Lynne White started homeschooling her four children before it was common, and before it was easy. She faced the usual questions about socialization and academic rigor that homeschooling parents have heard for decades. For one of her children, the stakes were different.
Her son Peyton is Autistic. White says she chose to homeschool him not to shield him from the world, but to prepare him for it on terms that fit how he actually learns.
“I wasn’t interested in changing who Peyton was,” White writes in a guest editorial. “I wanted to give him every opportunity to become the strongest, most independent, and most confident version of himself.”
White’s approach rejected a one-size-fits-all classroom model in favor of flexibility: more time on subjects Peyton struggled with, without the stigma of falling behind in front of peers, and room to turn everyday life into instruction in communication, responsibility, and decision-making alongside reading, writing, and math.
The research behind the choice
White points to the work of Temple Grandin, the Autistic professor and author known for the line “The world needs all kinds of minds,” as a touchstone for her philosophy. She also cites a 2021 systematic review by Hume and colleagues on evidence-based educational practices for Autistic children, and self-determination research by Wehmeyer and colleagues emphasizing choice, goal-setting, and independence for people with disabilities.
White is careful to note that neither body of research proves homeschooling is the superior option for every Autistic child. What it reinforces, she argues, is a broader principle: education should prepare children for life, not just for the next test.
From student to entrepreneur
Peyton is now an adult. He and his mother co-own Team Awesomism, a small business built on the idea that people are valued and not forgotten. Peyton makes handmade Awesomism Beads sold as reminders of that message, but his role goes well beyond the product line. He built the company’s website, edits its podcast, “5 Minutes of Awesomism,” and handles much of the creative and technical work behind the business.
The business reaches beyond its own operations, with outreach aimed at Autistic adults, veterans, seniors, and others White says are often overlooked.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes that Autistic people have differing strengths, needs, and abilities, and that individualized supports can help them build important skills. White argues that recognition should translate into real parental choice rather than a presumption that a diagnosis caps what a child can accomplish.
She stops short of prescribing homeschooling as the right call for every family or every Autistic child. Her argument is narrower and, she says, more fundamental: parents should have the freedom to choose an educational path suited to their own child, rather than defaulting to whatever path is standard.
“I didn’t homeschool Peyton to protect him from the world,” White writes. “I homeschooled him to help prepare him to take his place in it.”
