If you are still struggling to find reliable online resources and curriculum for home schooling your child, you should take a look at our list of the best homeschool curriculum and online resources for Asperger’s and high function autism where you will definitely find an answer. Many parents of children with Asperger’s or high-functioning autism have concluded that homeschooling is the best option for their child. Asperger’s syndrome (AS) is a neurobiological disorder on the higher-functioning end of autism spectrum sharing many characteristics with other autism spectrum disorders including the high-functioning autism (HFA). Some of the main characteristics of AS and HFA are: extreme difficulty in developing peer relationships and social skills, difficulty comprehending implied meanings, impairment in the use of eye gaze, facial expressions and gestures to regulate social interactions, lack of attention and auditory processing, etc.
Because of these characteristics that accompany AS and HFA, your child might find school to be a very frustrating environment. A study done by Karen Hurlbutt explains that many children with autism spectrum disorder are very capable but cannot achieve their full potential by attending mainstream schools. the reason for this is that in classrooms with a lot of students all that stimulation can be overwhelming for them. With homeschooling these distractions that cause a lot of stress for children with AS and HFA are reduced to a minimum and a child can dedicate their full attention to the learning process. With the strong need to have everything scheduled, your child can benefit from homeschooling because he/she will be prepared for studying and knowing what to expect will offer much more comfort than regular school. You can also download educational apps which in a fun way help children with autism spectrum disorder to acquire new skills. If you need ideas which educational apps are good, take a look at our list of Best Educational Apps for Children with Autism.
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The traditional curriculum can also overwhelm a child with AS or HFA especially because a lot of them are lagging behind their peers when it comes to language skills and auditory skills. Typical oral instructions in school will probably not help your child. Computer-based curriculum, on the other hand, offers structure and predictability which proved to be successful in the learning process for children with AS or HFA as well as focusing on visual skills rather than auditory. Since you create the schedule you can organize the lessons according to your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Also, some children are more nervous in the evening and some in the morning which means that you can schedule the classes during the day when your child is most alert and open to learning. It is a good idea to include Unit studies which examine a topic in depth. Once your child acquires skills from one unit you can move on to the next one. Unit studies work particularly well for children with AS or HFA because they usually resist learning anything that is not in their area of interest. You can start with his/her area of interest and then slowly branch it to other topics. A smooth transition will work wonders and in no time your child could also be expanding his/her interests.
Compiling this list of the best homeschool curriculum and online resources for Asperger’s and high function autism was a bit harder than expected. I’ve visited a lot of parenting forums and blogs where parents of children with AS and HFA share their experiences. Some of these include Homeschooling Autism, Bright Hub Education, Circle of Moms, Well Trained Mind, a2z Homeschooling and website Home School Legal Defense Association which offers details about homeschooling and laws in different states. I focused on the section in regards to homeschooling children with AS. Despite visiting these and many other websites dealing with homeschooling of children with AS and HFA, it was hard to find specific programs since the majority of parents explained that they personally create programs and curriculum for their child. However, I successfully singled out 6 best homeschool curriculum and online resources for Asperger’s and high-functioning autism and you can finally see them in one list. Time 4 Learning is a program that was recommended on almost every website which is why it takes the top spot on our list. Other curricula and online resources are ranked randomly. Some programs might indicate that they are designed for Asperger’s but the same curriculum can work well for both Asperger’s and high-functioning autism.
