Biography: Wendy Mead

[Wendy Mead]

I am a mother and a home educator. I have 4 children they are 18 (girl) 15 (g) 11 (g) and a 5 year old boy. The 15 year old and the 5 year old have Aspergers syndrome. My daughter copes very well with her difficulties and attends main stream secondary, my son on the other hand does not cope at all. He started school in September 06 and I de-registered him 4 weeks later.

The school he attended were fully aware of all of his problems (HFA, oppositional defiance disorder and separation anxiety disorder) including his fear of toilets. He only uses our toilet to wee and still uses a nappy for everything else including outside the house. He is in receipt of disability living allowance for his problems. The head of the school however refused to allow him to attend school in a nappy, resulting in him being excluded from 11 a.m every day. We decided to home educate him to resolve all our problems.

My reasons for wanting to join the forum are to gain expert help and information. I hope that I can provide my son with the education that he deserves. To do this I feel any input from people in education is invaluable.

A bit about my son. He was assessed by a psychologist and found to be gifted. His GQ score at 2 and a half was 127. He can read at an 8 year old level (online assessment) and is currently learning his 2 times tables. He stunned the head of the school at 4 years old when he was making a model from boxes and she asked him what he was building. He replied "I don't know what to call it yet, I am concentrating on making it symmetrical". It was symmetrical.

He also has a savant skill for Golf. He has never had a lesson but at 4 he caused quite a stir at our local golf club when he consistently hit the ball straight and at a distance of 50 yards. Not very far but he is very small and slight, he also has an excellent putting ability and beat children 3 times his age at several putting contests.. A golf professional came to watch him and said he has a natural ability and in time could be a professional golfer.

I hope you will allow me to join the forum as I want to gain some knowledge to help Kian achieve his full potential in all areas.