As a parent of a child with a special health need, I have often considered homeschooling her for a variety of reasons. First, it limits her to the exposure of germs that could land her in the hospital. Second, when she does get sick even with just a cold, she could be missing school for a full two weeks and need tutoring anyway. Third, the amount of time her treatments take mean a long day for a kid if most of it is spent in school. Being at home would mean no bus ride, no transitional time between classes, no long class trips to the bathroom, or any of the other little things that steal chunks of time from the day.
Here are some reasons why you may want to homeschool your special needs child:
1 As I said, the time that it takes to travel to school in addition to other small factors, means less time actually learning. If you homeschool, your child’s time spent learning is under your control and you can decide how much or little time to spend on any given day. Check the school’s schedule to see how much time they actually spend educating.
2 Some children with special needs simply do not get enough one on one time with teachers, whether they are in the general education classroom or the special education classroom. Gearing the teaching to fit each child’s needs is a difficult task and you know better than anyone does how your child learns.
3 Children with attention deficit disorder or students who are gifted may be too bored in school. Homeschooling allows you to structure the learning to fit your child’s personality. There can be more breaks between lessons and more time for active learning.
4 You can bring in professionals of your choosing to help you teach your child, whether you need a speech and language therapist, a reading tutor or a math tutor.
5 You can structure learning around fun trips including going to the grocery store with a budget and calculator to learn basic math as well as the basics of finances.
6 If you are concerned that your child won’t gain social skills by staying home, consider making field trips or special time during the week to get together with other homeschoolers and learn as a group.
Homeschooling is a huge responsibility and in some cases, it won’t make sense based on the child. But, if you are able, homeschooling can bring great rewards to both you and your child.