How do you know your child with autism is learning?

by Lisa Jo Rudy - Homeschooling Examiner

Schools use tests to determine what kids have learned. Tests, 99% of the time, are paper-and-pencil tools which require verbal skills both to process the questions and to spit out the answers.

Kids with autism, by nature, have a tougher-than-average time processing and expressing ideas verbally.

This doesn't mean they haven't learned anything! What it does mean is that standard testing tools are unlikely to tell parents or teachers what kids with autism really know.

In my homeschool, I use "capstone projects" to find out what Tom really knows about a subject. A capstone project is a presentation of any sort that puts together what the student has learned during a unit of study, and allows the student to show off his knowledge.

Often, the project is a diorama, a poster, or a painting. Once or twice (when we were studying leaves, for example), the project took the form of a collection of dried plants with labels. Tom's written stories as capstones, too, including his own "Just So Story" with illustrations.

There are some tremendous upsides to capstone projects. First, they provide us with something to work on together while we talk about and process what Tom's learned. Second, they're impressive - a wonderful creation to show off to friends and family. Third, artistic capstones can also double as exhibits at, for example, the local county fair - or at homeschool events such as science or geography fairs. That gives Tom the chance to show off his work in a "safe" setting, and to get practice in presenting his work and in taking credit for a job well done.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-2007-Homes...sm-is-learning

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