Parents often consider online schooling for their child if they have autism. They consider this alternate learning mode as the best possible educational program for their child who certainly has special needs. Some consider traditional homeschooling as well. However, most of them fall for the online mode of schooling. And it is no shocker, since online schooling has numerous benefits.
Drawbacks of traditional schooling:
Lack of resources
Most of the traditional schools lack the resources to provide a quality education for a child with autism. Even when the school has a well-trained staff, it might fail to deliver in a way that will bring out the best version of child with autism. The reality is that children with autism often find it easier to type than to write. Most of the autistic children enjoy working on computers as well. It works as a source of motivation for them! Thus, traditional school lacks in this aspect.
No specialized education for children with autism
Usually, the teacher in a traditional school is not well-trained to serve a child with autism. She tends to follow a generic learning pattern that surely, won’t work for a special needs child with autism. Mostly, these teachers lack in experience. Thus, the child with autism tends to suffer in this aspect.
Plenty of unhealthy disturbances
Most of the traditional schools are noisy places. The loud sounds can upset autistic students. Such sounds often distract the autistic child. Thus, it gets harder for them. Bullying is a big concern as well. Many popular kids tend to bully autistic children. Even when the traditional school authority is strict, these smart students find innovative ways to get after the autistic children.
Even non-bullying children do not really try to make genuine friendship with autistic children. Most of the children with autism tend to suffer teasing, bullying, and abuse at the hands of their fellow students. The truth is that autistic children are often content to be left on their own. However, they need a peaceful environment. Thus, a healthy online schooling environment is of great help here.
In a traditional school, though the child with autism gets the opportunity to socialize with other children, they can actually suffer in other aspects. They often end up receiving less attention from their teachers. In most cases the size of the class is large. So, the teacher usually is not able to provide a personalized form of education to any of the children. Also, the teacher may have no special training in autism spectrum disorders. Additionally, traditional schooling involves 90% of listening! The rigid learning schedule is of no help to a child with autism. Parents are aware of all of these drawbacks. So, they often tend to resort to the more advanced form of personalized learning, online schooling.
Thus, Autism Spectrum children usually face a lot of trouble understanding spoken communication. They are not easily able to interpret social cues or follow a generalized learning pace like other kids. Things get real bad when they are exposed to stimulating sounds and light. Thus, a conventional schooling environment is not really ideal for a child with autism to thrive.
Most of the autistic children love using the computer to learn. They learn better when they are given the freedom to work on their own, in a peaceful environment. An online learning environment enables them to follow a consistent daily schedule. They can easily take breaks in between. This makes schooling and learning easier for them. An online school can provide them with an enjoyable learning experience. The autistic child can be highly stimulated by the various interactive projects and new learning formats that are provided by a good online school. Once in a while, he can actually socialize on field trips. Since there is not a big crowd here, he can socialize effective. He can do so, as per his own convenience. Thus, he can grow personally and academically as well. It can be said that online schools provide such children a relaxing learning environment to thrive.
It can be concluded that online schooling works for several reasons. There are many reasons why parents decide to enroll their autistic children in an online school. With no set hours, online schools are just the right choice here. The good thing is that the live classroom sessions are usually recorded. Thus, students can listen to them whenever they require to.
Social interaction is highly promoted. It mostly happens online. This does not include any threatening. Class trips are also planned. Thus, socialization is relatively healthier here.
Most of these children respond well to visual stimulation. Thus, online schools make it a point to provide the information in a visual format. Usually, video provides that ideal visual format. In most online schools, the videos usually are properly subtitled. Thus, these special needs’ children have the choice to learn well by watching, listening to, or reading the information. They can process the information in the most effective way since it stimulates their minds.
Customizability is the top feature of an accredited online high school. Such online schools give such students their preferred learning style. This enables these special needs’ students to adopt the learning style that suits them in the best possible manner. Thus, they end up taking a genuine level of interest in their studies.
Components of the video teaching offered by online schools:
- A systematic Lesson Planning Guide that offers additional supplemental activities for the topical learning.
- Special interactive study tools to allow each topic to be explored in a convenient manner.
- Effective virtual testing that makes use of multiple choice quizzes
- A vast array of educational research tools and resources to help such kids
Thus, it is a comprehensive form of learning. These children are enabled to learn at their own pace. Thus, they can actually attain their maximum potential in an online learning environment.