How do I homeschool my child with special needs?

Homeschooling your child with special needs allows you, the parent who knows your child best, the flexibility to design your child’s learning in a way that meets their specific needs.

While planning what your child will learn, you may need to 1) accommodate the child’s needs by changing how the child is taught but not modify the content or 2) modify how the content is taught and what content is taught.

Be sure to take advantage of all that home education has to offer. As you plan what your homeschool will look like, remember that you get to:

• Set a learning pace that matches your child’s learning abilities, knowing that all subjects may not be at the same grade level or at a “typical” learning level. 
• Teach topics based on individual ability and introduce new content at a rate that is tailored to your child.
• Have a daily routine, taking into consideration what your child’s needs and wants are, including sleep, eating, exercise, attention span, outdoor exploration, etc.
• Choose methods of learning (including curriculum) according to how your child learns best: audio, visual, kinesthetic, and/or tactile.
• Decide the environment that is ideal for your child (levels of noise, light, visual stimulation, and posture/position).
• Include outdoor play and reading out loud.
• Provide a safe, supportive, encouraging, flexible atmosphere.
• Create accommodations and modifications for your child, knowing they won’t feel so “different” because there aren’t other classmates to be compared to.
• Don’t forget to build your own support network.