Did you know it is now widely acknowledged that up to one out of five children has some type of special learning need? That’s a lot of exceptional children!
Choosing the right curriculum for a child with special needs can be a pivotal decision in their educational journey. An effective curriculum can help meet individual learning requirements, foster growth, and provide a supportive learning environment. And for the child who learns a little differently, curriculum might need to be a little different too.
Fortunately, as a homeschooling parent, you have access to two advantages that many classroom teachers do not:
- An intimate understanding of your child’s learning style and motivations (since you know your child better than anyone else), and
- The flexibility to fully tailor your child’s education to their needs.
In this series, we’ll guide you to use these advantages to choose and adapt the curricula that help your kiddo shine!
Keep in mind that, for some children and teens with special needs, a good curriculum isn’t the only important building block in their education. They may also need personalized therapy, which could be anything from vision therapy to occupational therapy to a remedial reading program. If you have not decided on the need for therapies yet, consider exploring therapy options (and how to incorporate them into your homeschool program) as you research curriculum options that may best fit your learner.
You are probably excited and thinking …
“This is great news! But with so many options, how can I pick a curriculum that matches my learner’s unique needs?”
That’s a great question, and while there isn’t a simple answer, we’re here to help walk you through it.
Here are a few key considerations in choosing the right curriculum for your student:
1. Evaluate your child’s current needs and performance
Understanding your child’s needs is crucial when choosing the right curriculum, because it gives you an established baseline to start from.
But sometimes, it’s challenging to evaluate your child’s needs. What do they actually need educationally? Where is their current level of understanding?
Conducting assessments, collaborating with specialists, and observing your child’s daily learning behaviors and preferences is a great first step.
2. Find a special-needs-friendly curriculum
Simple as it sounds, you can’t pick out a special needs curriculum until you know what to look for!
Unfortunately, there aren’t many out-of-the-box curriculums for learners with special needs because each child has unique strengths, challenges, and learning style. However, there are curriculums that are more friendly to divergent learners.
Here are key features that make a curriculum more special-needs-friendly:
- Engagement and Interest: Incorporates the child’s interests to maintain motivation and uses multi-sensory approaches (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to enhance learning and retention. (Check out this info on visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning.)
- Flexibility and Adaptability: Allows for accommodations and modifications in order to support students’ access to the curriculum.
- Skill Development Focus: Focuses on both academic and life skills while providing options for the integration of social skills, communication, and emotional regulation.
- Structure and Routine: Provides a predictable and organized learning structure with clear expectations.
- Parental Involvement and Support: Gives resources and support for parents to effectively teach and guide.
The next article in this series dives deeper into this topic so that you know everything you should look for in a special-needs-friendly curriculum.
Need a starting point? Check out this curriculum list
If you’re not even sure where to start in your search for curriculum, look no further! HSLDA members can check out our Special Needs Curriculum List to find some tried-and-true curriculum options (including options for teens, too!).
3. And remember: you can always adapt the curriculum to your child!
It’s important to remember that curriculum is a tool to help your child. When there are roadblocks or sticky points, a good curriculum can always be adapted to your child’s needs, instead of the other way around.
Check out the third article in this series to learn all about adapting curriculum.
Wrapping it up: Key takeaways
Finding special needs curriculum is a big topic and it can feel overwhelming at times. By walking through these next few articles, we’re confident that you will walk away feeling equipped with the tools you need to find a good curriculum for your child.
Get ready to dive into the details of how to choose special needs curriculum in part 2.