Homeschooling Autistic 5Yr Old Cancer Patient

Check out the blog - Emmashopebook.com - mom homeschooling autistic daughter.

My facebook page - autistikids - has a few pages where the parents are homeschooling. I can't remember which off the top of my head, but she may find some great resources/contacts on there.

Also, one of my favorite pages is autismspectrumexplained - lots of good info. You can email the page and she may be able to point in a helpful direction.

She can contact the local school district as well. Some districts will provide a home bound tutor for kids who can't be in school. The tutors are licensed teachers and are employed by the district. They provide all of the educational materials free of charge. I believe it is free for the family or a very minimal cost. My mom used to do it and worked with several students who had cancer. She would go to their homes when it was convenient for the family and for the child. If the student could only handle an hour a day, every other day, that's what she did. Having someone else come in might be a little less stressful than trying to do it on her own. My mom worked with one girl off and on for several years. Her mom often said if it wouldn't have been for that opportunity, her daughter never would have been able to keep up. She also said manyntimes how thankful she was to not have to balance homeschooling along with cancer treatments, keeping track of medicine, and medical bills.

Not sure about curriculums but I taught my daughter to read using the book "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons".

Healing prayers and thoughts for your cousin's son.

I agree with the home tutor option from the school district. I'm assuming that with his illness, it would be best to protect him from infections and things like the common cold that are prevalent in classrooms. And attending school can be tiring, too, when a child is dealing with an illness.

However, if his mom enrolled him in the public school, he might be able to get a tutor provided to him, and perhaps still enjoy an occasional trip or party or event as his health allowed. It would help him feel connected to the other students.

My daughter received homebound services for an entire year.

What it did for me, as her primary caregiver (of course, my husband was involved, but he was at work most of the time), was allow me to have a small break, knowing she was in capable hands with a certified teacher. Frankly, I did so much for her (taking her to appointments, doing her therapy exercises with her, preparing her meals - which involved avoiding restricted foods and making sure she was getting enough nutrients, keeping track of medications and records, going to the pharmacy, researching her diagnoses, talking with the insurance company, etc) that not having to allow plan lessons, teach, and grade homework was a bit of a relief for me.

She didn't have an IEP, because she didn't need any modification to the curriculum itself. She had a 504 plan which allowed for a reduced course load, and allowed for the tutor to come to our home.

Caregiving can be a full-time job, and taking advantage of every support option can be support for the patient, and support for the parent, too. Sometimes, kids who have serious illnesses see more of their doctors than they do other kids. My daughter enjoyed having the tutor come. Along with the schoolwork, the tutor visited with her a bit, and brought a bit of the outside world in.

If your cousin decides to ask for a home tutor, have her child's physician write a very specific letter. The letter doesn't have to reveal all the diagnoses, but it should say something like "[child's name] is under my care for an extended illness. [Child] should not attend regular classes in school, as he is at risk for infections and has reduced immunity due to medical treatments (or whatever the doctor feels is necessary). [Child] requires tutoring at home from a district-certified tutor for the entire school year of 2015-2016.". A similar statement can be obtained regarding any autism therapies or curriculum adjustments from the child's therapist. I found out that it was helpful for the physician to specifically state that home tutoring was necessary, and for him to state the duration that was required. The first letter we got just said that my daughter had illnesses and needed accommodations. It wasn't specific enough for the school. So a specific letter did the trick.

This way, if your cousin's child gets healthy enough to go to school (and hopefully that will happen!) he'll still be used to the idea of a teacher, and will be familiar with the school's curriculum.

Whichever way your cousin chooses to educate her child, I wish them the best on the journey.

i don't know of any curricula tailored for autistic kids, although i'm sure they exist. i do think that homeschooling this young fellow is the best idea. i myself would look into a waldorf curriculum such as oak meadow, but i'd be madly researching local homeschool groups and co-ops and finding real people in their area who can offer one-on-one advice and support.
khairete
S.

I am so very sorry for his illness. I can't imagine facing such a serious illness with my child. I hope he continues to improve.

Homeschooling is a great plan and would allow her to work with him on good days. I would do lots of reading together and nature study. They can work on alphabet recognition and sounds. I used to put baking soda on a cookie sheet and have my kids write their letters. There are all kinds of curriculum out there. I love www.simplycharlottemason.com. I would stay away from a rigorous plan. It's just not necessary at this age and especially with his illness.

She would need to check what her state requires when homeschooling. Www.hslda.org has listings by state. Not sure what the age requirement is for kindergarten. I started my daughter at 5 but most of her classmates were already 6.

Blessings!
L.