal and low verbal children read and comprehend beyond their expressive language. Reading bridges the gap from spoken word to written word to mental pictures with meaning. At five, long streams of language confused Pamela. Reading helped her separate "Iwantanapple" into four distinct words, "I want an apple." While some autistic children read phonetically, many are natural sight readers. They gain new words by reading labels on household objects, dictionaries (books and software) and closed-caption television. They love books based on their specific interests, commonly, trains, animals, food, calendars or television characters. Commercial or homemade read-along audio tapes reinforce reading their favorite stories. Parents should try teaching low-functioning children to read (if they already haven't taught themselves).

Accessing Therapy
Some families access therapies through public schools or medical insurance, while others pay therapists out-of-pocket or contact organizations supporting special needs children. Changes in federal laws muddy the rights of homeschooled children to receive public services, so availability varies by state. Other homeschoolers network with other parents and professionals and apply tips from books about autism.

Occupational Therapists (OTs)
teach autistic children to improve fine motor delays hindering dressing, writing, coloring and cutting. OTs share adaptations and tricks to ease the mastery of fine motor skills. My daughter wrote sloppily. Our therapist recommended breaking her crayons into stubs (naturally shaping proper grasp) and trying rubber pencil grips. Pamela's hand shook from pressing too hard, so she encouraged trying markers. She suggested writing on a chalkboard or easel and on homemade slant boards (three-inch thick notebooks with the top of her paper clipped to the thick end). She endorsed a frustration-free method for printing and cursive. The expertise of our OT enabled Pamela to write legibly and enjoy it!

OTs experienced in Sensory Integration (SI) therapy can calm ragged senses. SI reduces avoidance of touch and self-stimulation (stimming) by gently stimulating the senses. Therapists give parents tools to ease daily routines by minimizing sensory stress. Knowledge of SI demystifies many exasperating behaviors caused by bombarded, scrambled senses. Listening therapies like AIT and the EASe CD target sound sensitivities, also relieved by noise filters, quiet rooms and white noisemakers (air conditioners or relaxation tapes). A child who flaps, rocks, spins, swings, climbs, crashes into walls, head bangs, flees from being held or covers his ears craves these therapies!

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
Many autistic children learn with Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), which divides tasks into small steps, teaches through drills and rewards with positive reinforcement. Families spend 20 to 40 hours per week doing ABA. Early intensive ABA helps many, but not all, children. To promote ABA, some professionals caution families against special diets and supplements. The brains of some children are affected by damaged immune and digestive systems, creating wheat and milk intolerance, yeast overgrowth and other issues. Discouraging stimming and "abnormal" behavior ignores sensory issues. Some children grow indifferent when their communicative attempts through behavior are ignored without considering meaning. Gradually shaping existing behaviors into something more appropriate fosters greater enthusiasm. Some professionals discredit other therapies, confounding parents of children failed by ABA.

The rich social tapestry woven by homeschoolers
The "experts" often overlook the rich social tapestry woven by homeschoolers. Running errands provides real-life situations to ask questions, relax when upset, wait in line and shop. Children join groups organized around their interests (music, drama, 4H, scouting, church, sports, etc.). They accompany homeschoolers on field trips, special events and cooperatives, leading to party invitations, friendship and play dates. Adult mentors share favorite hobbies and build foundations for future careers. Gentle introduction into society in tolerable doses avoids the trauma of prolonged exposure to noise, chaos and occasional abusive treatment.

Autism Awareness
When introducing Pamela to new settings, I create autism awareness. I hand adults materials explaining autism and children pamphlets about Pamela. I conduct an autism simulation and provide tips on interacting with Pamela. During the autism simulation, I read a story aloud while helpers distract the children (flicking lights, radio static, competing audio tape, waving scarves and tickling feathers). Most children are stunned by Pamela's sensory challenges. For chance encounters in public, some parents present business cards explaining autism.

Tantrums
Tantrums communicate frustration and can be lessened when autistic children understand plans and potential change through picture/word schedules, checklists and written explanations. Timers and clocks warn them of pending transitions. Long lists of rules and "bad" behaviors produce anxiety, but social stories encourage reasoning and sound decision-making. Social stories helped Pamela follow her special diet, cooperate during check-ups and change classrooms at homeschooling cooperative classes. Children cope using relaxation techniques and adaptations. When signs of frustration appear, leaving over-stimulating situations prevents tantrums. When tantrums occur, determining possible explanations (noise, unexpected change, undiagnosed physical need, etc.) can prevent future outbursts.

Targeting Strengths
Years of homeschooling have swept Pamela and I from the churning waters of doubt to synchronized swimming! Recently assigned oral presentations in her homeschooling cooperative, Pamela's difficulty verbalizing gave me qualms. I targeted her strengths: writing legibly, coloring and reading aloud. I helped her compose the report, including details on music and food. Pamela wrote and color-coded key words, snipped pictures from magazines and colored drawings. We recorded an audio tape of Pamela reading her report and created a poster with words and pictures that followed the same order as her report. When the tape started, Pamela recognized her voice, smiled and confidently pointed until the recording ended! I quietly wondered what our next voyage into uncharted territory would be, but her latest accomplishment reassured me we could navigate successfully.

• What is autism?
• What is Asperger's Syndrome?
• Join our ADD & Special Kids Community
• Books for ADD & Special Needs Children

Building Self Esteem
Does your child have enough
poker chips for the game of life?
by Joe Spataro
Self esteem is the most important aspect of our children's lives. If you believe that you can do it, then you probably can. Unfortunately, many kids are told quite the opposite, especially if they don't quite "fit in." Kids with learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, victims of bullies and many others get constant messages, that they are not worthy. Many of these messages come from teachers, parents and others who are supposed to be helping them. Quickly, they will believe it and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We have some great FREE inspirational video clips that can help you help your child from Dr. Robert Brooks who talks about "Islands of Competence" and the need to celebrate and reinforce of them. Richard Lavoi then has another video clip about making sure that your child gets enough poker chips for the game of life.

In this interview hosted by Joe Spataro, the authors discuss their ideas on ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, homeschooling, afterschooling as well as an easy to follow way to assess your child. This book challenges the assumption at the heart of the traditional school system: that all children learn (and therefore should be taught) in the same way. The book contains a step-by-step program of self awareness test that guide you to a better understanding of your child’s unique strengths and weaknesses. Normally, these tests would cost hundreds of dollars, but now you can do it yourself and help your child achieve a better inner peace while helping them achieve their goals and fulfill their interests.

Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World:
Unlocking the Potential of Your Add Child

by Jeffrey Freed, Laurie Parsons
Requiring only ten minutes a day, the program revealed in this groundbreaking book provides an effective, step-by-step method for helping children with Attention Deficit Disorder develop their special skills and individual learning styles and excel in a classroom setting.