Tips For Homeschooling Children With Additional Needs
There are many reasons why your child may not want to go to school or even visit a mainstream school. If you are choosing to homeschool your child who has additional needs either neurologically and physically, it can be challenging, but putting the necessary steps in place to aid your homeschooling can be beneficial for everyone.
Portable Products
If your child cannot make it to the classroom, then you need to build a supply of durable yet portable products meaning you can move your classroom to wherever you need to be at that time.
The beauty of homeschooling is finding your own groove and creating lesson plans that can be changed at the last minute if need be. Try not to be too rigid to account for fluctuations in your life day by day.
Multimedia learning aids
You need to teach in a way that engages your child and is suited to their needs. It may be that the majority of your lessons involve music or videos, and traditional teaching materials are discarded. The trick is to embrace the differences in learning techniques and use available tools at your disposal to support learning.
Mobility aids
Though in your home, your classroom needs to be accessible to allow you to navigate from different lessons and learning plans, both indoor and outdoor. So look at how your child will approach different areas, terrains, and situations to allow you to use temporary or permanent aids to make their life easier. For example, if you frequently join a homeschooling support group for your lessons and you require wheelchair access or your child can’t navigate steps, the installation of threshold ramps can help remove access problems in and out of buildings.
Break it down
If your child cannot concentrate for prolonged periods of time, then break your learning down into bite-sized chunks throughout the day. It could be that you need to break your school day into three parts or spread out your reading, writing, and skills comprehension over the day or even week. Try not to push too hard and accept that you will need to teach based on their capacity to learn and follow their lead to ensure your lesson plan isn’t wasted and you can teach effectively.
Support
Lean on professionals to support you during this journey. Your pediatrician can assist you in finding resources and support groups for families in a similar position to you. Venture out to meet up with others who are facing the same homeschooling obstacles or for you to socialize when you need a break.
Remember, teachers in mainstream schools have support for their students from teachers and the whole school system. Find your support network and lean on them when you need it to help you to provide the best home education journey possible for your child.
Homeschooling a child with additional needs can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience; make it easier by putting the right tools in place to assist you through home education.
