Regular schools are often ill equipped to handle students with special needs. Even if they do have dedicated teachers for special needs students it can be rough on the children as the attrition rate for such teachers is pretty high. It can be very frustrating for a child to get used to one teacher and then have to cope with a new teacher the subsequent academic year. By homeschooling your special needs child you can help counter this high turn over for teachers by making sure that the only teacher you child has to ever deal with is you.
Taking this decision is a biggie
A large number of factors need to be considered before taking the decision to homeschool your special needs child. Ask yourself if you are really willing to take on this commitment which is going to last year, with no day off? Remember not only are you the primary care giver, you will also become parent cum teacher for the child. Can you take on this responsibility, with almost no breaks from the child’s needs? Both personal as well as academic?
Take a look at your support system
While you will be doing the lion’s share of the work, your spouse and the rest of the family, including other children, and grandparents should be supportive of your plans. Remember you will not be getting much recognition or appreciation for all the effort that you will be putting into the education and care of your special needs child. You are going to find it difficult to go out and make new friends, so do you have an existing circle of people who care for you?
The legalities and paperwork
Homeschooling has different rules in different states. With a special needs child you may have additional guidelines that you may be required to follow. Find a trusted source who can guide you on exactly what all you will be facing legally. Get professional help for the paperwork if required. That way you are sure to get things right the first time and not waste time and effort redoing it again and again. The learning curve is high in the beginning, but if you are willing to stick it out, your child will reap the benefits.
