Homeschooling and
the Learning Disabled Child
Author: Eileen Lee,
M.A. C.C.C.The decision
to homeschool my daughter was not an easy one. I had professional training in
a related field but worried that I did not have the special knowledge required
to do a good job. The concerns were real. What do I teach? Where do I get the
materials? How fast do I go? How do I know that she has adequately learned the
material? What happens if I don't understand what I am supposed to be teaching
her? But even with these concerns, I had to take the step. Preparation is everything
in the area of homeschooling, right from the start. You, as the parent and the
teacher, need to take the process step by step. At the time I was looking,
little was specifically available for the learning disabled child. I had to
alter all the materials to make this a viable program. However, today there
are specific programs geared to our population of children. Educational therapists,
educational psychologists, tutors and resource specialists might be able to
help you find the program appropriate for your child. In addition, there are
many listings on the World Wide Web to help you obtain the necessary materials.
However, we all know that even the most sophisticated program may not be suited
for our child's style of learning. You know your child the best, and even more,
your child knows herself better. Do not hesitate to alter any or all of the
materials to fit his or her needs. Do not be afraid to ask your child which
way is easier to learn, or what kind of help she needs. You will be surprised
at what you can learn from her. I specifically had this experience with my daughter.
I found her struggling with reading comprehension questions, and asked how I
could help. She responded with a very straight and sensible answer, e.g., Present
the questions at the time the story is read. I immediately implemented her suggestion,
and progress was swift and gratifying for both of us. Generally, most homeschooling
programs provide a syllabus and limited materials. It is left to you to fill
in the remainder. This is easily accomplished by visiting your local educational
bookstore. These stores, and their employees, are a wealth of information and
will help you find the appropriate materials. But, in addition to their recommendations,
browse on your own. Get familiar with the materials available. You will find
an incredibly large amount of material from which to choose. I have always had
more then one resource. I used the second, and even the third one, for immediate
and future review. Consequently, my daughter knew that she had to store the
information, rather than just learn it for the minute and forget it. Once your materials are
in place, you need to again consider how your child learns, and present the
materials in an appropriate manner. My daughter is a visual learner, so I presented
most material in writing, accompanying it with verbal explanation. In history
or literature, I always tried to find a video on the topic, or we took field
trips to museums to help cement the information. In math, we always tried to
create some real-life situation to learn the concept. This was very time-consuming
at first, but it became as interesting to me as it did to her. It is important
to mention here that it is necessary to know how your child learns the best.
She may learn easier by seeing, hearing, touching, or any combination of these.
You can either observe, and make an educated guess, or ask the professionals
who evaluated the child. This is information that should always be willingly
shared with you, and should be obtained at the Individual Educational Plan (IEP)
meeting. If not, a simple telephone call should suffice. Once you have gained experience
working with your child, you will be able to determine how fast he/she learns,
and what you have to do to get accomplish it. Anything goes here, whatever it
takes! There were times that my daughter was so confused and frustrated that
we had to stop and take a walk. Oh look, a physical education credit. We always
returned and attacked the problem again, in a new and different way. Once learned,
all information was repeated at regular intervals as review. This is very important,
as many of our children have memory problems, or long-and short-term recall
problems, as they are referred to by the schools. I always carried work over
from week to week, and referred back to it regularly. This all came to fruition
one day in Las Vegas. We were walking through the exhibits at the Luxor Hotel
when my daughter began to spout facts about Egyptian history that I had long
since stored away. I was both surprised and delighted, and realized that the
work had paid off. I had never heard classroom-learned facts applied in the
real world before. Homeschooling younger children
may be less intimidating than older children as we are less fearful of the knowledge
required to teach. However, as the age and grade levels increase, so does this
worry. I myself had a middle schooler and knew there were some sticky areas
for me. However, the resources available are almost endless. The materials that
you choose are the prime way of getting necessary information. Find one that
you can understand, then alter it for your child. If that does not work, return
to the curriculum source and see if they have added information. If worse comes
to worst, ask a friend, or hire a tutor. The tutor may not need a special education
background because she can tutor you, rather than your child. Once you are familiar
with the information, you can then teach it to your child. For most parents, with endless
chores and activities and other children, homeschooling may seem an insurmountable
task. You must be fully committed, and want it to be an enjoyable experience
you will share with your child. Your child must be committed to it, as well;
willing to experiment and be flexible. If viewed and accepted in this manner,
it will be a rewarding experience for both. My reward was realized when my daughter
returned to school, and was found to be ready to join in at the appropriate
grade level and not be a step behind . . . . maybe even a step ahead.
MEET YOUR
PAL Eileen Lee completed her
bachelor of arts degree at the University of Florida, and her master of arts
degree at Hofstra University. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence
in Speech/Language Pathology from The American Speech/Language Hearing Association,
and a Speech/Language Pathology license from the state of California. In the
past, she worked as the Chief Head Injury Speech Pathologist at Daniel Freeman
Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, California. She was the Director of Home and
Hospital Services at Community Speech and Hearing Center in Encino, California,
and Director of Speech and Hearing Services at Wards Island Developmental Services
for the New York State Dept. of Mental Hygiene. In addition, she is an experienced
educational therapist and an advocate for children with special needs. She served
as a Regional Chairman for the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education,
for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has had the experience of homeschooling
her own children, both with learning disabilities, for the past several years. | 
