Our twin sons with special needs had dismal experiences their last year in public school. Over the course of that year, they both went from being my happy guys to pretty sullen elementary schoolers. This was one of the myriad of reasons I took homeschooling the boys, special needs and all, on. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to accomplish this task when we started, but knew in my heart it was not okay or normal for 8 year olds (at the time) to be so unhappy.Yesterday, a girlfriend came over for a visit who hadn't been at the house in awhile. Within the first 30 minutes she was here she exclaimed "the boys just seem so happy". Sometimes, the right environment makes all the difference.
TIP: Though the idea of it can seem daunting, homeschooling can be a viable and successful option for kids with special needs. There are less distractions than a public school setting and kids can be taught more specifically to their own learning style. While there are more considerations (legal requirements, aquiring needed therapies, documentation, etc) all kids, including those with special needs, thrive in an environment where their program is tailored to their specific strengths and abilities.
Hi Katie, I saw your comment on my friend Kristin's homeschooling blog. We are a Catholic homeschooling family with a kindergartner, a 3-year-old on the autism spectrum, and a 1-year-old. I think a lot about what homeschooling our middle boy will be like, as he's in special ed preschool right now. I am enjoying reading some of your entries about educating your twins at home, and I'm very inspired. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith, Thank you so much. I am happy to answer any questions you would have for me about homeschooling a child with special needs. you can email me at homeschoolfam@gmail.com My twins were in public school until 3rd grade. and I will be the first two admit the teacher they had for first and second grade and that program were paramount in their potty training success. When third grade came, so did a new school and a new teacher (the district moved their program; we didnt move) and it was disastrous. they went backwards in every area, including self help skills like potty training and lost a great deal of their academics. Unfortunately, the teacher/classroom is "luck of the draw". A good one will take your child far, a bad one makes everything go backwards. We decided the twins didnt have "another year to give" to go backwards in a bad class placement and that is when we decided to homeschool them since we were already homeschooling their younger sister. I dont know if I will homeschool the boys the rest of their school years, but right now it is the perfect fit for them and me and they really like it and we definitely plan to do it for the next few years. The great thing is, it does not have to be all or none, as parents we make that decision on a yearly basis, deciding what we think will be best for them for that particular year. Good luck and please keep in touch :-) and hope you will consider voting for me at the homeschoolpost awards going on between now and Nov 18th!
ReplyDelete