Homeschooling a Child with Special Needs: by Brittany Massey
Homeschooling a Child with Special Needs
Written by: Brittany Massey @whenthedaymetnight
After three years of our nonverbal daughter with Down syndrome being in two different school systems, my husband and I began comparing the education options before us. Flexibility is one of the key appeals to homeschooling for most families, as it was for us. Sometimes that flexibility was intimidating, and when a parent factors in the needs and attentions for a special needs child, intimidation peaks. However, it is that flexibility that allows us to find what works for a child, rather than a one size fits all approach.
Just like her typically developing peers, she will have seasons of expeditious growth and seasons where she is stagnant. That’s exactly where the beauty of homeschooling a special needs child sits. With the freedom to dwell with her when she is stuck, sit in the trenches with her and guide her to get out of that trench confidently on her own strength, she will excel better under this patient and generous guidance. (The process is patient, not always the mother — we are all working on ourselves). When a special needs child is in a classroom they will always be expected to move with the current of the whole class, and this usually leaves gaps in their foundations, not building cornerstones for deeper learning later on in life.
How much more does the framework for homeschooling support the individualized needs for a child, especially one whose needs are unique? As home educators, we find ourselves breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of each of our children and catering their education to help them flourish in their strengths and build wisely and soundly in their weaknesses. This educational breakdown is only stretched more so with a special needs child.
Educating our daughter with Down syndrome is a lot like the continuation of therapies that most special needs children have, especially in their infant and toddler years. Teaching them babble and talk, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, skills for independence. The whole child education eventually expounds into subjects like reading, math, science, etc. The breakdown in how a child learns, while not always clear cut, is made more clear because when you’re educating a special needs child you’re forced to slow down, think outside the box and gain understanding about the person you’re teaching. Truly this has helped me become a better educator to our other children, as you gain confidence in being able to customize and tweak for each child’s strengths and weaknesses.
There are hard days but, I suspect, there would be hard days without a special needs child. Many people wonder what it’s like teaching her, and just like day to day life, I often have to remind myself how different she can be sometimes, because for as long as we can remember, she is typical to us. She’s typically her. Her needs are not so much special to us as they are just her individual needs, just as much as our sons needs are his and our other little ones are hers. We have found that the only difference in educating our special needs child is that she requires a slower pace with a classical approach.
As we approach educating our children as whole persons, it becomes far less about how different one person in the family is and more of a support system for us all to encourage one another, teach each other, work together, and listen to everyone. It’s our prayer that in establishing this secure support group from home that it will give each of our children the confidence to be productive, discerning, kind members in God’s world, and we see this very intimate and individualized education for our daughter gives her the tools to continue grow and learn.