Our 15 yr old aspergers boy does not want to go back to

Hi,

I am Susan McPhail, M.Ed. I've been teaching special education for over 23 years and am the parent of an adult daughter who has autism. I have had training and conducted training in a variety of interventions designed to alleviate issues that are faced by people with autism/Asperger's syndrome. I have served as an expert witness and advocated for people who are on the spectrum of autism for over 20 years. I am currently a doctoral candidate and the focus of my dissertation is autism training for teachers.

It seems as though your son is very intelligent and understands the stressors that cause anxiety. I have heard of a lot of people on the spectrum who are bothered by loud noises and large crowds. In my opinion, homeschooling is probably the best route for him to receive a quality education. I do think that it's important to encourage him to engage in extra-curricula activities with others and to socialize with neuro-typical peers. If he has requested to be taught at home rather than school, I think it should be honored. At 15 years of age, he knows that the stress at school would likely be unbearable. I applaud you for thinking of his choice in this matter. Too often we (and a lot of school districts) do not simply listen to the student as far as what is troubling and what they had rather have as far as services.

Thank you for the question and I hope that I've helped. Please consider accepting as it helps in supporting my further endeavors to assist families and individuals affected by autism spectrum disorder. If you need additional information or assistance, please let me know through Just Answer.

Susan