Autistic 13 yo and single dad - what to do

[BookwormTo2]

One of my nephews has autism and is in the special needs class at his local public school. What are single parents doing in this pandemic? I mean, the public school  is offering the hybrid option of go to physical school 3 days/ week and remote school rest of the time, or for special needs kids, they can go in person 5 days/ week, or they can choose the all online public school option. The problem is, my brother isn’t comfortable sending his autistic son to the public school with the pandemic going on still. I know many parents are in the same boat as far as comfort level sending their kid(s) to a physical school. The remote learning the public school had for my brother’s son was terrible. I don’t know much about my autistic nephew’s skill level, but he is technically going into 8th grade and can barely write a paragraph but is good at math. But when I say good at math, my brother said he is definitely not ready for pre-algebra. Does anyone have curriculum suggestions for a kid with autism going into 8th grade? And, for those who are working remotely (at least for right now) like my brother, how doable is it to either homeschool an autistic kid or have him help  his son as needed with the remote public schooling?

[PeterPan]

Our autism school has been running just fine. send the kid.

[popmom]

If your nephew was doing well in the classroom environment pre-COVID and there are no underlying health issues in either him or his dad, I agree with PeterPan.

However, if dad is uncomfortable with sending his son even with the hybrid option, I would say HSing is definitely doable with dad working remotely. But it would depend on many factors. My husband is working from home, and he has a pretty good bit of flexibility during his workday. He would most certainly have time to be hands on and homeschool. I think if dad could be available a few hours a day 5 days a week, it's doable. 

Another factor is whether the student is capable of working independently in any subjects. My dd is 14 and autistic. She is able to work independently on all subjects except math. I have to be at her side for math to happen. Still doable IMO.

I would have to know more about dad's educational philosophy to recommend curriculum. Is he looking for everything to be online? I would say if that is what he has in mind, the student would be WAY better off going back into the classroom everyday. 

[City Mouse]

Working full time and schooling (virtual public school) a kid with special needs is possible but very challenging. I did it for many years. I worked until 4pm then helped my kid with his school work from 4 to 9 most evenings and we worked 8-12 hours every weekend. This included doing Barton in addition to all the required public school stuff. 
Straight homeschooling might be easier, but the student is likely to lose all of the related services he receives if he is withdrawn from school.