Autism Homeschool Success
Curriculum: Middle School
There isn't any one curriculum that I think is great for all autistic kids. In fact, I generally just use most curriculum programs as a base, and alter them to add more visual supports, less content presented at a time, incorporate student interests, and use supplemental activities to review concepts. That being said, here are a few that I've used and like for some students. These are just the ones I've used. There are lots that I haven't tried. Parent groups are a great place to ask for more recommendations.
Shiller Math
I've only used Shiller Math for younger students, but they have kits for older students as well. The program is is hands-on and Montessori-based. The activities are very short and simple, so they can accommodate students with varying attention spans. You can do as many or as few lessons at a time as you need.
https://explore.shillerlearning.com/products/math-kit-ii-4th-grade-through-pre-algebra
Math-U-See
As the name suggests, this curriculum is hands-on and visual. I feel like it works best for students who have higher verbal skills because it uses lots of verbal explanations and stories to teach the content. Another benefit is that the program goes all the way through high school, so if it works well for your child, you'll be able to keep using the program as they grow. It also comes with video demonstrations of each lesson. You can have your child watch the videos, or you can use them as a guide for yourself to teach lessons.
Danica McKellar's Math Books
These books explain math concepts in a way that’s really easy to understand. Your student can read them on their own, or you can use the content to build your own lessons. They’re also great for parents who want to brush up on their own math skills, no matter what curriculum you’re using.
I often use them just as a reference when tutoring—especially with boys—since many of the middle and high school level books seem more geared toward girls. If you're concerned about the language in titles like Math Doesn't Suck, you can simply use the examples and lessons from the book without using that kind of wording with your child.
Get the book from bookshop.org here and support local bookstores.
All About Reading
All About Reading is a ready-to-use, minimal-prep curriculum that incorporates multisensory and hands-on elements for approximate ages of preschool through fourth grade. The stories are fun and the kits come with a variety of materials to practice skills in lots of different ways.
Read my review of "All About Reading" here.
All About Spelling
Based on the same approaches as their reading curriculum, they made a spelling one too! I haven't used this one as much, but I have found it helpful for some students.
Time4Learning is another online program, but this one is a little more like a full curriculum. It has online learning activities for every subject, and you can create a profile with grade level settings for the different subjects for each of your children.
Pros are that the activities are very engaging, educational, and cover a wide variety of topics. It also has lots of parent features to give you control.
Cons might be that the students who use it need to have very high spoken language comprehension skills, as the activities are very centered on presentation through "lecture" style lessons (presented by cartoon characters in fun context, but they still have a lot of verbal explanations). I also don't necessarily like the idea of students spending this much time on screens for their learning activities, especially when it's so hard for us as parents to keep them off screens.
Want more ideas and supplements?
I've been putting together a directory of free printable special education activities that you can use as supplements to any curriculum or as stand-alone activities to help your child work on specific skills. The activity directory is organized by subject, so it's easy to find activities for your academic goals. You can access the directory here.
