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Ashley Williams loves selling Girl Scout cookies, playing softball, watching NASCAR -- No. 17, Matt Kenseth, is her favorite -- and is prone to fits of giggling. In many ways, she's a typical 9-year-old.

But Ashley is autistic. So is her brother, Trace, 10.

And they are being home-schooled.

"I never thought I'd be a stay-at-home mom," said Angela Williams, a former executive and legal secretary.

"Now this is my job. They are my entire life. My goal is not to get them to be like the rest but to help them cope with life and fit in better.

"From the beginning, certain things didn't seem right," she said. "Neither one of them crawled. They would scoot on their backs, pushing off with their feet. Ashley didn't start walking until age 3."

Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders -- developmental disabilities that affect brain function -- are on the rise in the United States. The cause is unknown.

Estimates are that about one in 150 children have an autism spectrum disorder; for boys, that figure is one in 90, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Williams said she and her husband, Creighton, were frustrated when her children entered Mehfoud Elementary School in eastern Henrico County.

Both children have medical diagnoses of mild autism, she said.

When he was 9, Trace was labeled mentally disa bled and recommended for special-education classes by the school. Angela Williams feared Ashley would receive the same recommendation the next year. Officials are not required to label a child with a specific disability until the student is 9, but officials can categorize the student as developmentally delayed.

According to school officials and the county's Web site, a committee of school personnel and central office specialists administer various tests and assessments to a child they believe may have special needs. Multiple approaches may be used. Once the committee has made its recommendation, parents are called in to meet about an individualized education plan.

After Trace went through that evaluation process, his parents were informed and given the opportunity to participate in the individual education program process.

Federal law requires schools to provide services for students having physical, emotional, social and cognitive needs. According to the Henrico schools' Web site, more than 7,000 of its 48,000 students receive special services.

Henrico County Public Schools cannot comment on individual students' evaluations, said spokesman Mychael Dickerson.

"Both children were able to attend regular classes with the normal kids, not disturbing the class and learning from being around normal children," Williams said. Trace and Ashley had been in and out of special-education classes during their time in school.

Certain that she could educate her children better than special-education classes, Williams took a leap of faith. She began home schooling Trace and Ashley in January 2007.

"Children with autism are so different. Maybe society views them differently," she said. "But some people want to put a label on them and push them aside.

"They would not get the attention at school that they now get one-on-one."

. . .

According to the Home School Legal Defense Association, based in Purcellville, thousands of families nationwide home-school special-needs children.

"We are inundated with calls," said Betty Statnick, special-needs coordinator at the association. "I've been here since 1995. Two-and-a-half years ago we had to hire a second person, and just recently a third, to deal with it."

It is difficult to estimate the number of parents who home-school special-needs children. The Virginia Department of Education does not keep such statistics, nor do various home-school organizations. Williams has encountered only a handful of others teaching special-needs children in the area.

Nevertheless, a variety of Web sites offer teaching materials and support. Statnick recommends parents network with other home-school families.

. . .

Ashley barely knew letter sounds when she was pulled from school, her mother said. After a few months at home, she was reading books. Ashley said her favorites include the "Curious George" books.

"Her heart is in it," Williams said. "She wants to learn so badly."

Williams, who had no teaching experience, used a variety of curricula and methods to find what would work for her children. A lot of it has been trial and error.

"I found I can't use a program with a lot of pictures," she said. "They get distracted."

Under state law, there are no additional requirements for home-school students with special needs than for regular students. Williams has an independent evaluator review the children's progress and must send regular reports to the county.

Both children have had occupational and speech therapy. They also have had success with audio therapy and holistic nutrition, Williams said.

. . .

Judi Munday, a former public school teacher and educational consultant in Chesapeake, specializes in helping families with special-needs children.

"I tend to recommend . . . using the SOL framework to provide the sequence of skills they ought to be covering. But you may need to change some of the questions, such as, 'Why?,'" which can trip up an autistic child.

"There is a wide spectrum of individual needs," Munday said. "The beauty of home schooling is that the parent knows the child's individuality. The family can use teaching strategies that don't set the triggers off."

Ashley and Trace usually have lessons in the mornings at the dining room table. They love to play in the family's large yard, and both children stay busy with extracurricular activities.

Trace plays golf and baseball and is a Cub Scout.

Ashley had a birthday party last month with other children from her team; it was her first birthday that included children outside the family.

She comes home from softball games and practices more -- and she was rewarded for her work, her mother said.

"She made All-Star!"

Contact Lisa Crutchfield at (804) 649-6362 or lcrutchfield@timesdispatch.com.