Monday, April 17, 2017

Homeschool Review Crew Blog Hop: 5 Days of Homeschooling Children with Special Needs- Intro



Welcome to the Homeschool Review Crew's Annual Blog Hop. This year we have quite an interesting list of topics from our participating crew members. I think every homeschooler will find encouragement in this year's blog posts. I will be focusing on 5 Days of Homeschooling Children with Special Needs.


My Blog Hop Topics:

Monday: Introduction to Blog Hop and Week's Topics

Tuesday: Learning Disabilities

Wednesday: Blogging Through the Alphabet Letter N is for Needs

Thursday: IEP and a special post on the Homeschool Review Crew site about ADHD/ADD

Friday: Autism


As a former Social Worker and the mother of a child with Special Needs, I know the importance of a good education, the frustrations that can occur when homeschooling, and the need for encouragement. My hope is that you walk away from this week's posts knowing you are not alone, dear ones. Parenting isn't always easy. Add being with your child twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and wearing not only the hat of a parent but also a teacher and you can feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I'll be honest, there are days when our homeschooling endeavors are extremely successful. Yet, there are days when our homeschool efforts fail miserably and we call it a day. Then, we start fresh the next day when neither of us is frustrated and frazzled. That's the beauty of homeschooling: working at your child's pace. You can make certain that your child is not merely being pushed ahead without fully comprehending the material. If they need to review a topic longer, then you can take the extra time to do just that. If your child is becoming frustrated, you can take a break from that project and work on something different.

Recently, someone asked me why I always write children with special needs or child with a diagnosis of Autism. While part of that is due to my training as a Social Worker, the other part is because I realize the importance of seeing the child first rather than their disability or special needs. Our children may have special needs. They may not be able to do all of the things every other child can do. However, that does not need to define who they are. My uncles were both born blind. I never saw what they couldn't do. Instead, I saw their accomplishments. I saw that they could play the piano and organ. I saw that they could navigate the city of Philadelphia better than I could. I saw that they were both computer programmers. I saw that they both were teachers and published poets. I saw that they were both counselors. When my son was diagnosed with Autism, I knew he would be raised to see the blessings in his life and to focus on his abilities rather than the areas where he struggled. Don't get me wrong: we still work on communication skills, personal hygiene, math, and other areas where he struggles. However, these areas do not define him. Instead, he is defined by his strengths. He isn't ashamed to tell people he has Autism. In fact, he will tell you, "It just means my brain just works differently than yours." Helping our children feel safe and secure in who they are is extremely important.

Some parents are concerned about having the proper skills to teach their children at home. As their parent, no one knows your children as well as you do. Nor, does anyone have their best interests at heart the way you do. Homeschooling my son has been a series of trials and errors as we've found the right combination of curriculum to match his learning style. He's a teenager now so he'd rather play video games all day then do schoolwork. So, we have that attitude working against us now. Yet, I have always found praying peace over my son to be extremely helpful. I think it calms my spirit as much as it does his. My son is learning. That's the main point. He isn't being left behind because he doesn't understand the material or is too embarrassed or afraid to speak up in class. He has one-on-one instruction. His lessons are tailored to meet his individual needs. We explore things that interest him. We work on life skills, which will help him be successful. We incorporate therapies into our everyday routines. Did I mention he is learning? It may be at his own pace but he is growing and learning. That is all that truly matters. I don't need him to fit into a tidy little box or be compared to any other student. As long as he is making positive strides forward, our educational journey is successful. Be encouraged, dear ones.


Homeschool Review Crew Annual Blog Hop Line Up:

Debra - 5 Days of Growing a Heart for your Community

Chareen - 5 Days of  Charlotte Mason Resources

Dawn - 5 Days of Homeschooling Teens

Michele - 5 Days of Keeping your Homeschool Alive

Tess - 5 Days of Homeschooling when Medical Issues Abound

Carol - 5 Days of An Honest Look at High School

Kelly KL - 5 Days of Homeschooling Children with Special Needs
Monique G - 5 Days of Homeschooling the Middle School Years

Kemi - 5 Days of Helping your child struggling in Math

Annette - 5 Days of Things We Enjoy in our Homeschool

Jennifer K - 5 Days of Inspiring Reluctant Learners

Lisa M - 5 Days of Popular Homeschool Teaching Styles

Kirsten W - 5 days of Homeschooling Twins

Wendy R - 5 days of Homeschooling Kids with a Large Age Gap

Rebekah T - 5 days of Simple Homeschooling in a Complicated World

Kym T - 5 Days of the Rewards of Homeschooling Teens

Ritsumei H - 5 Days of Homeschooling Books

Cassandra H - 5 Days of Knowing When and What to Change in Your Homeschool

Amanda H - 5 Days of Homeschooling Without Going Insane

Kristi H - 5 Day of summer math activities for preschoolers

Hillary M - 5 Days of Morning Time for All Ages

Melissa B - 5 Days of Extracurriculars to Add to Your Homeschool

Meredith D - 5 Days of Homeschooling a High Achiever

Jodi G - 5 Days of Hiding the Word in Their Hearts

Missica J - 5 Days of Eclectic Homeschooling

Linda S - 5 Days of Wit and Wisdom from Veteran Homeschool Moms

Ashley N - 5 Days of "Kitchen-Schooling" with preschoolers

Karen W - 5 Days of 5 Days of International Studies for Young Children

Jacquelin C - 5 Days of Hands-On Learning

Emilee R - 5 Days of Homeschooling as a Single Parent

Felicia M - 5 Days of Living the Bible in Your Homeschool

Elyse R - 5 Days of Finding our Homeschool Strengths

Erin S - 5 Days of Homeschooling with Living Books

DaLynn M- 5 Days of Threadbare Homeschooling

Meghan W- 5 Days of Literacy in the Home{school}

Christina C - 5 Days of Building Positive Thinking

Crystal H - 5 Days of Creating Independence in Your Homeschooling



The Homeschool Review Crew's 5 Days of Homeschool Annual Blog Hop 2017. Join us April 17-21, 2017. Check back here on my website for new posts throughout this week as well as the Homeschool Review Crew's website to see what new posts crew members have shared as well.


You can join in the fun. If you have a homeschool post that meets the criteria, please feel free to use the link-up below to share your post.

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