Homeschooling  with Autism

Everyone has an opinion these days and will express them, either right to your face directly, behind your back, or they will type it out behind their computer screen in an email or a comment. Everyone also expects you to have a valid response to the questions they ask. Always remember that people, in general, will say foolish things to others when they do not understand something. Criticism comes from many different places, and in life in general, you will come across criticism, scrutiny and have interactions with people who will have completely different perspectives than you.

 

Lets make this clear...

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The only opinion that matters about your life is YOURS!

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Yup! That is all you need to know.

 

Homeschooling has always been a controversial subject. Some people feel that if your child is homeschooled they are going to lack social skills, not have any friends, not go out or see anything, be lonely and depressed, miss out on life experiences without being "educated" at a school or they won’t be prepared for the real world.  And much more! There are many opinions and it isn’t the ideal situation for everyone.

Negative comments about homeschooling that are made directly to your attention usually come from individuals in your life who:

1. Don't understand your child's situation
2. Don't understand your family circumstances
3. Are close-minded or at the very least set in "their ways"
4. Are unsympathetic or not supportive of other choices or things you do
5. Have most likely offered very little help or encouragement with their role in your child’s life

Even if some "particular individuals" don’t feel that any reason is good enough to justify homeschooling a child, when it comes to learning and education, the more advantages, opportunities, and experiences you can provide and offer your child to learn, the better off they will be! What most of those "particular individuals" fail to realize is that “school” is only a small portion of your life.

We like to look at the bigger picture.

We have all had interactions and experience with unsavory people.  People will assume things regardless of what you say and there is nothing that you can do about that.  Don't let things stop you from heading out and doing what you need to do out in your community. Many people, in general, don’t think before they speak and some are just plain rude.  No one has the time or energy to have a response to questions about autism or homeschooling to these types of individuals that serve no purpose in your life. Don't worry about the opinions of strangers.  Have confidence in what you are doing and focus on what is important.

 

Family relations are important when it comes to homeschooling and autism. You will sometimes have people in your family that are not going to be supportive of your choices or decisions.  Many homeschooling families have received criticism from their relatives about their personal decision to homeschool that can sometimes be even worse than the criticism of a stranger. If you get criticism about your choices to homeschool from family members, keep in mind where it is coming from.

If relative “so-and-so” is someone who you or your child sees maybe 1 or 2 times a year (or longer) doesn’t feel that what you’re doing is right – who cares what they think? While this may be a hard truth for them to understand that yes, they are a family relation, but they too fall under the “strangers” category.

Focus on the immediate family that is involved and is important to you. My rule is unless the family member is actively involved daily in your life and consistently in your child’s life and helping significantly by doing a multitude of things like cooking your meals, cleaning your dishes, cleaning your house, doing your laundry, paying your bills, buying you groceries, fixing your car, providing you respite, taking you to and from the doctors or hospital, taking your child to the dentist, wiping your kid's nose or changing their diapers, etc – THEN and only then should you feel the need for effort to take the time and energy to respond and reassure them about their concerns and give them a chance to see and understand where you are coming from. 

If you have a family member that you need to respond to, the best way to do that is by using information and communicating with them with confidence.  Talk about what you are doing positively, politely, and you can never go wrong! You can even invite them to spend time getting involved or at the very least observe an activity of your homeschooling and let your child shine, because that is what your homeschooling journey is all about! Displaying your confidence will also send a positive message to your child that what they are demonstrating from their learning and the progress they are making with homeschooling is admirable and that you are proud of them!