Homeschooling with Special Needs

I was recently told that I make life look easy. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No really that’s what she said. The comment got me thinking about a post series I read from My Two Happy Homeschoolers, about homeschooling with Autism. In these posts she gave a real and candid look at Homeschooling with Autism. It’s easy to look at blogs, and wonder how in the world they have it together all of the time, but the truth is, it’s just a blog. Just a few pictures of the finished product. A look at all of the things we want you to know. It’s what you don’t see before and after those pictures are taken that is ‘Real Life’. LOL! On a blog we want to put our best foot forward, which often makes things seem almost angelic.

There’s nothing wrong with putting your best foot forward, and I’ll be honest with you, it helps me to see things come together so  nicely in a blog post. I often return to blog posts when I am questioning my decision to homeschool. It really helps inspire me, and remind me that we are accomplishing something, ANYTHING! The problem is that as mothers it’s also helpful for us to realize that other families struggle, fight, give up, cry, feel lost, etc. It’s helpful so that we know we are not alone, and so that we can encourage one another out of experience, and love.

Here is a quote taken from My Two Happy Homeschooler’s that I think pretty much clears it up how most special needs families feel when reading blogs,

“For the longest time, in our pre-diagnosis days, I would read about these perfect little homeschooling families, and I'd sit back and wonder, how come my homeschool days didn't look like theirs?? How come every time I was fun and creative my son would end up in tears? How come every time I followed his lead, he'd end up melting down? How come he couldn't sit still or be quiet? Or look at me when I was teaching him? How come he would become distracted by the smallest thing and couldn't get back on track? How come homeschooling him wasn't as fun as I thought it would be?”

As you can see the view from outside is great, but often times we need someone to be COMPLETELY honest. It’s hard for me to be candid about our struggles, but in the next few posts, I am going to give it a shot. I hope I can encourage you to know what another family struggles with, and how we cope.

When I sat down to do this post, I began to think of all the questions I have received about homeschooling with Special Needs. (or really homeschooling in general) I will try my best to answer these questions.

• How do you do it all?
• How do you get your kids to sit at the table and do school?
• How do you handle the distraction of having a baby and a toddler while homeschooling?
• Does the noise not bother your son?
• How do you get any school done with all those Dr. appointments?
• We struggle to get out of the house, how do you do it?
• Do you ever need a break?
• How do you get breaks?
• What accommodations do you recommend or  have in  place?
• How do you control your temper, do your kids not push to complete frustration?
• Your kids seem to have adjusted well, how do you get them to behave in public?
• How do you find friends who understand your children’s needs.?
• I would have never guessed that your children have special needs, What does that look like for your family?
• How do you choose a curriculum that fits your child’s needs?

This list could go on forever, but I think I have highlighted the most frequently asked questions. I hope you find the information in the upcoming posts informative and helpful. These posts will come every Thursday until I’ve answered all of the questions.