As told to CHEWV.
We started homeschooling because my husband was getting his Master’s, and we didn’t want to move our daughter to a new school after only a year. We found Classical Conversations while living in Blacksburg, VA, and fell in love with homeschooling!
We homeschooled our oldest two before sending them to college in PA, but our youngest son came along 8 1/2 years after our second. Although our middle son had needed speech therapy when he was two, he responded well and was good after about three months of therapy with Birth to Three.
Age 2
When our youngest son showed signs of speech delay, we had the same amazing speech therapist get involved, and I assumed he’d improve at the same pace as my middle son. Except he didn’t.
After about six months, our speech therapist thought our youngest son had apraxia and she started coming twice a week for more intense therapy. Over time, she picked up on some other things and suggested a physical therapy consult. Our son had low muscle tone, and there were some additional milestones he wasn’t reaching.
An occupational therapist started seeing him and confirmed a second diagnosis: dyspraxia. We took him to a neurologist in Cincinnati, who further confirmed this. The additional diagnosis helped us get private therapy as he aged out of Birth to Three.
Age 5-6
When our son was about five or six, our occupational therapist came to us with yet another concern. She had noticed that his eyes were not tracking the way they should be. She suggested we go to Columbus to see a pediatric neuropsychiatrist which resulted in the additional diagnosis of dyslexia with signs of ADD. This doctor also wanted his eyes checked for additional problems.
At this point, I had done a lot of research on my own and wanted to rule out auditory processing disorder. But I wasn’t sure where to go. There was no one in WV who would test for someone his age (7), yet I knew early intervention was important.
We found a specialist at Ohio State University. She was able to test him the same day, and the results were positive for auditory processing disorder. I wasn’t surprised — I knew he was high risk because these diagnoses go hand-in-hand.
To check his eyes, we went to a convergence insufficiency ophthalmologist in Columbus. After getting a diagnosis from this doctor, our son responded well to visual therapy in south Charleston.
His eye tracking issue made it very difficult to read — the words were everywhere on the page. To help him learn to read, I used a special needs homeschool curriculum that showed pictures for how to shape his lips. He wasn’t able to learn by repeating after me — he needed a visual to make the right sounds.
Currently Age 10
At this point, our son is ten years old, and we realize he could have additional diagnoses in the future. By far, the biggest benefit in homeschooling is being able to meet his needs right where he is!
He now reads very well, although his spelling is not great because of the auditory processing issue. Since his brain still has high plasticity, it’s my goal to help him build as many skills as possible. We have time for many more neurons to connect! After he’s older, we’ll look into software programs that can support him in areas like spelling.
Had he been in the public school system, he would probably be on an iPad device and be using hearing aids in the classroom to better hear the teacher. But that kind of support can be isolating, because then everyone knows that you’re different. He has a really high IQ, so I think he could have gotten by in the public school system. However, I don’t think he would have learned nearly as many real skills.
I remember reading an article about moms who homeschooled special needs kids before there was special needs curriculum. The article noted that those early moms’ results were better than present day homeschool moms of special needs kids. Because they didn’t have the curriculum, they had to rely completely on observing and responding to their child’s unique needs.
God has given you your child for a reason! It’s easy to let a curriculum take over, but your kids need you. You are truly the best teacher for your child, whether they have special needs or not. My advice is to find people who empower you in this journey! And don’t get discouraged!
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Read other encouraging articles by WV moms with learning-challenged students here.
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