What You Need to Know About Homeschooling Your Child with Down Syndrome

Homeschooling was not what I had planned on doing some years ago, but God led us in that direction and we said goodbye to the public school system 7 years ago, never to look back.  When Cedar was born with a Down Syndrome diagnosis, I worried if we would be able to continue to homeschool with him too and I have since decided that is likely the path we will continue on for his education in the years to come.

Related Post: Why I plan to homeschool my child who has Down Syndrome

So how do you do this thing called “homeschooling?”  It really isn’t as hard or daunting as you may think.  The first thing you need to know is what the law is in your particular state.  You can click HERE to see the laws for all 50 states. Some states, like Texas and Michigan, require nothing from the parent, not even notification of the intent to homeschool.  Other states, like Pennsylvania, New York and Rhode Island require a high level of monitoring and notifications.  The rest of the 50 states fall somewhere in between.

What is homeschooling?  It is the act of educating your child at home in lieu of in the public school building.  For our children with special needs, some of the programs that the school offers are not available to you and will have to be sought privately (speech therapy for example) but that also depends on the state you live in. When you think of homeschooling, you can think of it as having 2 schools of thought.

There is PARENT DRIVEN homeschooling and PUBLIC SCHOOL ONLINE homeschooling.

The latter of the two is essentially just removing your child from the brick and mortar building and allowing them to be taught, via computer, at home.  The curriculum, tests, and record keeping is on the public school to do, you just have to ensure your child logs in and does their work.  However, the caveat is that you may not be able to tailor this type as much as you can with PARENT DRIVEN homeschooling.

PARENT DRIVEN homeschooling is where the parent is the driving force and leader of the homeschooling.  This can be done by purchasing a box curriculum by grade, purchasing one subject at a time in an a la carte fashion, or even developing your very own curriculum, as long as you are adhering to whatever the laws of your own state are.  This is definitely the most flexible version of homeschooling and likely will lend itself best to parents of children with special needs.

The beauty of it is, no one knows your child better than you do, and no one will work harder to help them succeed than you will.  You know your child’s abilities, and their limitations and you know how to teach them in the manner that will help them learn the best. If writing 2 + 2 = 4 on worksheets doesn’t click, then you can easily forgo the worksheets and start using tangible items, like grapes, buttons, or any other thing your child likes to get the point across.  You are in charge and are able to get as creative as your own ability allows.

If you are just beginning to think about homeschooling here are a few places you should make a note of.

For preschoolers:

From Playdough to Plato is a great site for free printables, as is Easy Peasy all in one homeschool.

ABCmouse.com is also a great resource if your child likes to work on a computer. The Dollar Tree is a fantastic resource as their education nook boasts workbooks galore, for only $1!!!!

For gradeschoolers and beyond:

Easy Peasy all in one homeschool also has sections for gradeschoolers.  I highly suggest attending a homeschool convention in or near your state.  My personal favorite is the GHC. We also love shopping for curriculum on Christianbook.com

In addition, there is a site called Teachers Pay Teachers where you can find all kinds of great resources that won’t break the bank, especially if you are using unit studies.

In all honesty, a big cup of coffee, a healthy dose of patience and a great printer are the basics that you need to begin homeschooling.  A little bit of support from a homeschooling community, and a can-do attitude.

Here is my favorite printer and an explanation of why.

Oh, and before I forget…all the naysayers who worry about “socialization” have it all wrong.  If anything, we often have to turn social opportunities down because we have so many available to us.  We attend literature classes at our public library and the little ones attend story hour, we have sports, 4H, church and volunteer activities to keep us busy too.  There are moms groups, playdates, field trips and so much more so if this is something you are considering don’t worry too much about your little one not having opportunity to socialize.