Is it possible to educate your special needs child at home without sending them to a special education class in school? Yes, many parents end up doing this, and use homeschooling as a method along with finding support groups online. You see they often disagree with school districts as to what is the appropriate education for their child, and some seek legal advice, and others forgo the concept of suing the local school district, and simply educate their own child.
Of course, it's a lot harder than it looks, and many professional psychologists for the mentally disabled and special education teachers don't recommend it. Indeed, I would say I don't either, but I can certainly understand a parent's need to make that choice on their own. Nevertheless, let's go ahead and discuss this for a moment if we will.
Now then, there was a very interesting article in our local paper; the Desert Sun which was titled "Program Lessons Kids' Isolation - One-On-One Time Helps Autistic Children, Learn And Make Friends" by Sherry Barkas published on May 9, 2010. The article stated; "talk to parents of children with special needs about their lives, and one sad word arises - isolated."
Consider if you will be number of increased cases of kids diagnosed within the autistic spectrum. Some insist that it is only recently that we've come to understand what autism is, and that there were always lots of Autistic cases. Others, are pretty sure it's not the case, that autism really is on the rise.
In many places such as in and around Silicon Valley, and states like New Jersey, the autistic rate is exceptionally high, and it puts a real stress on school districts, and school budgets, at a time, right now, when the schools need all the money they can get, and they need to be able to keep the money they have.
Now then, getting back to the article and the point I'd like to make, if you educate your special education level child at home, they will be missing out on what most psychologists, and other parents with special needs kids say is the biggest problem, the problem of isolation, and being alone. If these kids are going to a regular school within a special-needs class, they will be constantly interacting with other kids, and that is very positive for their mental development.
Indeed, I hope you will weigh all of the issues addressed in this article, and talk to a professional psychologist about the choices you might end up making, and the ramifications of those choices. Please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 23,500 articles by mid-day on June 23, 2011 is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off.
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