Where do I start, what do I do?

Unschooling sounds very simple, you let them play and explore, and offer teaching opportunities along the way. This is autism though, and in school your child would likely be receiving therapy. Here is how you can do physio, occupational therapy, speech and language all at home, every single day.

In Canada, we have something called NDDS; this is what our children's agencies use to measure the abilities of kids on and off the spectrum. When a child is referred to be assessed for spectrum disorders, the child is typically behind on their milestones. I measure my kids' well-being and regressions based on how many checklists they have fallen back on, and in what areas.

Now that my children are no longer receiving preschool services, or school board services, we are in limbo waiting for the paperwork to catch up. I am grateful however, as now I am able to comfortably return to the basics of autism therapy and treatment that I used to focus on when they were toddlers. Which is following these guidelines and helping them achieve growth from whatever developmental 'age' they seem to be at.

The areas on this checklist cover all developmental areas a child generally possesses by the age marked at the top. If your child is performing less than their age, you can find ways to practice these skills. It's a good idea to start from the beginning, when you saw problems and go from there. If your child isn't performing half or more of these skills, try the milestone sheet that came prior. Work on skills he is able to generalize first, and new skills secondarily. If your child is appropriate for his age, you can still look beyond if you want to keep them on track.