Things to Consider

Needs of the child

Many ASD kids need a longer time to develop before they are ready for academic learning, or learn at a slower pace. Some kids excel in one area and have difficulty in others. Schools classify everyone by grade level, which means that making an exception requires testing, IEP meetings and constant effort. By learning at home you can customize each subject and proceed with how the student learns best, day by day.

Although schools do their best, mental health is not their highest priority.  Bullying and social ostracizing can become a major barrier to learning and emotional stability. Even if a child is holding ground academically, their emotional health may suffer, and the family at home suffers too, with trying to recover from a long school day. 

Some parents of preschoolers wonder if their child is ready for all-day kindergarten, with many academic and social demands.  A class full of 20 five-year-olds with one teacher might be overwhelming, and require more independence and stamina than the ASD child has, even with IEP supports.

Family situation

It's great if one parent can be home all the time, but families can be creative with schedules. Homeschooling is so much more efficient than group school that the same amount of learning can be done in less hours per day. If both parents need to work, they might be able to arrange alternating schedules, coupled with some child care.  A single parent might arrange with another homeschool parent to share care and teaching.  Younger children need less hours of instruction, so if you can fit in 2-3 hours, that's all they would get at school anyway!  Teens need more study time, but there are many online options to keep them busy and accountable.

Finances

Most people who homeschool do not find the actual costs of supplies and learning experiences to be prohibitive.  There are so many options that parents can find a selection of resources to fit any budget.  

The other financial consideration is if one parent reduces their working hours in order to be home with the children all day.  This can require re-doing the budget, possibly downsizing or changing lifestyle for a while.   

Costs for educational resources vary:

• Least expensive:  Free or cheap online resources and the library. Since the pandemic there are so many more online options than there used to be! 

• Moderate cost:  Purchasing some books and supplies, or subscribing to a few online classes.  These range in prices, for example, $20 for a math workbook, $60 for a DIY history semester, or up to $400 for a whole semester online high school biology class. There is a big range.  Most people pick and choose a mixture of free and paid resources to balance things out.

• Most expensive:  Comprehensive online or in-person classes, or complete (all subjects) printed curriculum can be several thousand dollars.  They are all planned for you, but many people with neurodiverse kids find they have to modify so much that these big packages aren't worth it.

Ability to teach

With neurodiverse kids, some parents feel worried that they won't be able to provide everything their child needs to thrive. School teachers do have good general training, but you are the expert on your child. Many great learning ideas come just from interacting closely with a child and being creative. 

Sometimes parents of autistic kids are neurodiverse themselves, and wonder if they really have the executive function skills to manage teaching or supervising learning?  Of course this is a personal decision, but consider that it takes quite a bit of work to deal with the school bureaucracy, go to IEP meetings, email teachers constantly, get a child ready for school on time, etc.  Those things all go away when homeschooling.  There are different challenges at home, but at least you are in control of all decisions and schedules.

Another common fear is, “my kid won't learn from me, only from his teachers.” This is just a habit that will fade as you start down the path of learning together. Your new roles will emerge and be comfortable.

If you have had homework battles in the past and cringe at the thought of doing that all day, remember that learning in the morning when a child is rested is so much easier than at the end of a long school day. There are also no worries about what the assignment instructions are or when it's due. Evenings can be free of homework entirely.

What about socialization?

Homeschooled kids in general are used to interacting with all generations of the family and community. For autistic kids, it can be a relief to be able to separate academic learning from social learning. They can have a calm, quiet place to study, then get together with other kids for fun. Children who are never teased or left out, grow up to love themselves and feel confident. 

If your child is very social, there is a large homeschool community in Portland, for field trips, classes, play groups, teen dances, etc. If your child prefers quiet days, there is no pressure to be busy. Take it at your own pace.  

What are the laws?

Oregon's homeschool laws are simple. To start, fill out a simple registration form online with the child's name, age, and the fact that you are going to homeschool. If your child is currently in school, email them to say you're not coming back. 

That's it. 

Oregon does not require any particular curriculum and the only testing required is math and language arts, in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. For autistic kids, testing can be adjusted or replaced with minor paperwork regarding the special needs of the child. See the testing page for more details. 

What and how to teach?

There are many ways to homeschool, but we can loosely define three main methods: 

• Eclectic - a mix of curriculum, library, classes, and life experience

• Unschool - learning from life and letting the child lead

• School-at-Home - online charter school, or full planned curriculum

See the Homeschool Methods page for more details.

Start by asking yourself, “what does it mean to our family to be an educated person?” This may be different than mainstream schools, or how you were raised. What are your goals, short-term and long-term? Remember to involve the child in goal-setting when they are old enough.

What about siblings?

Some parents find it easier to teach all siblings at home, for logistical reasons, and for others it makes sense to just have the autistic child(ren) at home where they can have individual attention. It depends on how well the siblings are doing in school, whether they want to be at home also, and how independently siblings can keep themselves busy while a parent works with one child.  

Young children could go to preschool to give a few mornings a week of dedicated time with the older children.  Or a swap can be worked out with another homeschool family. Keep in mind that things can change over time.  Older siblings might find they want to go to school or a charter as they reach high school, or the opposite, siblings happy in elementary school might want to be home as they enter puberty. Decisions can be made year by year.

Can we still get therapy services through the school?

The short answer is Yes.  Schools in Oregon are required to offer special education services to homeschooled children.

That said, the extent and quality of those services vary widely.  Typically for ASD students this is Speech Language therapy, Occupational Therapy, or tutoring in certain subjects.  If you are wondering about this option, talk to the sped staff at your local school and ask local parents to see if they are satisfied with the value of the school therapy. 

Alternatively, private SLP, OT, or tutors can be used, which often have a more whole-life approach than just those skills needed to survive at school. Cost and insurance are considerations and the trade-offs need to be weighed.  Any one-on-one academic help will be provided by a parent when learning at home, or by a specialist such as a dyslexia consultant or private tutor. 

If you choose to pursue receiving services from a school, they will need to do a full IEP evaluation process to determine the services needed, or modify an existing IEP for the new goals.

What if it's not working?

There are so many homeschooling options now than there used to be. If one method isn't working, take a break and try something else!  Less worksheets and more hands-on?  More structure? Less structure? More videos and less reading?  More interesting subjects?  Online versus book-based?  Most homeschoolers go through a settling-in period while they are finding out what works best.

Can we go back to public school after homeschooling? 

The choice to homeschool can be temporary.  It can be a way to get an elementary student on their feet for a few years while therapy happens. Or a way to help a middle school student struggling with puberty. Some homeschoolers do it for the family flexibility. You can still enroll in school at any time. 

(The only caveat to this is for high school age.  Oregon high schools do not accept "credits" for homeschooled work.  So if you are going to want a high school diploma, you need to decide that by 9th grade, or have your older student put back in Freshman classes to make up credits.  There are homeschool charters, though, which can help with this. See High School Goals for more info.)

Sometimes returning to school has more to do with the parents' needs or needs of other siblings at home.  Family life always involves tradeoffs.  Many homeschooled kids have done a variety of programs, both at home and in schools, by the time they are done.  Flexibility and choice provide opportunity to customize to everyone's needs.

Will my child be "behind" if he goes back to public school?

If your child is autistic, chances are there is some area of academics that have been a challenge. This will be true at a school as well as at home.  If your child is not at public school "grade level" and you decide to go back to school, they will work with you to provide appropriate placement or help, just like they would have every year, while attending school.