Homeschooling the Child With Asperger Syndrome: Real Help for Parents Anywhere and on Any Budget

273 Pages·2004·0.93 MB·English

by  Lise Pyles

Homeschooling the Child
with Asperger Syndrome
of related interest
Home Educating Our Autistic Spectrum Children
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ISBN 1 84310 037 1
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Homeschooling the Child
with Asperger Syndrome
Real Help for Parents Anywhere
and on Any Budget
Lise Pyles
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
This book reflects the personal experiences and opinions ofvarious families and, in particular,
one author. It should not be construed as medical or legal advice. Every parent should do his or
her own research and act according to individual circumstances. The author is not offering
professional advice, nor is the author liable for damages. Names in the book have been changed
to protect privacy.
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced in any material form
(including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not
transiently or incidentally to some other use ofthis publication) without the written permission
ofthe copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions ofthe Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988 or under the terms ofa licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency
Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1T 4LP. Applications for the copyright
owner’s written permission to reproduce any part ofthis publication should be addressed to the
publisher.
Warning: The doing ofan unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a
civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
The right ofLise Pyles to be identified as author ofthis work
has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2004
by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com
Copyright © Lise Pyles 2004
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Pyles, Lise, 1955-
Homeschooling the child with Asperger syndrome : real help for parents
anywhere and on any budget / Lise Pyles.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 1-84310-761-9 (pbk.)
1. Asperger’s syndrome. 2. Asperger’s syndrome—Patients—Education.
3. Home schooling. 4. Patient education. I. Title.
RJ506.A9P953 2004
371.92—dc22
2003025161
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-13: 978 1 84310 761 3
ISBN-10: 1 84310 761 9
ISBN pdfeBook: 1 84642 055 5
Printed and Bound in Great Britain by
Athenaeum Press, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
Contents
Acknowledgments 7
Preface 9
1 Should You Homeschool Your Child
with Asperger Syndrome? 11
2 Developing Your Plan 38
3 Some Family Models 77
4 Unit Studies 97
5 Where Academics Meets Asperger 108
6 Making Your Own Learning Tools 161
7 The Computer 171
8 Older Students 180
9 What Else Do I Need to Know? 208
10 Final Thoughts 226
Appendix 1: Asperger Resources 232
Appendix 2: Homeschool Resources 236
Appendix 3: Social Skills 240
Appendix 4: Facial Expressions 242
Appendix 5: Idioms 243
Appendix 6: Sample High School Transcript (US) 245
Appendix 7: Books, Software, DVDs, Games, Toys 249
Appendix 8: Finances of Homeschooling 260
Bibliography 263
Index 265

Acknowledgments
Ifthisbookreflectstruth,anditismyferventhopethatitdoes,itistothe
creditof dozensof familiesthathavebeenbrutallyhonestinproviding
me their stories. These good people have filled out distressingly long
questionnaires, answered off-the-cuff questions, discussed thorny
problems, aired complaints, shared victories, and confessed worries so
thatotherfamilieswillbenefit.Inshort,theyhaveprovidedthegutsof
this book. I am respecting their need for privacy in not naming them
individually here, but I thank each one for the valuable contributions
they have made.
Asalways,Iamgratefultomyparents,JayandEstelLarsen,forthe
lifelessonstheygavemeandfortheirunwaveringsupport.Also,Ithank
mytwosonswhohavetaughtme,eachinhisownway,whatanabsolute
honor and awesome privilege it is to be a parent.
I’d like to thank Jil Edwards, whose encouraging remarks in high
schooldidmoreformybuddingwritingcareerthananyEnglishclass,a
factthathasgivenmemuchtoponderduringthewritingofthisbook.
I’d also like to acknowledge Sue Sorensen. Reconnecting recently
withmybestfriendfromchildhoodhasbeenaphenomenalexperience.
We were on the same wavelength as kids, and now, as mothers to
childrenwithAspergerSyndrome,wearestillonthesamewavelength.
I’mstartingtounderstandthattruefriendshiphasagreatdealtodowith
wavelength.
Finally, I’m most grateful to my husband, Bill, for giving me the
couragetofollowmyheartandforhishelpindoingso.Inthisbook,I
writeaboutthingsthat‘I’didinhomeschooling,butitwasatrulyjoint
effort. His constant support, hands-on assistance, and general encour-
agement have ensured the successes I’m now able to write about. Our
homeschooling experience, like parenting, has been a ‘we’ proposition
in every respect, though he seldom gets the credit. So thanks, silent
partner. I love you.
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