Joy at Home Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Dd12 has been going to public school. We are considering homeschooling her and have a lot of research to do. We live in PA. We've always homeschooled our other dds. My reasons for trying a home program are: 1. She is profoundly MR, ambulatory, and very active. Because of her uniqueness, it has been a struggle finding the right classroom for her. 2. There is such a disconnect between home and school. Even though I talk to the teacher often, it still feels like she is learning in a bubble, with no carry-over of skills to home. She really has not made any developmental gains in years, which is consistent with her genetic syndrome; I do not fault the school, it's just hte way it is. However, whatever skills they are working on in school will not transfer over to home because she does not generalize them. 3. As she gets older, there are less and less appopriate classrooms in the area. She recently transitioned to middle school, but as she moves up toward high school there are only two classes in this part of the state that look like an option for her. 4. She will always be living at home, God willing, and needs to work on basic life skills in her home environment. It just makes sense to have her try to learn these skills in the environment she will be using them. As homeschoolers, we have the general belief that kids should be in a natural environment and learn in real life settings rather than the artificial bubble of school. However, with dd12's needs, I just never felt I could support her at home full time and meet the needs of my other dds. We have a home health aide that's been with us for years and is like family. She would be willing to assume full time hours to accomplish this goal (she currently works 3p-6p after school and 8 hours on the days dd is home from school). Of course, this would have to be authorized by the insurance company, but medical necessity has already been established for her so I don't foresee a problem. Also, I would need supplementary in-home services such as so many hours a week of speech/OT/special education teacher. This is what I need to research, whether they are required by law to provide these services to special education homeschool students (again, I'm in PA, which is a pretty restrictive state for homeschoolers from what I'm told, but I've never had any issues with my other dds). Of course, I have a lot to consider before we make a decision. Even then, it would be on a trial basis and we can always put her back in school if it's not working. Any comments/experiences would be so much appreciated at this point. thanks so much, lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I don't have any advice for you, but wanted to give you a hug. :grouphug: It's not easy I know. I'm actually starting to feel very much in the same boat as you are describing here with my profoundly Autistic ds. He'll be 10 next month and I keep feeling more and more like he would be better off at home than he is in school, but I'm still homeschooling my dd 13. It is a lot to think about and process to do not only what's best for your special child, but for the others as well. I pray God gives you (and me too) wisdom in this matter. It just gets so much more complicated when the child has special needs. I wish you well. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 I don't have any advice for you, but wanted to give you a hug. :grouphug: It's not easy I know. I'm actually starting to feel very much in the same boat as you are describing here with my profoundly Autistic ds. He'll be 10 next month and I keep feeling more and more like he would be better off at home than he is in school, but I'm still homeschooling my dd 13. It is a lot to think about and process to do not only what's best for your special child, but for the others as well. I pray God gives you (and me too) wisdom in this matter. It just gets so much more complicated when the child has special needs. I wish you well. :grouphug: :grouphug:Thanks, Ibbygirl. You understand. Up until now, school has been a necessary evil (for lack of a better term), knowing it wasn't the BEST option for her, but the best we could do under the circumstances. I don't want to make a knee-jerk reaction (we've been having a bumpy time in school thsi year) that will end up overwhelming us at home. I really do see this as a viable option now, though, now that the kids are older and we have reliable help. We can always go back to public school if it doesn't work. Thanks, lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 :grouphug:Thanks, Ibbygirl. You understand. Up until now, school has been a necessary evil (for lack of a better term), knowing it wasn't the BEST option for her, but the best we could do under the circumstances. I don't want to make a knee-jerk reaction (we've been having a bumpy time in school thsi year) that will end up overwhelming us at home. I really do see this as a viable option now, though, now that the kids are older and we have reliable help. We can always go back to public school if it doesn't work. Thanks, lisa I say go for it. Like you said you really have nothing to lose. You can always put her back in PS if you have to, but it with the aide and supports you have at home it might work out great. I agree with you though, if she's not generalizing what she is learning in school then it is useless to her. What's the point of learning life skills in a classroom if it's not going to translate to her actual life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I haven't walked this road myself, but as one who has- in a past life- worked professionally with people with profound disabilities, I would say the biggest hurdle would be having full-time help for your daughter while you school the other children. If you feel that need will be adequately supplied, and if you can get professionals to help teach basic living skills in the home environment, where they will be used, then I think it's worth a try. :grouphug:Thanks, Ibbygirl. You understand. Up until now, school has been a necessary evil (for lack of a better term), knowing it wasn't the BEST option for her, but the best we could do under the circumstances. I don't want to make a knee-jerk reaction (we've been having a bumpy time in school thsi year) that will end up overwhelming us at home. I really do see this as a viable option now, though, now that the kids are older and we have reliable help. We can always go back to public school if it doesn't work. Thanks, lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 My gut is to bring her home. I don't know what your homeschool laws are though so you may want to contacnt HSLDA or a state group in your area for more specific questions. In my state standardized testing is required every year thru 9th grade. Even a child with profound disabilities at home is required to test unless the school district special ed supervisor signs a waiver exempting the child. The waiver can be done as a permanent waiver or one that has to be renewed annually (depends on the supervisor it seems). Also, I would need supplementary in-home services such as so many hours a week of speech/OT/special education teacher. This is what I need to research, whether they are required by law to provide these services to special education homeschool students (again, I'm in PA, which is a pretty restrictive state for homeschoolers from what I'm told, but I've never had any issues with my other dds). Our districts do not have to provide those beyond speech. Occassionally one might, but it is rare unless the parent also agrees to x#hours in the school building weekly. What I do for my children is private therapy. Medicaid pays for it. In fact, some of our local districts pay for the therapies by billing Medicaid themselves. I don't know how close you are to private providers though. Occassionally you wil find therapists that do go to the home, but they are not common here. My dd's therapies are in a center specializing in children and I have all 3 scheduled the same day so I can drop her off and then come back 3 hours later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortana Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 If it helps, both my special needs kids are at home. Ds #1 has down syndrome, ds #2 has high-functioning autism, plus we have a 2yo. It's hectic at times, especially when ds #1 needs much more attention and help than ds #2, but they are doing so much better at home than they were at school. Especially ds #1, school had become a nightmare and he was learning nothing except how to become a bully to his classmates. With the help you said you can set up for her, I say bring her home. I agree with what you said about her learning life skills in the environment she is going to be using them regularly, we feel the same way about our kids. I'm not familiar with how PA homeschool laws work. In our state, yearly testing is required but we have the option of having an assesment done rather than standardized testing. Also, our state requires that school districts offer homeschooled students access to services the same as ps kids. We do private therapy because: 1. We were never happy with the level of work done with our kids when they attended ps, 2. The way things are going with cuts to school districts around here it's just a matter of time before therapy services are completely cut from the schools. Good luck with your decision. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmama Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Just wanted to wish you the best in your decision. I have a son w/Down syndrome and may be making a decision like this in the future. Go with your gut and what feels right for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I would see if homebound is an option, especially if you can make a case that home is a less restrictive environment or a better fit for her. Under homebound, she'd be legally still considered a school student, and therefore would have the same requirements of therapy that her IEP calls for, but the physical classroom would be your home. I can't imagine that this wouldn't be less expensive for the school district than paying for an appropriate placement and transportation-particularly if there isn't an appropriate placement in-district. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenncslp Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Hi, I was looking up information on classical education and special needs and found this post. I just wanted to encourage you that you CAN do this! I homeschool my daughter, 10, with Down Syndrome. I think it is the absolute best place for our children to have the support and love they need to thrive. I don't know what your local laws are and whether or not the public school will cover her therapies or if you would have to seek private therapies. It will be an adjustment for your other children, but they will learn and grow from the experience as well. You may want to set aside time for each of them to help/teach their sister through play or reading to help them feel included. Big Hugs, Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 My dd5 just has mild MR (and is high ADHD) but is currently in ps while the others are homeschooled. I don't have any advice just a :grouphug:. We are already trying to make this decision. She's majorly disruptive though or she would be home for sure! We'd have to do private therapies in the event she was home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Lisa, I just wanted to say that we are dealing with these same concerns. My ds is much older (17) but the worries are quite similar. He has a diagnosis of moderate autism and moderate MR, although his behavioral symptoms are quite severe. We still afterschool him, with the help of aides that I train, using ABA (applied behavioral analysis), and at this point, he is in public school simply because his behaviors would prevent me from managing to school his three siblings. However, after starting k/1 with his little sister, I have noticed how some of the curriculum would be a good fit for him (Rightstart math and HWOT). If I could just have someone here to assist me during the day, then I would bring him home in a heartbeat. However, I don't think our insurance would cover anything like what you're talking about. He does have hours through the state that we use in the afternoons, and now I'm questioning redistributing those somehow. You've really got me thinking. Under the law, he can stay in school until he's 21, but I'm just worried about how well they are preparing him. He will always be living with us, and my goal is to make him as self-sufficient as possible since I won't be here forever (since my hope is that his siblings will allow him to live with them, and I would want him to not be a huge burden). We also need to think about some sort of job training, and I don't feel like the school does that well either. So, sorry for rambling, you just really got me thinking about our goals and how best to accomplish them. Nothing really to add other than :grouphug: I'm not trying to hijack, but if anyone has any advice on homeschooling an autistic/MR child, with basic communication skills, I'm all ears. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 http://www.pealcenter.org/resources/linkstoorganizations.html You might also try ARC. In San Diego they had had a county group called Regional Services and they would provide transitional services and job training for the future. If you are going to hs, you need a lot of support so link to every org. out there, the younger the better. You are sooo right about starting life skills now, b/c that is the only way they are going to make it in this world and it is hard to find. But, in cali it is required by 14 to start these thru ps. There is an actual ITP. You have to keep on top of it. The pealcenter looks promising, I havent called there yet, sometimes these groups are out of date or understaffed and never answer phones. There are also life skill programs online if you look up. This is stuff you can do w/your dd at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Reading all the posts, check out laws, an ITP should be required federally by age 14. These provide transition skills and also deal w/job training. People, in general should be demanding an ITP seperate from IEP every year.... Hope helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Reading all the posts, check out laws, an ITP should be required federally by age 14. These provide transition skills and also deal w/job training. People, in general should be demanding an ITP seperate from IEP every year.... Hope helps. Thank you so much for this. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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