Should You Homeschool Your ADHD Child?
Hi! I’m Wendy, one of the co-owners of Hip Homeschool Moms, and I’d like to talk to you about homeschooling children with ADHD. This time of year, lots of potential homeschooling families are considering whether or not they should homeschool. More and more families are choosing to homeschool now–including those with special needs kids. Some parents of children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) worry that they won’t be able to homeschool their children well because of the unique challenges that come with homeschooling these children.
It’s true that homeschooling can be challenging. Whether you have a child with special needs or not, homeschooling does take time, effort, money, and willingness to work hard! And it’s true that homeschooling children with ADHD comes with extra challenges. But the truth is that it can be done! And it’s also true that homeschooling a child with ADHD is often a wonderful educational option.
Think about it this way. In a school setting (whether public or private), the teacher likely has anywhere from 15 to 25 (or possibly more!) students to teach. It’s simply not possible for one teacher to meet the needs of every single child in that classroom. While there are some great teachers out there who do a wonderful job, it remains true that that teacher is still one person. She can’t tailor her teaching methods, curriculum, expectations, requirements, and assignments to fit the needs of every single child in that classroom.
When a parent homeschools a child (or even several children), she can tailor her teaching methods, curriculum, expectations, requirements, and assignments to fit the needs of each of her children. I’m not suggesting that it’s easy to do this, but it definitely can be done! It requires some planning time, patience, and careful thought, though. It also requires the willingness to throw out your plan if it’s not working and come up with a better one. In other words, it requires the willingness to be flexible.
So how and why should you homeschool your child with ADHD? Those are great questions! I think you’ll find some great information on this topic in our article called Homeschooling Kids with ADHD. There you’ll read more about the experiences of a veteran homeschooling mom when she began homeschooling her ADHD child years ago. You’ll also find links to other articles with more information and ideas related to homeschooling a child with ADHD.
But we want to know how we can help those of you who are homeschooling children who have ADHD or who are considering it. Do you have specific questions that you need answered? Is there a particular reason you’re not certain if homeschooling that child is the right option? Do you have other questions we can help answer? Please take a moment to leave a comment or question. We want to hear from you so we can try to answer your questions and address your concerns!
Do you know of an ADHD support group that also homeschools? I have two children 3rd and 1st who have ADHD and I have always homeschooled. I also have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. I knew they have much potential that can not be tapped in public school. I have gone through many curriculums. It is hard to ask questions of homeschooling parents who don’t have children with ADHD. They really do not understand. I struggle with the fact that they need a lot of 1 on 1 and have two young children besides them. I just don’t have enough time.