When a child is born, most parents see in that child not only the beauty of the moment but all the things that encompass childhood and growing up. What will this baby look like as he or she matures? How can I best prepare this child for the years ahead? What will he or she become? They are all normal questions to ask. But what about the parent who’s child is born disabled? The questions magnify and verge off into uncharted territory. How can I assist this child into a world where he or she may not fit in? How can I give them skills that will help them move into that world? What can I do to make this child feel equal to all others?

Society has done and is doing its best to cater to the impaired child but sometimes best just isn’t enough. Parents assume that anyone with letters behind their names must know more about their child than they ever could. Not necessarily so. Having raised an asthmatic child, an epileptic child and a child with a shocked immune system and Central Auditory Processing Disorder, I am fully aware of the struggles that come in trying to raise children with disabilities. I am also aware that no one knows my children better than my husband and I. Being Attention Deficit Hyperactive myself, it makes it doubly difficult and yet it is a very rewarding experience to home teach children with impairments.

Our children began their education in the system and our days were chaotic at best. Dealing with emergency trips to hospitals, oxygen tents, seizures and hearing problems took its toll on our daughters’ attendance records and their ability to keep up with the class. When a well-meaning friend suggested I home teach, I shrugged it off with a casual what do I know about teaching? But the thought wouldn’t go away.

Having interacted so much with the medical profession, I already knew that they are limited in what they can know about any one particular child. My doctor and I had, years earlier, come to an understanding that all possible methods of treatment would be considered, researched and applied if necessary with my husband and I at the helm of each decision. So when I approached the doctor with the idea of home teaching his answer surprised me.

“I actually thought of that and was going to suggest it. I think you could do a great job. If you need documentation from me just give me a shout.” Our specialist for our youngest daughter’s CAPD made the same suggestion tipping the scales and beginning us on our journey to home teaching. So how does one prepare to home teach a child that needs special attention?

For our asthmatic daughter nothing really changed other than scheduling. Her schooling revolved around her asthma allowing her to catch up to her peers without feeling stressed.

For our epileptic daughter things needed to change drastically. Having discovered that her seizures were increasing and she had lost most of her grade two information, I was pleased to have her at home where she could be monitored around the clock. But the schooling side of it wasn’t so easy. We had to start at the beginning again, teaching her basic mathematic and English skills over and over until the seizure damaged portions of her brain could retain them. She did her lessons in the order she chose and wore heavy ear phones to block out any distractions. My job was to monitor her regularly without seeming to hover and to help her to understand that she was loved and treasured no matter what her grades were. We worked hard to help her to know that it was more important for her to do her best than for her to try to outdo others.

For our CAPD daughter the challenge was to keep her focused. Small bursts of each lesson helped her to remain focused. Ear phones kept her from distraction. Educating her sisters in how to communicate was a must. Touch always came first, then the ear phones came off and she received one set of instructions. When those were completed, she would receive the next set of instructions. As she matured, I would give her two instructions at once, building her up, teaching her to focus and concentrate.

For myself I had the flexibility of moving from one student to the next, using my short attention span to multitask. I actually thrived alongside my children in the home teaching environment and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the progress in my children that I knew the system didn’t have the resources or time to provide in spite of all their good intentions.

By the end of their home schooling experience, my girls had accomplished enough to gain each of them a university scholarship. They are now adults functioning successfully in the adult world. Would they have done so in the system? Possibly—but not likely.

Remember I said that a parent knows their children better than anyone? Because of home teaching, my husband and I were able to observe that our daughter’s asthma was a reaction to dairy intolerance—something we might not have discovered if she had been left in the system. She is asthma free and medication free. Through close monitoring, we discovered the epilepsy in our second child was due to a misaligned vertebrae in her neck—something quickly remedied by a chiropractor after six years of uncontrolled seizure activity. And our youngest reads exceptionally well—something CAPD children struggle to accomplish. While home teaching is ideal for children without learning disorders, those who have them can excel far beyond a parent’s expectations.

About the author:
Donna Fawcett is author of Thriving in the Home School and author of the Donna Dawson novels Redeemed and The Adam & Eve Project.