Our daughter did fine in public school until the bullying started. We ended up home schooling her for 3 years 2-4, and then we blended some in person at the local public schools, which was immensely helpful to keep social skills active, and just to prevent loneliness.

Homeschool is no small task, but it can really give ND kids the flexibility in learning that let's them shine. We never had to struggle with school refusal, or hating school (until covid), or hating learning. She liked home school! Whenever she hit a wall, it was easy to say, "well don't get frustrated here, instead let's switch gears and do some music or art" or whatever their special interest is, to regulate, and then go back to the tough topic.

The greatest thing you can teach a child is love of learning, and sometimes ND people end up hating it simply because the standard "sit at a desk for 6 hours a day" model, while keeping track of stuff that overloads their executive function doesn't work well for them.

And as everyone else says, it really comes down to if it's a good fit for your child and your family.

Best of luck!

Public School in Michigan

• Legal Rights & IEPs: Public school students with autism are legally entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under federal and state law, which includes a legally binding Individualized Education Program (IEP) outlining accommodations, goals, and specialized support.
• On-Site Services & Staff: Districts provide access to on-site special education teachers, paraprofessionals, speech therapy, occupational therapy (OT), and school psychologists.
• Socialization & Transportation: Public schools offer built-in peer interaction, extracurricular clubs, sports (governed by local school board policy), and often school bus transportation.
• Drawbacks: Classrooms can be noisy, busy, and overstimulating, leading to potential sensory overload, burnout, or behavioral challenges. Families are also subject to district staffing shortages or rigid school policies.

Homeschooling in Michigan

• Legal Status & FAPE: Homeschooling is treated as a nonpublic school option in Michigan. When you withdraw your child to homeschool, they lose their enforceable IEP and right to FAPE.
• Sensory & Pace Control: You can tailor the learning environment to be quiet, low-stimulus, and adapted to your child's daily energy levels, sensory profile, and hyperfixations.
• Auxiliary & Nonpublic Services: Under Michigan law (M.C.L.A. 380.1296), homeschooled and nonpublic students may access certain auxiliary services (such as speech-language services, school psychological or social work services, and teacher consultant services) through a Nonpublic Services Plan (NPSP) or by coordinating with the local district. To request these, parents must submit a Nonpublic School Membership Report to the state. However, service levels are typically lower than in a full public enrollment and depend on district consultation and proportionate share funding.
• Financial & Time Investment: Michigan does not offer state-funded vouchers or education savings accounts (ESAs) for homeschooling. Educating an autistic child at home requires a heavy daily time commitment from parents, who often supplement with private therapies like ABA, private speech/OT, or local co-ops.

Feature Public School (Michigan) Homeschooling (Michigan)
Governing Plan Binding IEP (FAPE guaranteed) No IEP; optional Nonpublic Services Plan (NPSP)

Family Matters Nonpublic and Home Schools Fact Sheet

State of Michigan (.gov)
https://www.michigan.gov › specialeducation
PDF
Home schooling is the responsibility of the parent or guardian and includes providing homework, tests, grades, report cards, and diplomas.

I have my kid in public school in a small community class, but for a while he doesn't want to go he did this on elementary school and now that he is going to highschool I cant get him to go. I thought about homeschooling but not sure... The public school that he is in its a good school and the teacher, principal and social worker are trying to help me to get him to go. I rather him go to school so he watches other peers and be around others than just me and my husband and also he is too much at home. So we decided if everything fails and he ends up not going then homeschooling would be an option.