When homeschooling the older kids, I was prepared for the typical social arguments made against homeschooling. The public expectation seems to be that children need to be "socialized" in school, something like a puppy, I suppose. Well, in the 30 years I've been around home-schooled kids, the social argument has proven to be bunk! Not only research, but my own observations show these kids to be extremely confident and able to interact well in almost all circumstances. (Better actually -- they're typically unconcerned about age whether dealing with younger kids or adults.)
OK, now we get to Samuel. Social issues are at the heart of a spectrum kid's challenge. I've recognized that professionals can be quite helpful to me in developing strategies to work with him. And as you may guess, I'm hearing a lot that he needs to be in a group setting to learn to interact with his peers.
This was one of my chief thoughts over the holidays. One conclusion I've reached is that Samuel is developing quite normally for a home-schooled child. He enjoys children of all ages, and will go up and talk to adults with great assurance. (In a play area recently a mother warned him that her baby was quite grumpy. Samuel had both Mama and baby grinning in a matter of minutes.)
But what about peers? I'm not so sure about that one. Part of me wants to discount the experts' concern. For a child who's going to spend the next 12 years in an age-segregated setting, this peer interaction would be critical. Real life isn't like that. In churches, the workplace, and in the community, we have to deal with people of all ages, abilities and life experiences.
On the other hand, friendships are vital in life, and we are often attracted to people who are similar to us. I can already see other children showing some frustration at Samuel's impulsiveness and ability to disrupt a group. But is this a peer-interaction problem, or the outward manifestations of being a spectrum kid? I'm still thinking on this question.
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