my son does that every day after school, goes in his room, looks through books, stares into space, etc...it's his quiet time, so i leave him alone for a little bit.

yep. I've never found a way to bring him back. I just wait. But also remember to implement the proactive strategy which is to keep him from becoming overwhelmed in the first place. Learn what overwhelms them and gradually build up their tolerance to those situations... ending the exposure before they get overwhelmed... then reinforce them handling it. In time your child will be able to handle more and more.

@A MyAutismTeam Member... I do understand what you're saying. Maybe you should tell the homeroom teacher that you'd like him to focus on his strengths academically and the life skills too. Then, of course, as his main teacher (meaning you), you can modify his assignments like I did for my daughter last year. Our children can perform at their best when allowed to. I had to come to grips with the fact that my daughter may not be able to add, subtract, and multiply in her head. But, with the right tools and assistance, she can get through her math course. I modified all of her assignments and told the teacher. They were very understanding. Now that she's back in regular school, I am fighting for her and am her biggest advocate. Because it was her choice, I put her back in regular school. K12 is a great virtual academy and I will re-enroll her if she feels bombarded, overwhelmed, or just frustrated again.

As for your child, focus on his/her strengths academically. Is he/she good at art, music, history, math? Find that something that makes him/her comfortable while learning and let the homeroom teacher know. My daughter's homeroom teacher and Special Ed teacher were very understanding because some days she would reluctantly join her class and was not paying any attention.

In other words, give them a lot of feedback about how your child is performing.

Hang in there!!! It's a lot of work... I know what you're going through.

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A MyAutis...

@A MyAutismTeam Member.. I homeschooled my daughter last year through K12 as well. She actually asked me if she could go back to a brick and mortar school this year for the 5th grade. I was hesitant, but so far it is working out fine for her. My only concerns are the school's willingness to comply. Otherwise, she is enjoying being around the children again. Even though her social skills do not match the typical 11 year old, she tries to socialize. If the children become too much for her, she retreats quickly! As for the school work through K12, it was a lot of work, but she definitely needed that time at home. I recommend the school to many parents with children on the autism spectrum because of the flexibility and additional time they have to complete assignments. The only thing is they are still required to take state assessments.

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A MyAutis...

Thanks! I homeschool him through k12 (public school is not an option for him because of some of his issues). Usually when he retreats it is because Lang. Arts and Math (mostly Math) are too overwhelming for him and hard to understand. He really struggles with comprehension in a lot of things, mostly math. His therapist told me he has probably reached a ceiling in math, especially if he is shutting down all the time when we try to do it. This retreating into his own world has gone on for years, and is part of the reason why I pulled him out almost 2 years ago to homeschool him through k12. He is so far behind in a few things, it is not even funny! I had him retested academically via k12 last year, and he is all over the place! His cognitive Effiency is that of a Kindergartner and he is in 8th grade! And Lang Arts and Math are at a 3rd and 2nd grade level. His therapist has suggested to me that maybe we should just focus on Life Skills. Funny thing is that he is taking a couple Life Skills classes through k12, and those are the only classes I can get him to completely focus on. So, I need to make some decisions, but I am so worried I will make the wrong ones.