Hybrid Educational Program - HS

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My son will be a freshman in a public high school this fall, and working with the school system through the IEP process we have custom-designed a hybrid educational program for him that will consist of about 4 hours in mainstream school and two hours of home school. Fortunately our school district has an option where students can earn their HS diploma via an internet-based learning system. We convinced the IEP team to let him spend the morning from 8am to noon in regular school classes, including two core classes and two electives, and then he will come home and complete two core classes on line under my supervision at first and hopefully/eventually without supervision. The goal is try this out for a semester, see if it works, and then "tune" the mainstream/homeschool mixture over time by either taking on more or less internet classes.

I explained the concept to the IEP team like this: "The hybrid program we would like you to consider is kind of like the 'balance' knob on an old-fashioned stereo system where you can balance the sound to the left or right speaker depending on your taste. However, in this case when you turn the knob all the way to the left it represents 100% mainstream school and when the knob is all the way to the right it represents 100% home school and in between is a mixture of both school types. Somewhere in the middle is the ideal mixture for my son, but we don't know where that is yet. Please allow us to fine-tune the mixture over time until we find the right mix that allows my son to be successful." The IEP team immediately understood the concept and liked it, and we spent the rest of the meeting discussing advantages and disadvantages and then designing the details of the program for the first semester. My son was involved in the decision-making process from conceptualization through design.

I'm sharing this because I thought it might be of interest to adolescents struggling in school for whatever reason and their parents. All feedback is appreciated, but it would be especially helpful to hear opinions from people on the spectrum.

Happy Independence Day!

That's wonderful! We don't have that option in our county. I've tried to talk them into doing that with my kids for various reasons. They did ask me about having Eldest home full time with them providing a tutor. I told them I need to work and can't be home all day every day for that, so they didn't pursue it. We might have to look at that again next year if he can't handle being at school full time. I wish there was a hybrid option.

I really like the idea. Let us know how it works.

I'm glad your IEP team was receptive and I hope the option will work for you and your son. You're a great Dad, I can tell.

Hi Dave,
I am a high school special education teacher who has several students on the program you have described. It has worked out great! We have to be creative with student's with special needs and not try to fit them all into a one size fits all program. I am glad your school was open to this. I believe all districts should have these kind of Hybrid programs to meet students needs and can attest to their success.
Cheryl

Hi Cheryl, welcome to Wrong Planet and...WOW! I'm so glad you're here I read your other posts and you have some very practical advice. Wish I could have tapped into your brain a long time ago, but better late than never. Its great to hear your ideas, and I hope you stick around here for a long time. I'll provide an update on our hybrid program later this fall once we make some progress. Thanks for joining!

The specialized program you indicated seems ideal. Of course, each Autist is different and, subsequently, any given academic program ought to reflect our unique attributes.

You might be interested in Dr. Stephen Shore; his PhD happens to be in education. Plus, he's Autistic. You can check him out on Autism Hangout where he's been recently interviewed.

I am a PhD student currently. I think I am very fortunate in that my (former) Master's program was flexible - I designed my own research project (photochemistry oriented). But about HS - I attended an alternative program and a gifted program nested within that. I really hope this isn't too revealing (?) but when I was in 9th grade I bit a teacher's arm bloody.

Please note that I am, and always have been, very mild-mannered and well behaved (maybe too conscientious, in fact) but my teacher was "play teasing" with me and I could not know the difference. When she reached over me, I bit. Of course, I am sorry, but given the circumstances, I might have done it again. Consequently, I was placed in a SED program which was actually very fortuitous in that I was tested and placed in an additional gifted progam where I excelled.

Even in kindergarten I was the flash-counting (almost) not speaking child that did not recognize other beings. But later I really connected with adults rather than my peers, which has been a constant for me. My high school principal was very influential for me.

In sum, best for your son to have that IEP so has the opportunity:

- I think it would be very helpful, at this point, if your son could have an academic mentor. Maybe a favorite teacher?
- Then, to identify his special interest/talent so he can focus on developing that skill set with confidence
- A disciplined schedule with an established routine and designated place to study

I'll try to post a link for Dr. Shore here. Hello HappyNTWife and welcome to the Wrong Planet. So good we have a teacher posting on this particular thread.

Last edited by LabPet on 29 Jul 2010, 12:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

I'm back! Found that link for you all and I think this interview, by Craig Evans of Autism Hangout, is meaningful and relevant. Dr. Stephen Shore is featured along with Donna Williams in this video webinar:

http://www.autismhangout.com/webinars/default.asp?id2=5



I love Craig Evan's 'Lake Wobegon' personality and he's contributed so much. Someday maybe he'll interview the Lab Pet.

Hi LabPet, I think these are excellent ideas and I intend to pursue/implement them, in conjunction with my son's input of course. Also, I'm looking forward to reading about Dr. Shore's research and work, but its getting late and I need sleep. Lastly, I really enjoy reading all of your posts, and appreciate your willingness to share. Thanks so much