Five reasons why you might want to consider homeschooling a disabled child
Considering education options for your disabled child? Here are five reasons why home schooling might be the right choice for your family.
There are many reasons why you might consider homeschooling your disabled child, ranging from scheduling conflicts due to medical procedures, to a child not receiving enough one-on-one attention in a classroom.
Homeschooling is an education option available to children in the United States, as well as many other countries around the world. While regulations vary from state to state in the United States, many parents find that home schooling isn’t nearly as difficult as they thought, and that their disabled child may do much better in their home environment than in a typical classroom.
Here are five reasons why you might consider homeschooling your child.
1) They can rest when they need
Often a disabled child needs more time to rest than their able-bodied counterparts. They can take a short nap, relax on a couch with their legs up, or simply take a day off from regular school work when they’re educated in the comfort of their own home.
2) They benefit from more flexible scheduling
A homeschool schedule can be as flexible as the participants need it to be. Since there are no time constraints; a parent can teach seven days a week, year round.
This works well for children who need to have frequent medical procedures, which would cause them to miss too many days of school in a traditional school year.
3) You can create a flexible curriculum
Parents who teach at home have the flexibility of creating their own curriculum, though there are many online curricula available as well. A child, depending on how they are feeling on a particular day, may choose to have their parents read to them if they can only lie down and listen, or if they are feeling well, may go on a field trip to a local museum.
A child could spend an evening at home star gazing to meet a science requirement, or take a ceramics class at a local art center to meet an arts requirement.
4) It can cost less
Choosing homeschool may, in some cases, reduce the cost of care. Special schools, transportation, tutors and aides can cost thousands of dollars per month.
While many parents struggle with the thought of quitting a job in order to stay at home and care for their child, they may discover that the cost of the care equals the income from their job. The time spent with a child, and the support they receive from personalized attention, is well worth the sacrifice of a job that only pays for the cost of child care.
5) It can be less stressful
Stress is a factor for both a disabled child and their parent. A child may be bullied at school or not receive the attention they need in the classroom due to budgetary concerns in the school district. And a parent may be stressed because they’re worried about who is taking care of their child at school, or concerned about meeting the costs of the child’s specialized care.
When a parent decides to home school their child, they can reduce these stresses or eliminate them altogether. The parent can relax knowing that the best person is in charge of their child’s care at all times, and the child can thrive in a supportive education environment with one-on-one attention.
Homeschooling resources you might find helpful
If you’re considering homeschooling a disabled child, the following resources may be of assistance in your area :
- Visit a local homeschool support group to get advice on how it works in your state and school district. Talk with others who home school and hear their success stories.
- Check with your place of worship to see if there is a support group or classes offered for home schooled children and their parents.
- Many art and fitness centers offer classes during the day exclusively for home schooled children. This is also a good opportunity to network with other homeschooling parents.
- Talk with the superintendent or principal at your school to discuss home schooling. While not all administrators are supportive of parents who want to homeschool, you may be surprised to find that just as many are willing to assist you in the endeavor.
Alissa Zucker is a copywriter working for the paper writing service. She is interested in reading classic and psychological books which give her inspiration to write her own articles and short stories.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema
