We unschool in Montana. My brother in North Carolina has 2 kids with an official diagnosis of autism. His wife is very career oriented but he works from home to be the home-based parent; still their 2 boys, ages 4 and 6, have gone to school or preschool since age 4 weeks. Last summer I saw a chink in their closed minds. They were interested in Gatto's work, and in her work at a university my sister-in-law had met some homeschoolers. Also they are impressed with how my kids directly love their kids without concerns for labels and without acting like they are 'weird.' Anyway, this family might be slowly opening up to the idea of my brother unschooling their sons, though there would be a lot of worry about paying for therapies. What would you say to them? Anything? Thanks...Cameron
Cameron, As the mom to several kids with official diagnoses, and several without who would qualify, i'd say that therapy is grossly over rated. Forty hours of ABA a week nearly drove my daughter insane. Twenty hours a week was too much. In the end, we had a very good DTT therapist who showed us how to always help our daughter, and this knowledge base was helpful for all of our children.
Unschooling has worked perfectly because it is ALL about respecting where they are at...and meeting them there. We did meet with therapists monthly, a speech path and an occupational therapist to consult, talk about what their needs are and how to fulfill those needs respectfully. We don't see them now, I guess not for about three years, but we do see a psychologist twice a month who specializes in autism, who supports our unschooling, and is willing to do exactly what we need.
Unschooling also allows us to focus on the true needs of our children, rather than filling unwilling hearts with knowledge that they don't want or need, we can make every day excellent by focusing on what they do want to learn, on life skills, on family skills. MUCH help in the social realm.
I'd really suggest that if they wanted to unschool, that they stop seeing their children as autistic, and just see them as children who happen to have autism. They learn, they live, they love. I have proof! -bwg-
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We unschool in Montana. My brother in North Carolina has 2 kids with an official diagnosis of autism. His wife is very career oriented but he works from home to be the home-based parent; still their 2 boys, ages 4 and 6, have gone to school or preschool since age 4 weeks. Last summer I saw a chink in their closed minds. They were interested in Gatto's work, and in her work at a university my sister-in-law had met some homeschoolers. Also they are impressed with how my kids directly love their kids without concerns for labels and without acting like they are 'weird.' Anyway, this family might be slowly opening up to the idea of my brother unschooling their sons, though there would be a lot of worry about paying for therapies. What would you say to them? Anything? Thanks...Cameron
Cameron,
As the mom to several kids with official diagnoses, and several without who would qualify, i'd say that therapy is grossly over rated. Forty hours of ABA a week nearly drove my daughter insane. Twenty hours a week was too much. In the end, we had a very good DTT therapist who showed us how to always help our daughter, and this knowledge base was helpful for all of our children.
Unschooling has worked perfectly because it is ALL about respecting where they are at...and meeting them there. We did meet with therapists monthly, a speech path and an occupational therapist to consult, talk about what their needs are and how to fulfill those needs respectfully. We don't see them now, I guess not for about three years, but we do see a psychologist twice a month who specializes in autism, who supports our unschooling, and is willing to do exactly what we need.
Unschooling also allows us to focus on the true needs of our children, rather than filling unwilling hearts with knowledge that they don't want or need, we can make every day excellent by focusing on what they do want to learn, on life skills, on family skills. MUCH help in the social realm.
I'd really suggest that if they wanted to unschool, that they stop seeing their children as autistic, and just see them as children who happen to have autism. They learn, they live, they love. I have proof! -bwg-
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