HELP. hOMESCHOOL MY 14 YR OLD SON OR NOT!!

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Hi. I posted this question in another forum, but i was told that this forum might be a good place to get some answers...so here goes!.I have a 14yr old son who has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, he also has ODD(OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER) is sub-threshold for ADD and he has OCD. He is has always attended mainstream school, but he has been finding it though since last year. Last september he went was hospitilised for two months, due to his depression and self harm. He is just back at school now after the summer holidays and he hates it. He is very bright and very clever, but feels so isolated in school. He has no friends and hates feeling different. The routine in school is getting him down. Most days he is teased, called names and he comes homes so upset and he is so angry. Over the summer i looked into homeschooling. He has asked me on a number of occasions to homeschool him, as he feels he would be so musch happier doing this. Different people have told me not to homeschool him(most of them have no clue what Asperger's is like!!)"It will effect his social skills. He needs to be with children his own age. Tell him to get a tough outher shell and ignore them"! ! ARGHHHHHH! Easier said than done! He is so depressed at the moment and i feel if he continues to attend school much longer, he will have a total meltdown. Homeschooling him...i think will make him much happier. At home he won't be teased, won't be called names,won't have the rigid routine to follow. Ok.. the social skills part...he won't be surrounded by 30 other boys, but he does have 3 younger siblings and lots of cousins. One cousin he goes to see nearly every weekend. He will also be able to socialise, if he joins a club(if i can presuade him, that is!!). I just want to do the right thing for my son. Has anyone here with Asperger's been homeschooled or has anyone homeschooled someone themselves. All advice and help would be great.
Ruth

im going to school to and im from 1992 and its a hard experience you cant compare to almost anything
anyway i would suggest sending him to a school for autistics (heard that exists to) i self would do that in an isntant
edit: homeschool can be harmfull in mental ways to

There are schools here in Ireland for Autistic children, but a lot of them are catered for younger kids. Do i or don't i home school. ARGHHHHHHHH!! I'm finding the decision really hard. Homeschooling can be hard mentally ...yes...but so can school, worse sometimes!!

My 9 year old PDD/AS son homeschools, and I will let him as long as he wants to.

There is no evidence to show that homeschooling is harmful in any way, it is just prejudice and ignorance of homeschooling which makes people believe that.

Studies have shown that homeschooled children have better social skills than schooled children, and also greater autonomy, initiative, ability to organise their own work ( universities appreciate them because of this), and are able to communicate better with people of all ages than schooled children.

Their academic results are also higher than the average.

There are homeschooling organisations and associations all over the place now, and even in the USA are not all evangelical christian orientated.

There is masses online for homeschooling children to do.

I would recommend it wholeheartedly, and if it is possible for you or his other parent to be home in the day, and your son wants to do it I see no reason not to.

Good luck!

I'm a mother with some Aspie traits. My son would have become more reclusive if I hadn't kept him in school with supports. He's doing so well now that I'm positive I made the right decision, at least for him. Nobody makes fun of him. He has a lot of friends. He doesn't hang with them AFTER school, but he also doesn't really want to. If it wasn't for school, he would hole up in his room.
Socialization and homeschool kids who are not on the spectrum--the outcome would be way different than autistic kids. They tend to want to lone it anyway. I would think it would make them even more afraid to meet the world. My son was in a small special ed class until a few years ago when he was mainstreamed--he can actually handle himself in the crowd and at school and has lost a lot of his fear of crowded places. I think a school of some sort is preferable for our kids. JMO

By all means homeschool him.

Are there online schools in Ireland? I work for an online high school in the States, and we have a lot of special needs students as well as NTs. These kids have a full social life, sometimes too full! School is not the only place that children see their peers. What about church, clubs, playgrounds, etc.?

It might be beneficial for your son to learn some more social skills before trying to integrate into society.

I think homeschooling beats being bullied in school any day.

However homeschooling can be difficult especially if you are not the most social person yourself. It's very easy to become extremely isolated. When I homeschooled my son it felt like we were living in a cave.

But a safe cave is better than an abusive school any day!! !

I think in general school is a horrible place for aspies I say homeschool him. I was severely bullied on a regular basis daily all through school and as a result am slightly psychologically damaged in adulthood.