Anyone else here have a child with Asperger's? My daughter, almost 9, has this and sometimes she'll stress out over the smallest thing, demand an "answer" to one of her math problems, etc. and then refuse to do her schoolwork. Sometimes she calms down, apologizes and we get back to schooling. Other times, well it's not so good.

Her little sister has adhd combined and she will play up on the meltdowns she has.

How do you deal with the tough moments? Tough days?

Hi!

Thanks for your post. I too am homeschooling my Aspie (13) who has Aspergers as well as my 10 year old who has some executive functioning issues (both boys). We have been homeschooling for several years. Each year we have stepped out in faith as this has been the hardest thing we've ever done. Yet God has confirmed over and over again that this is what we are to do.

Chris, I wasn't going to post a response as I didn't know where to begin in regards to responding. Yet I have been in your shoes so often and it has felt so scary. Somehow I want to encourage you.

Many times when our kids meltdown in school, there no clear cut answers. In fact, homeschooling kids who struggle is down-right messy. If the following helps, great. If not, then know my heart is with you.

When my son is on his way to melting dowdn, I have been encouraged to have him do at least one more problem before we take a break from the assignment and move on to something else or allow a 5 minute break where you play a card game. This keeps Mom in control yet ends it before they melt down. This has helped us dodge many a meltdown yet I have had to be unmovable when they want to continue to play versus returning to the books.

It also may be helpful to observe what exactly triggers the meltdown. For example:

*Too many words or numbers on a page overwhelm both my boys so we do problems individually on a dry erase board.

*Often math problems are actually several problems wrapped into one problem (i.e. multiple digit mulitplication) and become confusing. Try to break it down or offer them times table as a reference if recalling information is difficult for example.

*Many difficult days were preceded by an outing (i.e. church on Sunday) and my son was on sensory overload. Mondays and Thursdays (days following Sunday and Wednesday evening church) were difficult. Do your rough school days come after an outing or event?

*Do the meltdowns happen in subjects that demand a lot of recollection of info. such as math and language arts?

*Have you identified your children's learning styles? When I read outloud to my youngest, he rarely grasps what is read and becomes angry/confused.. He is a visual and kinesthetic learner.

Over time you may be able to see a pattern. In our case, the meltdowns have more often been because of sensory issues, processing issues or because the work has been too hard. My son with Aspergers is intelligent and good at so many things - yet recalling information we have gone over and over is frustrating and difficult. Much of his frustration comes from knowing he should be able to do the assignment but can't without great difficulty. Most kids want to walk away from school knowing they have accomplished something and have done well. School often is a kick in the stomach. I am always looking for ways to get information into both boys yet leave them feeling competent and successful. For me this is an ongoing process and consumes a lot of energy and time.

Chris, I don't know if this has been helpful. It would be an understatement to say that homeschooling is a walk of faith - yet I know that if we walk with Christ, He will work through us to give our kids what they need.

Finally, remember that nothing will get in the way of his his plan for our kids (including us). Ps. 139:16 and Eph. 2:10

Blessings-
Jo

Thank you, Jo! Though I admit I'll need to reread your response later after the kids are in bed. I'll have to think about some of your questions and write them down, and consider everything, how I could make some changes in our homeschool and schedule.

Thank you so much again!