Like most kids, Fletcher Cox loves pop music.

Key points: The number of kids registered for home schooling has doubled in some states

The number of kids registered for home schooling has doubled in some states Most special needs schools only admit children with an IQ below 70

Most special needs schools only admit children with an IQ below 70 Some families of children on the spectrum say home schooling is their only choice

But for this eight-year-old, who is on the autism spectrum, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are his whole world.

So much so that his mum Sarah-Jane Cox has built his home-school curriculum around his music idols.

"If I were to say, 'we've got four oranges and six oranges. How many have we got?' He wouldn't have a clue. Not a clue," Ms Cox said.

"But if I said to him, 'Madonna's on the stage. She's got several dancers to that side and several dancers on the other side — how many dancers have we got?' No problem."

The decision to remove Fletcher from mainstream school two years ago was not an easy one for Ms Cox.

"I did it out of desperation. There was always just a fog over his eyes," she said.

"It was just really sad. He just couldn't cope with all the noise going on."

"If you'd have seen the fear and absolute anxiety in my child — the actual terror of sending him to school — I couldn't do it again."

Now she can educate Fletcher in a way she believes works for his mind.

"Taylor Swift is my favourite," Fletcher said. "But I love them all. They're really great."

'I wanted to rescue him from school every day'

Sarah-Jane Cox and her daughter Daisy run lessons for Fletcher at the kitchen table. ( ABC News: Barbara Miller )

Ms Cox keeps Fletcher's lessons short, and allows him to take regular breaks during which he retires to the garden to twirl around a ribbon.

"He spends a lot of time twirling a ribbon and running up and down the garden — whether it's cold or hot," she said.

"He'll sing, he'll recreate a scene from a movie or a music video, and that's his time to clear his head and bring his emotions back down."

Fletcher's 26-year-old sister Daisy, who is also on the spectrum, backed her mum's decision to withdraw her brother from school.

"I wanted to go and rescue him from school every day. I just knew we would be better here. He'd have more of a chance to learn anything here," Daisy said.

"I understand him. He needs to learn in small chunks, and by moving. He won't necessarily learn by sitting down — I was the same way when I was his age."

High-functioning children struggle to find their place

Daisy, who is also on the autism spectrum, helps out with Fletcher's education. ( ABC News: Barbara Miller )

In most states, a child must have an IQ below 70 to be admitted to a special needs school.

However, many people on the autism spectrum have average — or even above-average — IQs.

"We've looked at mainstream school and special needs school, and Fletcher doesn't fit either one of those. There isn't a school in the middle," Daisy said.

The Cox family's quandary is not unusual in Australia.

"For students on the spectrum who are having difficulties with the social aspects of learning, school can be extremely challenging and very anxiety-invoking," autism expert and former special needs teacher Beth Saggers said.

Ms Saggers is about to launch a research project with the Cooperative Research Centre for Autism to find out why so many families are pulling their kids out of school.

The number of children registered for home schooling in Australia has risen dramatically in recent years.

However, experts believe many parents operate outside the registration system, so the number could be even higher.

Ms Saggers is not against home schooling children on the autism spectrum.

"They're not going to be under the same stress at home, so from a health and wellbeing point of view, for some kids, home education is going to be a much safer, much more secure place," she said.

However she does fear children who never attend regular school will miss out.

"They might lose the opportunity to practise a lot of that social interaction. They can get out of the habit of it, which can make them more isolated," Ms Saggers said.

Ms Cox, who is not a qualified teacher, said she expected that Fletcher may eventually have to return to a mainstream school.

"I am probably paddling in the dark, but I think he is learning enough at the moment," she said.

"I think when he starts asking me questions that I really can't answer, then I'll know that I am out of my depth," she said.

"But at the moment, I am happy to muddle along and hopefully I am giving him enough to learn to fit in."