I received a question from a reader the other day, and my reply email became so long that I turned it into a post! 
My son just recently was diagnosed with PDD-nos. I’m thinking about homeschooling was wondering if you have any good suggestions on curriculum or teaching styles for 4-5 year olds with PDD-nos? ~Lisa
Every Autism Spectrum kid is different.
That’s one thing I have discovered in getting to know lots of autism moms. The reason they call it the Autism Spectrum is that there is a whole range of symptoms, disorders and disabilities that fall under the Spectrum. Every child has their own unique combination of them, and varying degrees of each. There is no “formula” to it. You have to study your child.
The reason they call it the Autism Spectrum is that there is a whole range of symptoms, disorders and disabilities that fall under the Spectrum. Every child has their own unique combination of them, and varying degrees of each. There is no “formula” to it. You have to study your child.There are a few things that you should keep in mind:
He’s young.
Very young. There’s no rush to push academics with a 4-5 year old. Take him to the library, and to the preschool story times (if he can sit through them). I’m not a big curriculum pusher for kids this age. Any child in the 4-6 range benefits from lots of hands-on experiences, reading, counting, and active play.
Take advantage of therapies.
If he is receiving Speech/OT/PT therapies, then spend some time talking with his therapists and build on what they are doing in speech and OT. If he would benefit from therapies and you have the insurance or means to pay for them, I recommend private therapy over school district services. School districts are usually very limited on what they can or will do.
Our son, almost completely NON-VERBAL at the age of 4, only qualified for 20 minutes of speech therapy once a week through the school district! Thank God I never, ever relied on that. We always had private therapies first and foremost. He attended 75 minutes of speech therapy twice a week from the age of 2-6, plus OT once a week for 90 min. for years and years, and a Speech/OT group for an hour once a week from the ages of 6-10. Early intervention, or as early as you can, provides the most benefit to a developing child.
He may have (diagnosed or undiagnosed) sensory processing issues.
We have dealt with sensory-seeking and sensory-avoidance issues with our PDD-NOS son, so I can relate! With spectrum kids specifically, you could have any number of related issues such as sensory processing issues: sensory seeking (behaviors such as rolling, bumping into things, jumping, spinning, tasting things) or sensory avoidance (behaviors such as taking off clothes because he hates seams or tags, not liking being touched/rubbed/tickled, food issues due to texture, hypersensitivity to lights or sound, etc..) For kids with sensory issues I highly recommend a book called The Out-of-Sync Child, and it’s co-title, The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun. These two books will give you hundreds of ideas to help feed his seeking or desensitize his trouble issues. It will also help you understand the way he feels and why he reacts to things the way he does.
Pay close attention to his areas of strength and need.
If he is exceptionally bright in one area, let him run with it. And if he is seriously struggling with something else, gently work to reinforce that area using what ever method works for him. My son is very gifted in sciences and love electronics, so guess what I spend money on? Electronics kits! We also pick up things like old telephones, radios, etc from thrift stores that he can tear apart and figure out how they work. He does these completely on his own because he loves it.
Our son struggles with the writing process (brain to pencil to paper, not penmanship itself) so we use a curriculum called Brave Writer, that has a lot of built in ideas for different methods of teaching writing and guiding without beating them over the head with the writing process. It works really well, and it’s actually the first thing I’ve found that does. Along with that, because of his serious writing delays we also use the computer for many subjects including math, writing, spelling, and projects.
Curriculum ideas for K-3rd:
Penmanship: Handwriting Without Tears has short lessons, easy letter formation, and uncluttered pages. They also have a hands-on kit for young kids to learn to letter before they write.
Math: Math-U-See is hand’s on math that uses manipulative blocks to teach math skills. All of my kids used MUS from K-3rd! From 4th and up we use Teaching Textbooks Math, which is on the computer. This is NOT the most rigorous math program out there, but with our writing disabilities, the computerized format works best for them. If I have one who seems to be particularly math-inclined later on, I will seek out something with a heavier focus.
Literature & combined subjects: Five In A Row is a unit study curriculum based on high quality children’s books, most of which can be found at the library. We used this for a couple of years when my oldest kids were K-1st and had a lot of fun with it. It’s very gentle and interesting for them. There are many other literature based unit studies available from other companies too!
Phonics: We used the old edition of what is now Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri. (Links to my review of it). There are also many other programs that are as effective. One of my kids used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and was reading by Lesson 32. This can also be used by a child with no writing involved at all.
These are gentle, easy, fun years. Take your time, study what makes him tick, and enjoy him! Homeschooling is very good for Spectrum kids. Have fun!
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