How difficult is it to homeschool? What if the child has a learning disability?

I have two children and I'm wondering how difficult it is to homeschool.





My first child is nearly 9 years old. She is exceptionally bright and will be starting 4th grade in September.





My second child is 7 years old and has PDD-NOS (very mild autism.) Although he has been given an I.Q. of 76, I don't feel that it's an accurate measurement of his intelligence. He's a little math whiz, learns the names of dinosaurs quickly, and quite the artist. However, with certain subjects, such as language arts, he does struggle.





What sort of programs would be best for them? Is it difficult to teach children as well as a school can? What sort of challenges would I face if my son has a learning disability? Also, if he does struggle in a subject, would the school district/state hold that against me as a teacher?





I also have a baby due in January, so for a few weeks after my baby's birth, I may not have a lot of extra time. My husband sometimes works 50 - 60 hours a week and is going to school full time, so he may not be able to help.|||A question right up my alley, LOL! :-)





I.Q. tests take all variables into account; I have a dysgraphic/dyslexic son (also 7) who loves math (he argued with me over a subtraction question, as he pointed out the answer could be a negative number; he also happily figured out 13=7-x in his head)...but his reading and most especially his handicap in writing pull his scores way down. We took him to a neuropsych to get evaluated and she pointed out the effect of the disability on his scores.





What sort of programs would be best for them?


How do they learn? That sounds stupid, but there's an overwhelming amount of stuff out there...some of the programs would be devastatingly bad for my DS, like the Charlotte Mason curriculum, which is based on reading (lots and LOTS of reading) classical literature. That would be playing to his WORST and weakest skill. It's like making a squirrel live in an aquarium...let the poor thing run up a tree, he'll show you all KINDS of skill then.





Try a Google search on learning types; there are visual-spatial learners, aural learners, etc, etc. You'll find a description of your kiddo in there somewhere. :-) If your child is a visual learner, bring that information to him through his eyes. Mine has visual deficits, he learns through his ears, and has an amazing memory. So we talk about stuff...we talk about it before we do the lessons, during, and we recap when we're done. He recaps the lesson for me, so I can gauge what he's absorbed. A visual learner may need to incorporate a lot of art into the program...paint a flag, use a push-pin and punch out the outlines of the continents and place them on a globe.





Right now my kiddo is in 3rd grade math and kindergarten reading/phonics. And since he's not in a class, he doesn't really know how far "behind" he is, he just knows he feels competent and he's allowed to go at a pace that's right for him. He's also "allowed" to do things that schools are reluctant to do, like type out assignments on the laptop rather than be forced to stay after school and practice handwriting.





Is it difficult to teach children as well as a school can?


Yes, you'd have to bring in 25 other kids into your home and teach to the state tests, ignoring your kids' needs, strengths and weaknesses. Most homeschooled kids don't have to put up with that, and I know many who are 2+ grades ahead of their peers. My homeschooled cousin, frighteningly enough, went on to become a brain surgeon. No joke. You can teach your kid WAY better than the school can.





What sort of challenges would I face if my son has a learning disability?


You'll have to observe him carefully to make sure you know how to present material to him, you'll probably want to tap into outside resources, do extra research on your child's specific areas of difficulty. We're doing a phonics system now geared towards dyslexics, rather than the general one provided by the boxed curriculum I bought. You'll also need to find out what time of day your child works best (morning, afternoon, evening) and how to handle distractions...some kids do better with background noise, others do better with complete silence.





Also, if he does struggle in a subject, would the school district/state hold that against me as a teacher?


Depends on the state; be sure to look up the education laws in your state and understand what you are required to do...as long as you fall within those guidelines, you should be fine. Some states require ALL students to take those state assessments, others don't...depends on which state you're in. Again, the child will get one-on-one tutoring in a subject with someone who knows him exceedingly well and who has his best interests at heart.|||it can take a lot of work. but you can manage. just have faith and patience.if he struggles in a subject, you can seek a tutor if you don't know the subject either.|||Hi,





I'm homeschooled myself %26amp; I'm fourteen but I'm in the UK so things are slightly different here but I hope I can help, all the same.





You should check HSLDA for your states specifics since some states are more strict than others even though it's legal in all states.





The advantages of home schooling are you can adapt %26amp; teach your kids in a way that is best for them so while I'm not too educated on autism maybe a different style of learning would be suitable for your second child to help him?





Language arts can be taught in different ways too. Some people teach it by speaking it first and eventually by writing it because it's the same way that we learn our own language. That might help you a little =)





Program wise, I can't really help but it's a lot easier to find them in America and I'm sure there are a lot of websites you could find information on if you google it. There's K12 which is an online school %26amp; free in some or all states? I'm not sure but that's always an option. Remember that you can use different methods/programs with each child and adapt to them.





If your son has a learning disability most (if not all) you can find different ways to teach so dyslexia you can use coloured paper, ADHD you remove distractions %26amp; engage the child, etc. You can probably find out more by searching teaching a child with ____ and putting in the learning disability you think he may have.





Subject-wise in most (if not all) no more than the basic subjects are necessary and some states don't insist on any. I don't think they would hold much against you though. Just be creative with how you're teaching him :D





Look up homeschooling methods too. :) Congratulations on your pregnancy. Your husband doesn't necessarily have to take a huge role in homeschooling although it'd be helpful to you to have someone to share the responsibility with.





Good luck if you choose to homeschool %26amp; good luck with your kids %26amp; your baby =)|||hmmm. interesting question. I think the answer is 'as difficult as you make it'. You taught them to walk and talk and feed themselves, the difference between right and wrong and a whole lot of other very difficult skills - how hard to you think ABC and 123 will be?





First thing I would do is throw out the labels. You son is who he is, that's what you have to work with. He loves math - great, encourage that. He hates language - okay - let him read whatever he wants, he'll pick up how words are strung together and what they mean from that. He loves dinosaurs - good - give him all the dinosaur books you can locate. You've now taken care of reading, language arts and science. Throw in one of Dover's dino coloring books and you have art. Show him how to navigate around the computer for more dinosaurs (computer skills). If you can encourage him to write his own book about dinosaurs, you're a whiz at this.





All of us struggle with something. We're not all the same and it's our differences that make up society. Can you imagine if we were all good at exactly the same thing?





We figured we couldn't do any worse than the school, so - does that answer that question?





No, the state would not hold that against you. If they did they have to hold it against every teacher with a child that cannot grasp math, for example.





And the being pregnant thing - imagine not being on the schools schedule, not being required to do volunteer things, not getting interrupted by the phone calls and confernces. Not having to run kids here and there when the school decides you should. Imagine a more flexible schedule at home surrounded by family.





To learn more about homeschooling drop by





homeedmag.com


and/or


homeschooling@gomilpitas.com





LaLeche league is also big on homeschooling so you might drop by there, too.





and congrats on the baby, too!|||Home School the first year can be a challenge getting to know the curriculum and setting a schedule. I believe if you are determined and want your child to learn and to succeed (even your son) they will. It takes a lot of commitment on your part and once you start do not give up. I have listed a web site below that may help you in getting started. The first page listed is for learning disabilities.|||Hello.





I home school my 6 years old son and believe I can provide you with resolving a critical part of your question - how difficult is it to home school?





I'm glad to think that you are open to taking more control over the academic careers of your children - it's hard today to find parents these days that would consider home schooling as an option.





However, because home schooling is a big decision/commitment, I would strongly recommend that you fully understand what you're signing up for because home schooling, while it can be a very fulfilling experience (as I can attest to!), is definitely NOT for everyone.





Here are the 5 questions you need to ask yourself in order to determine whether home schooling is right for your family:





1) Exactly, what is home schooling and why do people do it?





You need to have a clear idea on whether you can buy into home schooling - the good, the bad, and ugly. Like I said above, home schooling is one of the most fulfilling experiences a parent can have, but it's not for everyone.





2) Is the home school lifestyle right for me?





Yes, home school IS a lifestyle and not just a "job". There are some important factors to consider here on whether this lifestyle is right for you.





3) Is the home school lifestyle right for my children?





Remember that just because you think you can do it doesn't mean that it's right for your little ones. You will have to consider some key factors on whether home schooling is a good fit for your children.





4) What are the state laws on home schooling in my state?





States such as Texas have very liberal (read: very little) regulations on home schooling while states such as New York have very heavy regulations such as attendence records, quarterly progress reports, and an annual assessment. You will need to assess whether you can be responsible for creating, maintaining, and in some cases, sending your records to the state authorities.





5) Can you afford to home school?





You need to honestly ask yourself if you can bear the financial burdens of home schooling...and I'm not just talking about the price of curriculum materials and school supplies (there's way much more financial burden than just the curriculum and supplies!).





These are, in my mind, the 5 absolute critical questions that you need to wrap your mind around before deciding to home school your children. If in fact, you feel comfortable with your own answers to these questions, THEN you can tackle the other important issues you've listed above (curriculum, learning approach, etc.).





I went through this same thought process and am so glad I took this extra "pre-step" before taking the plunge and would recommend that you consider the same since it cleared up many of my misconceptions and exaggerations about home schooling.





By the way, if you're wondering where to go to find more discussion on the 5 critical questions that I raised above, you'll be glad to know that you can go to just one website that I created which covers EXACTLY these topics - http://www.prontolessons.com/articles.ht鈥?/a> (see source information below).





I wrote up these articles myself because when I was on the fence on whether to home school, I had to look at various websites to find discussion on these 5 critical topics - now you have them all in one place at my site.





Good luck to you and I hope you find what you're looking for.





Sun


http://www.prontolessons.com|||I suggest you jump onto the Well Trained Mind board and read/ask questions. There are plenty of people on their in your situation, teaching kids with autism, learning disabilities, with babies etc. You will find lots of curriculum junkies who can provide reviews and recommendations for all sorts of programs :)





You are at least as capable of teaching as a school is, and no, the powers that be won't hold your son's lack of achievement against you, within reason. You may find, though, that he won't fare as badly as you think. The Well Trained Mind would be a very good book for you to read, as they really promote memorisation in the younger years. Play to your son's strengths, eh?