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By Suzanne Day
The content of this workshop was shared at the Third International Conference on Dyslexia in Ottawa, Fall 2000
As a psychoeducational and neurodevelopmental consultant working with homeschoolers, I am convinced that homeschooling is a valid option for children with learning and attention inefficiencies.
First: we know that a child with learning disabilities needs an individualized program because he learns differently. Although experts do not easily agree on a definition of a learning disability, there are four points on which they do agree: they are average or above-average in intelligence, the basic cause is not a psychological or a physical handicap, and they do not learn satisfactorily from standard methods of instruction. These children do not learn like the other children and should be taught with a specially designed program to fit their learning strengths and weaknesses. The classroom with 20 to 30 students cannot easily provide an individualized program. The homeschooling setting can.
Second: this child will respond better one-on-one. This individualized program needs to be taught individually. Homeschooling can provide this one-to-one attention for at least an hour per day, even when the mother has other children to attend to.
Third: he needs a quiet atmosphere because often an LD child’s auditory processing is immature. It may not be easy to establish this at home with many children but the home is still the best place to control the "reception" of information.
Fourth: the homeschool situation allows you the flexibility you need to adapt the curriculum or to change it according to the educational progress of the child and your increasing understanding of his learning style and needs.
Fifth: he needs a lot of repetition. An LD child is often referred to as a "leaking bucket." His memory, short-term and long-term, is not as efficient as it should be because of the anxiety created by certain information or the way the information is presented. God will give the parents the patience to repeat the information in different forms.
Sixth: he needs trained teachers to address his needs. One of the questions often asked by parents who are considering the homeschooling option for their learning disabled child, or by parents who are homeschooling and discover that their child has a learning disability is, "Wouldn’t it be better for my child to be at the public school with the specialized teachers to work with these children?" Yes, and no. Being "trained" does not mean only at the university level. God wants to train parents to address their child's specific needs. He will use your prayers and other means. Using the data from professional testing, the parents can be educated to recognize the learning strengths and the weaknesses of their child. Specific educational and developmental techniques can be taught to the parents, making them the specialized teacher that this child
needs.
Seventh: an LD child being vulnerable to low self-worth needs thoughtful educators. The LD child is often singled out as "lazy": some days he can do it, some days he cannot do it. The difficulties are rooted in the central nervous system functions and need to be understood. The parents should make every effort to ensure that their child understands that his reading, spelling, and language difficulties are not related to his value as God's child and as a person, family, or church member. The LD child needs his parents' brothers' and sisters' help to discover his self-worth in God's eyes. Thomas Edison, who had great difficulty with learning at school, was finally homeschooled. He was led to later say: "All that I am, all that I ever hope to be, I owe to my mother."
Eighth: the homeschool setting allows the control of three important components in the learning process: the frequency, duration, and intensity. These children need short duration (short periods), more frequency (more often), and a lot of intensity (energy level). The home situation can provide this flexibility . . . with God's grace.
Ninth: as parents, we need to develop character qualities and God wants to use our children to force us to learn. Children usually will not advance any farther along the pathway to maturity than where we, their parents, are at any given time. Learning disabilities are inherited. The solutions that parents find for their child can also bring a healing process for themselves. John Powel said, "The most magnificent opportunities come into our lives disguised as problems." Yes, homeschooling magnifies our weaknesses, but let's remember that God gives grace (energy) to the humble.
Tenth: an LD child performs better academically in an individualized instruction setting which the homeschool provides. This is especially so when the strengths and the weaknesses of the child are identified so the parents can deal with the learning inefficiencies accordingly. Our data clearly confirms this as a fact.
Eleventh: home is the most affordable "tutoring" service. Individualized teaching at $30.00 per hour (which is a low cost), for at least three hours per day, would cost you $450.00 per week, $1,800.00 per month, and $18,000.00 per year! However, parents should wisely consider investing in professional consultation to guide their teaching and character building efforts. Too often we meet homeschooling mothers who feel so guilty for not succeeding in bringing their child up to grade level. The mother who is teaching the child usually suspects that there are learning inefficiencies. By the time she seeks help, she has paid the high cost of frustration, defeat, and a battered self-esteem. The surgeon needs tests done, the home builder will look at his plans, and the marketing agent the data. It makes sense that the teacher of a child with learning difficulties assume that responsibility with a thorough assessment of the problems and specific techniques to guide her efforts.
Twelfth: the LD child needs to specifically learn social skills which are best learned in context with individualized attention provided by the homeschooling context. This child is not only learning disabled in the academic domain but socially he needs more guidance to learn to reason and to understand social rules. Some of these rules are explicit and some more subtle.
Thirteenth: the LD child needs to develop other gifts. The diagnosis of a learning disability refers to academic requirements. These children have gifts that are not measured by standardized tests. The parent-teacher who spends longer periods with their child will discover these specific abilities and will find the mean to encourage their expression. It is wise to aim for at least one hour a day for the child to do something at which he excels in order to strengthen his self-worth. Again, the flexibility of the homeschooling allows for including this in the curriculum.
Fourteenth: parents of an LD child need to discover a deeper meaning of the grace (energy) of God. God promises to give grace to the humble. Learning disability is referred to as the "hidden handicap" because there is no outward appearance of the disability. Children with learning disabilities appear to be no different than their normal peers. It requires humility to work so hard at teaching a child who progresses slowly. It requires humility to face other people who do not necessarily understand why your child acts immature. The reality is that you cannot explain "why" to everybody.
Finally, God wants to use your life message. Parents who homeschool LD children need to be encouraged by the life message of other parents who understand. The reasons described here can also be applied to special needs children including giftedness. To pursue homeschooling a special needs child takes courage, determination, and a large dose of humility which God provides for our character growth.
I pray that this article has been an encouragement to your hearts.
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1Peter 5:6-7
Copyright 1999 Suzanne Day, Psychoeducational and Neurodevelopmental Consultant
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