Welcome to our world of 4 boys, Autism, Homeschooling and life in general.

Hi I'm Angie, busy Homeschooling Mum of 4 young boys aged between 4 and 11 yrs.

Bailey (11) is a huge car enthusiast, particularly classic cars, VW 'Herbie' beetles and VW Combi vans. Bailey lives with Autism (ASD) and Epilepsy but does very well coping with everyday life these days since we made the change to homeschooling back in 2010.

Dane (8) enjoys playing guitar, building Lego masterpieces and all things superhero! Dane also lives with a form of Autism (Aspergers) and a Language developmental delay (Apraxia of speech).


Ehren (5) is our gentle 'giant' and is a keen student in our Homeschool classroom. He enjoys both physical and mental pursuits and has a clear interest in currency!


Fraser (aged 4) is our little pocket rocket. He's a confident, head-strong little boy who never stops talking, singing or dancing!

Follow us on our journey as we learn about the world around us in our own unique way!


Monday, March 19, 2012

2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BAILEY HOMESCHOOLING

As another Easter rolls towards us it signals to our family another momentous occasion to celebrate, another year of Homeschooling! It was this time of year 2 years ago now that I decided that enough was enough and pulled Bailey out of Grade 1 to give Homeschooling a try.

I figured pulling him out of school for a while could only be a good thing considering the state of his health and mental well being at the time. From the commencement of Prep the year earlier Bailey had increasingly had more seizures (he has Autism and Epilepsy) and was coming home more stressed each and every week. It got to a point where he was having a seizure every second day, constant asthma attacks, was being bullied, hiding from class and spending lunch breaks in the library alone. One day the week before Easter break he had a massive seizure where he couldn't walk or talk for several hours afterwards. I'd had enough by then. Even the school principal agreed it wouldn't hurt to give Homeschooling a go.

As it turned out those first few months were an absolute delight! I made it a mission to get Bailey reading and within a very short time he was sounding out simple words and showing a real talent for working with numbers. I knew very quickly that Homeschooling was going to be a long term change. Bailey's seizures almost disappeared immediately once he came home to learn. He had a few small ones when stressed out in public for the year that followed and now 2 years later he has weaned off his medications completely.

Bailey can now read and write to a similar level of other children his age. He can add and subtract and is finding simple multiplication a breeze. He has learnt so much about the world around him, from books, family discussions, excursions and documentaries. He has a very special bond with his 3 younger brothers from spending each day with them, watching them learn and grow beside him.

The difference in Bailey these days is incredible. Most people wouldn't even be aware of his Autism when they meet him. Moments like today, watching his homeschooling classmates in hysterics from his comedic routine during a Cake decorating class, makes it all worthwhile. The fact he can participate in a wide variety of lessons and sports with his Homeschooling group means he really is getting the best of both worlds.

People often ask how long I'll continue to homeschool my boys. I guess I never really know when or if they'll be better off in a standard school setting. I just know that for now, this works and I can't imagine any of us being happier doing anything other than what we are doing right now!

3 comments:

  1. Great post and a wonderful story to tell :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved reading this Angie. When I first pulled JC out of school, my first goal too was getting him to read. He is now such a great little reader and I am so proud of him. There is a terrible misunderstanding I think of children that arent able to manage at school, that they are not intelligent. Take them out of the school enviroment and well these kids just blossom!
    My main reason for returning to HS is because I believe in a HS enviroment JCs full potential is going to allowed to develop. As I also believe for HC as well ( though I mention JC in particular as he is the one diagnosed as "special needs"). I look forward to meeting you all Angie. I think JC and Bailey are going to get on well. I think they will be able to relate to each others "quirky" personality.

    ReplyDelete