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(Cross-posted) Outsourcing options for Aspies


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Homeschooling a 10th grader this August and are researching outsourcing options. DD is on the spectrum, diagnosed with what used to be called Aspergers and now just high functioning autism. She's a solid A/B student but struggles with critical thinking and social skills. School has been a nightmare because every change in schedule, every unstructured social interaction, has the potential for a meltdown.  We enrolled her in an ACE academy which was nearly perfect (students learn from workbooks, desks in cubicles, limited involvement with teachers or peers) but break time got her big trouble. And unfortunately the workbooks are easy to cheat. Instead of reading the material, she'd just skim the text for answers to fill in the blank questions. She'd guess at the answers to other assignments then memorize the answer key to get a perfect score on the retake. She was flying through assignments (never had homework), coveting her gold stars and perfect scores but the curriculum left her ill prepared for high school. She's in 9th now in a therapeutic boarding school that uses the Ignitia program. I feel like she's actually learning now, but I am researching other options for when we begin homeschooling at the end of her program. She is making good grades on Ignitia but slow progress. She has been at it since last May (working straight though Summer) and has completed just over 40% of her Science, Life Skills and Social studies courses, 30% of Algebra and 70% of English devoting 8 hours a day. They've reducing her Algebra workload so she can catch up in her other classes, so we'll see what happens now, but when she was in traditional middle school it was not uncommon for her to spend 3-5 hours on homework in order to keep up. 


 


So we need a reasonably cheat-proof curriculum wherein she can work at her own pace but that is not so difficult she will need more than a year to complete each subject or whose platform is so complicated she'll have trouble navigating. The hubby and I both work full time so it also needs to be a curriculum that requires minimal parental involvement, though I work from home so can monitor and devote a couple of hours before/after work for help. We'll also be hiring a tutor for math. She is planning on going to college and will need state aid, so accreditation is a must. Budget is not a deciding factor and the list we are looking into now (many based on things I've read about them on WTM) includes:


 


Laurel Springs


Indiana U


Oak Meadow


The Potters School


Clonlara


American HS


Mizzou


Advantages


BYU


International VLA


 


I am open to using up to three difference curriculum though would prefer to narrow it down to two. Would love to hear from anyone with experience with any of these... or with suggestions for others to look into that would meet these criteria.  Thanks so much!


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Okay, I may be missing something, but is it impossible to continue in the therapeutic boarding school?

Its a 12-16 month program (she'll 'graduate' the program we think in the full 16) but, even if it wasn't, at $40K/year, unfortunately, yes it is impossible to continue it. We were praying for an internship but they just discontinued the internship program, much to our and DD's disappointment. This year would not have even been possible without the generosity of family members with deeper pockets than us. We can however afford the  $700/month it seems a good online school will cost :hurray:

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Ignitia Online Homeschool Curriculum Subscription Plan  Here's an online school allowing you to sign up for an Ignitia only plan. It would make the most sense to continue the academics she's used to.

 

Accredidation is not necessary. 

 

Do you have a plan for working on social skills? 

Ignitia is not ideal for her in every subject. We'll likely keep her on it for English, definitely switch to a different math, and would like to get her in a secular Science course.

 

Ack, yes. We have been working on social skills for 5 years (we met/adopted her when she was 10 or would have been working on them a LOT longer). She does well in team sports, structured situations. She'll participate in basketball, volleyball and equestrian sports. We read Aspie teen books and discuss. And she'll have therapy ongoing as well.

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