blue daisy Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I'm considering homeschooling my 8 year old son next year. He has Asperger's syndrome and mostly struggles with social interactions, conversation skills, some transitions. He is interested in social relationships but lacks a lot of skills in that area (initiated, maintaining conversation, etc.). For the past year and a half, he has received special services at school - special ed classes and speech classes, both of which have focused on the social skills/conversation skills, and we've seen quite a bit of improvement. If he came home, how could I support those needs? Are there any books/programs that focus on this area? I can look into outside resources (although I don't think our insurance covers it), or even services within the school district, but I'd like to do what I can at home first. (I will have a kindergartener, a three year old attending private preschool and a new baby come winter, and do not want to spend my whole day driving around!) I think homeschooling will be a great fit for us for many reasons, but this is an area I worry about meeting his needs. For those with children on the spectrum, what are some ways you've met these needs on your own? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I'll give you a little bump here. Have you sat in on any of his therapy sessions to know what they're doing? You might do that (or have them videotape if your presence would be disruptive). My ds is not on the spectrum, but his speech therapist always integrates social skills since most kids with apraxia have more things going on. In our case, she uses games. I think though there are books to give you ideas, materials from Linguisystems, etc. Try searching with the terms "social skills book" on the LC board and see what you get. Here's one thread that popped up. Conversation books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer-72 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 There lots of great social skills books available from socialthinking.com My son is also 8 and has PDD NOS. This past year we have had great results with Big Picture Thinking and TeachingTheory of Mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Thank you. Those are exactly the type of thing I'm looking for. I was already looking at one of the books mentioned on that thread, going to check out the others and the programs that Jennifer suggested. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geodob Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Most towns and cities have a local Autism support group, which you could check out? Most of them have ongoing social skills/ conversation skills programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Just seconding the social thinking resources. You can do it yourself, or find someone in the area familiar with it and outsource. Maybe you could even find another hs'ing mom with a child on the spectrum and tag team it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Oh, also Social Stories could work well at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Thanks for the ideas. I think there are a couple of local groups we can look into, but I'm hoping to start at home first. I now have a nice list of resources to check out and try with him. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aselei Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 I'm finishing up my second year of homeschooling my 7 year old who has Asperger's. I, too, worried about the social skills issues related to his Asperger's. We've tried a bunch of different things, but what seems to work best have been small daytime homeschool classes, small playdates with other homeschooled kids, and working on social things at home. I've actually seen his social skills improve tremendously. I've also found other homeschooling moms that have been really supportive. One friend of ours has books that my son likes laying out when we come over so that he can take a break from being in a social situation when he needs to. He seems to be a lot more comfortable in social situations now. We still have plenty of times where he struggles, but he has much more success than ever before now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 Thank you, aselei, for sharing your experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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