Homeschooling a child with special needs can sometimes feel like a crash course in special education. Each of my boys has special needs. My oldest son has Tourette Syndrome, and my youngest has OCD, Anxiety, and Dyslexia. So from the first year of homeschooling, I did my research - - figuring out what methods, materials, and tools would help them (and me) the most.
After what seemed like months of study and investigation, I found out several things that all good programs for homeschooling special needs kids have in common.
- Allows the child to work at his or her own pace. Some of our worst curriculum experiences involved programs that either expected too much too soon, or bored them with unnecessary drill and review.
- Allows for different skill levels on different subjects. Nearly every special needs child has unique strengths and weaknesses. Standardized subject and grade levels simply do not apply. A child who is excelling in math, may need remedial instruction in reading, or visa versa.
- Presents materials in different modalities and by varying methods. Learners with special needs often need new information presented to them in more than one way and involving more than one of their senses. The best special needs curriculums for these children will me multimodal and multisensory.
- Creates a supportive learning environment and sets each child up for success. Nothing is more detrimental to the learning process than a feeling of failure. But a curriculum that is well organized, goal oriented, and flexible can encourage a true love of learning in a child.
- Balances learning and fun. The content of any homeschool curriculum for special needs kids should not only stimulate their brain, but get them excited about the learning process. By including games, activities, and interactive elements, a homeschool program will successfully keep special learners engaged with their learning.
The Time4Learning homeschool curriculum successfully fulfills all of these requirements. It provides a comprehensive curriculum that allows children to easily get comfortable with the system. The levels for language arts and math programs are independently set for each child. This helps children who perform or progress at vastly different levels in these major subjects. Children progress at their own rates using multisensory learning that helps each learning style. The computer is very engaging. Some children, when faced with text books or non-interactive environments, exhibit ADD/ADHD-like behavior, but, when faced with an interactive system, they are often successful in focusing and learning. The computer is impersonal so children on the Autism spectrum(specifically children with Aspergers Syndrome and high-functioning Autism) learn without the distraction of interpersonal relations.
If you have been searching for a homeschool curriculum that will work well with your special needs child, why not give Time4Learning a try? To find out more about how T4L works for specific special needs, click on the applicable link on the special needs page. Or, to check out demos of some of the lessons, head over to the lesson demos page. My son has used Time4Learning successfully for three years now - - I hope it will be helpful for your child too!
Posted under Online Learning, Special Needs Learning, homeschool curriculum, learning styles
This post was written by Kerry on December 10, 2008
