Hitchhiking through Asperger Syndrome
by Lisa PylesPyles' eldest son functioned badly in preschool. Although it was obvious to Pyles that her son was highly intelligent, he cooperated so poorly on an IQ test that he scored retarded. School exhausted John. After he met a girl who homeschooled, John began to pester his mother to homeschool him. When John's special ed class was slated for change that John's teacher believed would be detrimental to John, his mother decided to give it a try. She homeschooled John and his NT brother Jay for three years, at the end of which John was functioning well enough to cope in a normal classroom. The title is a metaphor. It means that just like when hitchhikers travel they do a lot of walking but also get lifts, so to do parents do a lot of parenting but also get lifts. While homeschooling, John was loosely put onto a GFCF diet(the gluten and casein in his diet were reduced but not eliminated). The homeschooling was done under the auspices of an umbrella school and not entirely independently.
This is a both a narrative and a guide to some of the things faced by parents of children with Asperger Syndrome. It broadly covers what Asperger Syndrome is, what sort of systems and therapies are around to diagnose and deal with Asperger Syndrome, and how to deal with the therapies available. Names in this book have been changed to ensure privacy. However, this was not done efficiently, and although it seems that Pyles has one AS son, generally called John, he is referred to twice as Chris, which confused me. The guide to homeschooling assumes that the child is being raised by two parents. When I saw a section of the homeschooling chapter labeled Can A Single Parent Homeschool, I thought that it would address this issue. However, it is merely a letter from a homeschooling parent that left me wondering if the question is, can one person be enough to homeschool.
This book offers lots of practical advise and encouragement. It covers one family's experiences on three continents, dealing with agencies and working with Asperger Syndrome. Although it is a good book, it has passages that are confusing to read and could have used some editing.
Happy reading
