Anyone homeschooling a child w/ severe challenges?

[PuddleJumper1]

In a snapshot: Ds has a rare chromosome deletion syndrome, Autism, severe communication delay, sensory integration dysfunction, hearing loss and a myriad of other issues. At 10 ds is cognitively about 18 - 20 months. He has no verbal communication (he uses a DynaVox touch screen communication device and has limited sign approximations). He's pretty much completely dependent for all life skills (he's learning to feed himself). He's learning his shapes and colors, can identify many foods and animals on his device and is able to request movies, foods, drinks etc. He loves to be read to and spends a lot of time with his books.

 

At the moment my little guy is in a really good ps program part time. Within the next year or so I fear our district will be way out of their depth to teach him (in many ways they already are but they really, really care and they try). We're in a rural community with very few choices. He's home with me twice a week (we work on pre-preschool stuff) and has multiple private therapies 3 days a week.

 

I'm looking for experience from parents who homeschool kids with severe/significant challenges or have chosen not to. I'm a huge pre-planner and with this I'm not sure which direction to look for him. Do we look out of county for a better school placement or plan to bring him fully home at some point.

 

Not really sure where I'm going with this :001_smile:. I guess looking for some btdt, it can be done or you're crazy to even consider it :lol:

 

ETA the most important part: I'd love any and all suggestions, curriulum ideas, website addys that you think might help.

 

 

Thanks!

Edited June 3, 2012 by StillLearning

[Geo]

I really hoping you find the help you're looking for. :grouphug: Your situation is out of my league. The least I can do is give you a "bump".

[TippyCanoe]

Sent you a PM.

[PuddleJumper1]

I really hoping you find the help you're looking for. :grouphug: Your situation is out of my league. The least I can do is give you a "bump".

 

Thank you! I often feel out of my league too :lol:

[PuddleJumper1]

Sent you a PM.

 

Thanks - just sent you one back.

[Slipper]

My oldest daughter is in public school but because she presents so severely, I spend a lot of time working with her just to prove that she is capable of learning. I have 'taught' her teachers on many occasions (and they have returned the favor). I have no suggestions, but if you are working on anything specific, feel free to drop me a PM and if nothing else, I will brainstorm away. :) My current passion is teaching my daughter to read (since she is non-verbal with limited comprehension this seemed impossible originally, but she reads now on a 1st grade level and possibly higher). My next biggest project will focus on self-help since I still bathe her nightly and brush her teeth 2x daily. I need her to be more independent.

 

Anyway, I'm in the severely challenged group with her so feel free to bang on my PM. :)

[Guest Gods2gifts]

Hello I am new to this forum. Ran across it looking for something else. I have a 13 year old daughter I have homeschooled off and on through the years (more on than off). She was born with rare chromosome disorder and later diagnosed with Autism. She is currently at a k - 1 grade level. She is also non-verbal for the most part. I have worked really hard to get her to use some words & AC devices. She has really came a long way over the years. She did not walk until she was 7 and still needs assistance in unfamiliar places and unlevel ground. She can now say "I want _______ please" fill in blank with ball - cookie - that - etc. Speech is still a labored process for her and she uses the AC device more often than speech, but I will not give up on trying. I would love to chat sometime. I also have a facebook group I started to share ideas, encouragement, and support each other called Special Needs Homeschooling if anyone would like to join. :) Vivian

[Ottakee]

I have 3 with special needs but not that severe.

 

I would certainly say you could homeschool full time. It would be tough and a lot of work, but you certainly can do it. The question is, what is best for your child, the other kids, and the whole family.

 

Does your ds like school? Does he enjoy getting out and about and being with others? That would be a huge part in the decision making for me. If he really enjoys school, it gives him and you a break and you can still do a lot later in the day and weekends. If though school is a negative thing for him, then being home would be the better option.

 

I would look into an ipad for him and see what apps are available for special needs. I know a friend of mine got one for her daughter with an "otter box" or other heavy duty case for it. They use communication apps, simple games, etc.

 

I homeschooled my kids through 6th grade and then put them in public schools so they could have more of a "peer group" as the homeschool group once you hit 7th grade was just way beyond them.

[PuddleJumper1]

My oldest daughter is in public school but because she presents so severely, I spend a lot of time working with her just to prove that she is capable of learning. I have 'taught' her teachers on many occasions (and they have returned the favor).

 

I totally get this! We're in the same boat which is one of the reasons I'm questioning what we are doing. I feel there is so much untapped potential in ds that they can't see because they only see the huge issues.

 

I have no suggestions, but if you are working on anything specific, feel free to drop me a PM and if nothing else, I will brainstorm away. :) My current passion is teaching my daughter to read (since she is non-verbal with limited comprehension this seemed impossible originally, but she reads now on a 1st grade level and possibly higher).

 

I would LOVE to know what you have used for reading!

 

My next biggest project will focus on self-help since I still bathe her nightly and brush her teeth 2x daily. I need her to be more independent.

 

Oh the toothbrushing! My guy is oral defensive so it's more like our daily wrestling match. :)

 

Anyway, I'm in the severely challenged group with her so feel free to bang on my PM. :)

 

Thanks!

[PuddleJumper1]

Hello I am new to this forum. Ran across it looking for something else. I have a 13 year old daughter I have homeschooled off and on through the years (more on than off). She was born with rare chromosome disorder and later diagnosed with Autism. She is currently at a k - 1 grade level. She is also non-verbal for the most part. I have worked really hard to get her to use some words & AC devices. She has really came a long way over the years. She did not walk until she was 7 and still needs assistance in unfamiliar places and unlevel ground. She can now say "I want _______ please" fill in blank with ball - cookie - that - etc. Speech is still a labored process for her and she uses the AC device more often than speech, but I will not give up on trying. I would love to chat sometime. I also have a facebook group I started to share ideas, encouragement, and support each other called Special Needs Homeschooling if anyone would like to join. :) Vivian

 

I have a facebook account just to keep up with a little girl with cancer but I have no idea what else to do with it. Do I just do a search for Special Needs Homeschooling to find you? Pathetic, I know, but I'm totally lost when it comes to facebook :lol:

[PuddleJumper1]

I have 3 with special needs but not that severe.

 

I would certainly say you could homeschool full time. It would be tough and a lot of work, but you certainly can do it. The question is, what is best for your child, the other kids, and the whole family.

 

Therein lies the most important question. What's best for everyone.

 

Does your ds like school? Does he enjoy getting out and about and being with others? That would be a huge part in the decision making for me. If he really enjoys school, it gives him and you a break and you can still do a lot later in the day and weekends. If though school is a negative thing for him, then being home would be the better option.

 

He seems to LOVE school. As time goes by I see us viewing school as his down time - a place to socialize and goof off rather than a place to learn. They love him to death but he is by far one of the more challenged children to go through our district. They just don't seem to have the training and tools to teach him at his level.

 

I would look into an ipad for him and see what apps are available for special needs. I know a friend of mine got one for her daughter with an "otter box" or other heavy duty case for it. They use communication apps, simple games, etc.

 

He's got a Kindle at home which he loves. We've got lots of toddler games and books on there for him. I know they have an Ipad in the classroom but I don't know how much they use it with him. Other, higher functioning kids seem to get the most use out of it.

 

I homeschooled my kids through 6th grade and then put them in public schools so they could have more of a "peer group" as the homeschool group once you hit 7th grade was just way beyond them.

 

Thanks!

[Guest Gods2gifts]

When you go to facebook type

Special Needs Homeschooling in the search at the top. I have to approve you into the group (just trying to make sure everyone is on the up and up).

Vivian

[PuddleJumper1]

When you go to facebook type

Special Needs Homeschooling in the search at the top. I have to approve you into the group (just trying to make sure everyone is on the up and up).

Vivian

 

Thanks Vivian. I sent you a PM.

[Slipper]

For reading, we started with Edmark and basically taught word to picture. As we went through Edmark, sometimes we had to branch off and teach a word in greater depth. I liked Edmark because it would teach that a horse was still a horse whether it was large/small, blue/yellow, one or many.

 

Towards the end of Edmark, I had a friend of mine (who is a SLP) help me create a way of teaching her sentences. We taught that some words are just 'joining' type words (a, an, the, this, that, etc). And we implemented an arrow -> in teaching. We started out by teaching a word (such as 'bird'). Then we put sentences together such as 'The bird' 'A bird' 'That bird'. We used both pictures and words. If we used a picture, she was expected to hand us the word 'bird'. If we used the word, we expected her to hand us the picture of it.

 

We wrote words on the back of index cards (we went through hundreds of index cards).

 

We started adding descriptive words (This is a blue bird) or (There are two birds). When we finished with Edmark (and our own sentence type program), we moved onto Reading Milestones. We're halfway through with the first one and plan to continue onto the second set of books. She takes AR tests where we read the book to her but she answers the questions by reading them herself and touching or typing the number to the answer.

 

Because she's non-verbal the only way we can make sure that she is reading is for her to read things on her own and answer questions. We're fairly sure she is reading higher than a 1st grade level but right now 1st grade is the only thing we can accurately test with her.

[PuddleJumper1]

For reading, we started with Edmark and basically taught word to picture. As we went through Edmark, sometimes we had to branch off and teach a word in greater depth. I liked Edmark because it would teach that a horse was still a horse whether it was large/small, blue/yellow, one or many.

 

Towards the end of Edmark, I had a friend of mine (who is a SLP) help me create a way of teaching her sentences. We taught that some words are just 'joining' type words (a, an, the, this, that, etc). And we implemented an arrow -> in teaching. We started out by teaching a word (such as 'bird'). Then we put sentences together such as 'The bird' 'A bird' 'That bird'. We used both pictures and words. If we used a picture, she was expected to hand us the word 'bird'. If we used the word, we expected her to hand us the picture of it.

 

We wrote words on the back of index cards (we went through hundreds of index cards).

 

We started adding descriptive words (This is a blue bird) or (There are two birds). When we finished with Edmark (and our own sentence type program), we moved onto Reading Milestones. We're halfway through with the first one and plan to continue onto the second set of books. She takes AR tests where we read the book to her but she answers the questions by reading them herself and touching or typing the number to the answer.

 

Because she's non-verbal the only way we can make sure that she is reading is for her to read things on her own and answer questions. We're fairly sure she is reading higher than a 1st grade level but right now 1st grade is the only thing we can accurately test with her.

 

THANK YOU so much for typing this all out!! Printing it to put in our folder of things to use. Great info and ideas.