Why I’m Choosing to Homeschool My Child with Special Needs

The choice to homeschool your child is a very personal one that takes a lot of thought and planning. This decision becomes even more important when your child has special needs. Homeschooling can provide more one-on-one teaching time, a more personalized experience and fewer distractions to learning. And it gives you the opportunity to share in your child’s daily struggles and successes.

Why I’m Choosing to Homeschool my Child with Special Needs

My son Sam graduated from fifth grade this past June. What an accomplishment, and what a lot of hard work! As his teachers came up and hugged him, they took said to me, “If it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t have done as well as he did.” I don’t say that to brag. I understood what they meant. School is hard, sometimes tedious. It’s a partnership between parent and child. This partnership also extended to Sam’s IEP team that included teachers, therapists, principals, and, of course, my wonderful husband.

Sam, I’m proud to say, has worked hard. Although he did spend some time in special education, I wanted him to be exposed to the curriculum of a mainstream classroom for as much time as possible. I knew that if that he was willing to give it all he had, then it was my job to keep him going. Like when he decided to participate in his second grade spelling bee, or when he told me he was ready to tackle his third grade mainstream math class, and when he memorized all fifty states and their capitals in the fifth grade.

Now, with Sam graduating elementary school, I made the decision to do something I’ve always wanted to do, homeschooling. Next year I’ll be working with a local charter school’s homeschool program.

This is going to be a whole new world for us that I am ready to embrace. Sam’s curriculum for next year is already ordered. The homeschooling kits are filled with manipulatives, science experiments (which he loves), history and math lessons, language arts and literature. I’m looking forward to learning with him, teaching him new things, and letting him teach me a few things (which he loves to do, especially when it comes to science).

Mainly, I’m taking advantage of the opportunity to have him home with me while he still wants to be.

Looking back, I’m grateful for all the work we’ve gone though and that ever-present parent and child partnership. I look forward to the next school year and all the changes it will bring. My younger son will continue to stay at public school because I value the staff and teachers. I’m lucky in this case to get the best of both worlds and I’m grateful for that. Now, however, we will rest and enjoy our summer! I hope you all enjoy yours!

More Articles on Parenting Children with Intellectual and/or Physical Disabilities:

• Why I’m Glad I Chose to Homeschool My Child with Special Needs
• Parents of Children with Special Needs: Talk to Your Kids About Their Diagnosis
• Learning to Trust My Gut as the Parent of a Complex Child
• Outside the Box Parenting for Outside the Box Kids
• Parenting Children with Special Needs: The Ups and Downs of Advocacy