Help me find a curriculum for my Asperger son!

[Sue G in PA]

Many of you have followed my struggles with this kid. He's a very bright and curious child. Last year, right around January, he just sort of lost interest in all things school-related. We let him play educational computer games, Leapster and whatever else captured his attention that taught him something. No bookwork. He wrote when he felt like it. We read to him and he read to us. So, it's that time of year again and we are having the same struggles. He just fights me everyday about schoolwork. I thought about putting him in school, but my dh is against that. So am I really...I'm just desperate. I think he might be bored with the curriculum he uses. We use LLATL Red book for LA. He really knows most of the phonics in there and the stories he reads are easy for him. For math, he uses Singapore 1B after an attempt with MUS (to repetitive for him). He likes the workbook for Singapore. Some days he complains it is too easy and some days he whines it's too hard. Same concepts...just different problems. It's so frustrating. I can't keep up like this. Next year I'll have more one-on-one time with him as my 3 older kids are going back to ps. But, I'll still have his 3 younger sibs. Does anybody have any suggestions for curriculum that would "fit" this child? Thanks!

[KarenNC]

My friend who has a 10yo son with Asperger's is finding Time4Learning and Time4writing to be a good fit for them, so it might be worth checking out.

 

http://www.time4learning.com

http://www.time4writing.com

[Twinmom]

You should cross-post this on the special needs board. Many of the ladies there will have good suggestions, having dealt with the same issue!

 

Best of luck finding a good fit.

[...................]

likes people, but he and I butt heads if I try to be involved too much.

 

So what I do is have a "school meeting" with him and go over new concepts, and then give him a checklist every day and basically walk away.

 

If by 3:00 he's not done he doesn't go outside until he is done. Works like a charm.

 

As for the Red Book I thought it was stupid. I hope everyone doesn't think I'm being mean but I tried that with my son too and it was so slow, all these tedious exercises, and too easy, the books were too easy and it took FOREVER!!!

 

I would ditch the red book and just to finish out the rest of the school year pick up Spectrum LA book. Good enough.

 

And then with my Aspie every day after lunch we have quiet time. He may sleep or read. Period. Of course he chooses to read. His reading level jumped 3 "grade levels" this year, and the quiet time in the middle of the day really helps him...he has meltdowns sometimes when we skip our quiet time.

 

I would not listen to his whining or complaining. Just walk away and do your thing, and expect it to be done.

 

For next year, I would look at some different curricula...my son works best with self led curriculum, but not tons of it, and not stuff that's so easy it seems pointless to him.

[Angel]

My aspie is older, 14, but I have found that they things that help(have helped) her most are the same routine every day, short lesson times, mastery approach without a bunch of extra frills, and being done at or around noon.

 

I take her input into consideration when scheduling her day before the school year begins, but before she was old enough to tell me, I would do it. For example, she needs all of her mental power for math and she is incapable of doing math if she has had a meltdown previously. Therefore math is always the first of second subject of the day. We used R&S math for her because it didn't jump around. From there I schedule her subjects where she does a difficult one and then an easier one. This really helps her not to get overwhelmed.

 

Short lesson times is a must for her. Her brain literally shuts down after 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the subject. When she was younger, I kept her lesson times around 30minutes, sometimes shorter. I also did whatever we could orally. She has sensory issues and the physical act of writing was tough at a younger age. Doing it orally helped her not to get overwhelmed by seeing a page or two of problems. All math was done on a white board till this year, and we only did odd's or even's.

 

Dd really dislikes jumping around, but I know that this trait varies in aspies. Any kind of spiral approach was a nightmare. Rod & Staff for math and English worked great in the younger years.

 

Dd is mentally done after noon. When she was younger, I had all school work done by noon. Now that she's older, I save reading for after lunch. That way she can go off to her comfort zone and just read. It may not be something she is always interested in, but it doesn't take the same mental capacity as some other subjects.

 

Beside all that, I try to cater to her sensory issues. If they are in overload, school is a disaster. I already mentioned using the white board. She used to have a small exercise ball to sit on. I try to keep background noise to a minimal (hard when the younger sister is 6 years younger:glare:), and just whatever else makes her more comfortable. Rocking and jumping were great helps when she was younger, and even now, taking 5 or 10 minutes on the trampoline or the Wii Balance Board will help her settle down to work more.

 

I still haven't found anything that helps her with writing.:confused:

 

I really had to let go of MY vision of what might work or what I might like. This took a few years. Also, a rigorous curriculum, I just had to realize that this child learns much better when I modify for her. That's hard. Especially with your brood, it's got to be difficult to give him what he needs without disrupting the rest of the flow:grouphug: It's hard now and mine our 6 years apart.

 

I hope this helps some. I'm STILL trying to figure out some stuff and it's STILL frustrating!

 

:grouphug:

[AngieW in Texas]

My Aspie is 13.5yo now.

 

My Aspie has always done better with a checklist. I make the weekly assignment sheet checklist on Sunday night. She picks up her checklist and works through it until she's done. She takes breaks when she needs to.

 

Miquon and Singapore were great fits for her for math. We started off with Miquon. She started in Singapore with 3A after she finished Miquon.

 

We used SL science at first, but near the end of 4th grade she asked me to switch to a textbook program for science. Usborne books were fun for her and using them for school "ruined" them. She has enjoyed the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series (for 6th-8th graders).

 

Sonlight has worked out very well for history, readalouds, and readers. Their LA didn't work for any of my kids.

 

IEW has been perfect for writing. It gives my dd a structure to hang her ideas on. With IEW, she is a pretty good writer. Without it, she goes into meltdown.

 

I have to make sure that my dd isn't overloaded. I would love for her to do more, but my dd is doing all that she can right now. Challenging my dd without frustrating her is essential and can be difficult to achieve.

[Sue G in PA]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I'm checking out the computer based curriculum b/c I think that might be a good fit. He loves working on the computer, playing on the computer, etc. As for writing...he'll write when the mood strikes him so perhaps some creative ideas like a family newsletter or plays or whatever might be his cup of tea. I must get better at a checklist of schedule for him. I think that is where I have dropped the ball. I can give my other kids a checklist and it works fine. With ds7 I have to be on top of him. Maybe if he knew what subjects came first, how much time to work and at what time he'd be DONE...that would help. Any more ideas...keep them coming. Something has to work.

[ElizabethB]

He can watch my phonics lessons for phonics/spelling review (linked below.)

[Wyndie]

We installed a therapy swing in the house and that helps calming and focusing when school gets overwhelming. They don't use it as much anymore but last year it was major for them. My daugher specifically likes to curl up in there and look at books to de-stress when she's struggling with school.

 

Not so much a curriculum advice there but something that may help your son when he's feeling bored or overwhelmed anyway...

[dalynnrmc]

My ds10 is high functioning (might be classified as PDD instead of AS because of language processing delays...) but here is what is working for us:

 

First, he needs a regular schedule... that isn't repetitive. :lol: We change up the way we "do school" two or three times a year. More often isn't a schedule, and not often enough he will go into *insert meltdown* "But we ALWAYS... !!!" mode.

 

Visual with reinforcement of kinesthetic and auditory. He needs a full circle to really "get" a new concept often.

 

If you've ever used a boxed curriculum, you will understand what I mean when I say that we do the schedule in columns rather than rows. We have a couple of subjects we do daily, and the rest are a subject a day. It's a full week's worth of math in a day... but broken up in daily lessons around the things he has to do every day (such as Bible, handwriting, reading).

 

 

Here are some curricula that are currently working for us:

 

Math-U-See is a hit. He watches the DVD and does it all on his own, occasionally needs a little guidance on a new concept.

 

Rod & Staff grammar. We do almost all of it orally, do a worksheet instead of the bookwork if there is one, do all diagramming on the dry-erase board in multi-colors, and all writing assignments on the computer.

 

Mystery of History. Short lessons - read the text, do an activity, do map work and timeline, narration followed by notebooking page. Literature corresponds and also has activities and study guides, and he really enjoys making the connections from the readers to the actual history. ("That's just like what we read in Exodus!!" "Yes, this story is made up about a pretend girl who they are saying might have been with those people. Is that neat?" "No. It's awesome!")

 

 

Some things we are about to try, now that we've been HSing 3 years and know we're dealing with spectrum and have had a couple of... unsuccesful bouts with other things. ;)

 

Foundations to Writing from Illuminations by Bright Ideas Press. (Scroll to the bottom of the ILM page to see some info on it.) Originally titled Link-Up to Writing by Learning Success Institute. I am *uber* excited about this program that doesn't require the student to WRITE during the first 18 weeks...! This is *not* a workbooky approach. My set has a stack of 5x8 cards (used after wk18) and a CD-ROM for a teacher guide. BIP has the best (and only discounted) home delivered price, though you can download it directly from the author for a little less.

 

English from the Roots Up (Will help with comprehension, I'm hoping, as a different approach to vocabulary... while getting in good Latin studies!!) The visual cards will be great, though I may have to write for him having him dictate to me from the book.

 

Hands-On Geography. A subject requested by my son himself, and several fantastic (and gifted to us) atlases.

 

Winter Promise science - we are starting with Animal Worlds. Workbooks, textbooks, lapbooking, cut and paste, read-and-answer... nothing has worked for us very well yet and we are looking forward to studying science as a family this year! (Little brothers are almost 6 and 4, and each will do this program on his own level. Youngest does it with his phonics, middle does it mostly as a nature study, oldest adds more meat from recommended resources.)

 

 

Would really love to get a hold of a computer-based science program like Sonlight, but haven't the finances to do that just yet. He'd love it and go for it, and if we can ever get our hands on it I'll likely let him do it "for fun" in addition to whatever we're doing as a family.

 

 

Anything he can do one-on-one with me is a big hit. Anything he can be "in charge" of is a big hit - I've begun letting him teach his little brothers a few things, mostly in math (he asserts himself as really good in math, and they are on the basics like skip counting and single-digit addition at most).

 

 

Getting tired so my brain is wiped, but that's what's going on here, currently! Will watch thread - cool topic! Thanks!

[hsmamainva]

My son with Asperger's will be 15 in May and I can share what has worked for him.

 

History / Reading - Sonlight -- he loved to be read to when he was younger and he enjoys reading now, although novel's aren't his first reading choice (he'd rather read a nature or how-to book).

 

Writing / Grammar / Spelling / Handwriting - we've had a great deal of success with the materials from IEW, which we started using last year. Before that, he used Easy Grammar, which was an excellent choice for him, due to their workbook format. When he was younger, he used Handwriting Without Tears, which is excellent.

 

Math - Teaching Textbooks is a hit! He can do the work independently and, if he misses a problem, he can watch as it's solved on the computer. He began using this with the Prealgebra text -- it's now available for students as young as 4th grade. Prior to TT, he used Math-U-See, which was excellent, and the manipulatives were very helpful.

 

Science - I try to keep science very hands-on and experiment-based. I usually pick a theme and then find books and experiments about that theme. He's gone through various 'phases', i.e., sharks, bats, robotics.. This year, we studied the human body, anatomy, reproduction, etc. Next year, we'll be expanding it to biology and the natural world in a general sense, and try to fulfill his high school biology requirement, including dissection! Not sure how that will go over with him! ;)

 

Art - He loves to draw and paint, so I usually find books along those lines at homeschool fairs, bookstores, and art supply stores.

 

I hope this helps a little!

[Carrie12345]

My 10yo aspie *loves* online stuff like Time4Learning and Brain Pop, but he does need to have time limits.

 

He's a big fan of workbooks, and hates copying from textbooks to notebooks, so I really try to limit that. Having a separate text, workbook and notebook/binder is a lot for him to juggle.

 

With my ds, once he knows something, he really knows it, so I cut out as much repetition as possible or he gets cranky. However, when he gets cranky about working on something he hasn't mastered, that's just too bad.:tongue_smilie:

 

Someone else mentioned the Spectrum books, and I second that. My kids find them entertaining, I find them to be great supplements that can do a decent job as a core in a pinch, especially for ds.

 

One of the main reasons I brought my son home was b/c I found it too difficult to work "Aspie School" into our ps schedule, and he had no "Aspie School" components in the classroom. We use a lot of Critical Thinking Co. materials for that. But not Red Herrings!

[Rhonda in TX]

We're going through some rough patches here and it helps to see what others are doing.

 

Like others have said, what really helps the most for a smooth day is a schedule. If I get too relaxed, it all falls apart. I give him a checklist each day and try to alternate writing and non-writing activities.

 

Here's what I use with my 12 year old aspie.

 

History - Literature based. We've done Sonlight, AO, and are now trying TOG. He loves biographies, but only tolerates the historical fiction. Still, he does enjoy our history studies. The slow pace of AO really fits him, but I need more structure than that, so we're going to do Sonlight at a slower pace next year.

 

Grammar - Rod and Staff. Mostly orally with the worksheets. If there is no worksheet, we do the whole lesson orally. We are also doing it at a slow pace (2-3 days/week)

 

Writing - IEW is a good program for him. Once he has done his outline on paper, he can do the rest of the writing on the computer. This has worked really well.

 

Science - This is a weak point in our homeschool. He does read lots of science books on his own (Eyewitness-type) and watches programs on channels like Discovery that I think are science-y. We also recently started Bob Jones, which he likes.

[Sue G in PA]

Thanks again for the great suggestions. I'm researching many curricula now and asking him what HE wants to do next year. As my older kids will be in school, that will make him the oldest at home. I'm having to change up my entire "plan" now which is a good thing. We've used MOH before and he tolerated it. He loves to color and draw so this could be a good thing. I do love all the Bright Ideas Press books. Keep the ideas coming! I'm also encouraged by all the scheduling ideas that seem to work. I just need to be more organized.

[dalynnrmc]

If you enjoy BIP, you should check out Illuminations if you haven't yet. They use a few things differently than I mentioned, but most of the LA things I listed are scheduled into it. They use Grammar Punk instead of R&S, and they use CKE science books which just didn't work with ds for some reason. He needs the vocabulary basis and is having difficulty retaining the info... I dunno. I love it, it just doesn't seem to be working. (A lot of it is me, though, to be quite honest.)

 

The literature study guides that are included with Illuminations are *fantastic* and he does pretty well with them as a good challenge. (Golden Goblet was difficult, but he's done well since then.) There are always activities, and they vary, and it seems to be right on-par with he change he needs every couple of weeks. Not always the same kind of activity, if that makes sense. ILM is worth it if all you want is the lit guides!

 

 

Hands-On Geography is BIP, too, and is scheduled into ILM. (ILM has choices for several subjects - like writing uses WriteShop for the older or more experienced writer, schedules Winston Grammar in addition to the Grammar Punk, The Ultimate Geography and Timeline guide - another BIP product - for the older students, etc etc. You have the choice of what to use, and of course you can use something else in its place if you want; they just schedule in specific ones. We like our R&S and will stick with it!)

 

Anyway. :)

[Stacie]

Have you asked the specialist who did his formal testing? My friend had the best results choosing curriculum based on information from the doctor who oversaw her son's testing. The doc was able to provide insight into his learning style, give ideas of types of work to keep his interest, and give thoughts on how to provide intellectual challenges.

 

He sat down with her, reviewed the schedule she'd prepared for her son, and made suggestions, additions, and changes. For example, he knew her son worked best with workbooks so he suggested starting with a workbook, then moving him onto something that used his hands such as typing, next bringing him a bit out of his comfort zone with a different type of learning, then rewarding him with another workbook to provide the comfort and routine he likes.

 

The doctor didn't actually help choose the curriculum but he did provide a lot of helpful information, encourage my friend to do things she wouldn't think of doing, and give her the confidence to try things outside the box. Her Aspie's done so well, but I honestly don't think he could have done it without the insight the doctor gave his mom!

 

I suggest talking things over with your son's specialist, or at the very least, the people who did his actual testing!! Good luck. :)

[Guest JennG not in Italy]

Sonlight has been a wonderful fit for my Aspie. He is very auditory and loves all the reading aloud (though he reads at an adult level). Most of the time you wouldn't guess he is paying attention, yet he is and could even recite it all back.

[ClassicMom]

I saw the post about BIP and Illuminations. We are using that this year and while I think it's a great option for some, I don't necessarily think it would be a great fit for an Aspie.

 

My son is an Aspie and I think that the workload would overwhelm him. He too is bright but if your son is already bulking at schoolwork, this may just be too much for him. Your going to want something light.

 

Have you seen the curriculum boxes that Timberdoodle has put together?

I looked at the 1st grade kit and it looks pretty much spot-on for my son. I'm just a bit hesitant about the history since it's not very visual.

 

Have you tried SOS? A lot of Aspie families have found great success with that. Especially if he has been enjoying his computer a lot. Maybe you could introduce one subject at a time?

 

Just a few thoughts. Good luck to you. I know it's a lot to deal with.

[kristinatucker]

I recently just found out that explore the code offers an online program now. There is a little sample online that you can look at to see if it would fit well for him. I loved the explode the code books and it helped my kids with their phonics and reading skills.

Here is the link - http://www.explodethecode.com/

here is the link to the video sample http://www.explodethecode.com/02_how/student_video/

 

kristina

[dalynnrmc]

I saw the post about BIP and Illuminations. We are using that this year and while I think it's a great option for some, I don't necessarily think it would be a great fit for an Aspie.

 

My son is an Aspie and I think that the workload would overwhelm him. He too is bright but if your son is already bulking at schoolwork, this may just be too much for him. Your going to want something light.

 

 

It works wonderfully for my son, though I will say upfront that, no. 1 - we don't do it all and, no. 2 we use the schedule horizontally so he's only doing Bible, handwriting, Reading (aloud and alone), and *one other subject* every day. He really does better if he doesn't have to switch gears very many times (one of the reasons MUS works so well for math), and can more easily do a week's worth of work in a single subject than he can a single day's worth of work in 7 subjects. :)

 

Aspies vary, but ILM is working well for mine. :)

[jenn&charles]

Here are some things that have worked for my son:

 

1. Literature based history with a variety of activities/crafts/etc.

 

WinterPromise has been a great fit. I think our year with their American Story 2 was one of our best years ever. Many of the WP book selections are non-fiction (a real plus for Otter) and visual. There were also lots of extras like video suggestions, websites, crafts and kits to help make things hands on. We used SL in the past, but SL doesn't have enough of a framework for Otter to retain what he's learning. They also make use of a lot of fiction that is fairly advanced and "emotional". Otter connects better with things he knows are real and less emotional. Also, SL just didn't have enough activities to make things stick.

 

2. Teaching Textbooks for math - Otter loves working on the computer so TT is a great fit. Sometimes I supplement with other programs (Singapore an MUS or just "fun" workbooks or websites) as necessary. I also used to use RightStart and Miquon and both those worked out very well.

 

3. For language arts we do a mix of materials: First Language Lessons, Writing with Ease, Sequential Spelling, some Shurley grammar (very structured), Handwriting without Tears and a few workbooks to add in some variety or when I think he's hit a wall and needs some time to absorb what he's learned so far. We are also using the free online program KISS grammar because it takes only about 5 min per day.

I've also checked out lots of great books from the library (like Brian Cleary books) and used some grammar lapbook materials.

He also really likes Vocabulary Cartoons.

 

4. Otter is a science NUT. He LOVES science. This year he's doing a program I created for him (see my signature line) as well as various kits. I also used WinterPromise's Animals & Their Worlds program with him for science, which he really enjoyed and learned a lot from. He also really liked Apologia's Botany and Real Science 4 Kids.

Kits are always a huge hit. It's easy to find some books from the library that cover a kit's topic(s).

 

Other things include lapbooks (there are tons free online and I've created some of my own), Brainpop.com, movies from Discovery Streaming, etc.

Notebooking is also a real help for any of our subjects.

Otter doesn't like to write, but even just pasting some pictures and writing captions helps his learning stick.

 

For art I've used thigns like Draw Squad and just ordered Artistic Pursuits. He JUST started getting the patience and motor skills for coloring so I'm on the look out for more.

 

HTH! I've found that teaching an aspie is a real challenge.