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Doing Enough For More Serious Needs?
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Hi! My daughter is 7, she is in a wheel chair, non verbal, seemingly strong receptive language, very little expressive. She is the oldest of 4, youngest is 1. I am kind of practicing this year trying to get a vision for what her “school” looks like but hard to find other homeschoolers with similar level of needs. She needs help with every aspect of life, besides homeschooling, I am the only caregiver and I also have 3 toddlers.
This is what we are currently doing:
We read a Psalm weekday mornings at breakfast, either read from the Bible or Jesus Story Book Bible, and sing a Hymn. By 9:00 or 9:30 I am ready to take everyone outside if it is nice. We work on therapies (She also gets one hour each of PT, ST, and OT a week) until 11:30, like standing, sitting up, coloring, making choices with picture cards… During lunch I sometimes (not every day) read from a few different poem books. After lunch we go back outside (weather dependent), finish up therapies, straighten house and then read a living book before the little ones take naps. During nap time it’s mostly a free time for her to roll around, sometimes I get down and help her with some therapy type stuff, but I usually get caught up on some of my own things. After naps she generally waits for dinner, we eat, relax and bedtime.
I am struggling to know if I am doing enough with her, enough with the other kids. It’s hard to take everyone outside because everyone needs me all the time, but we average an hour a day I would say right now, sometimes way more, rarely not at all. I am considering putting the other kids in school when its time so I can focus on her and make sure she is getting what she needs, but I feel like I really want to homeschool the others too…but also worried I won’t be very good at it. I feel like we are in a perpetual preschool with her, emphasis always on therapies, reading, outside time, Bible… It’s just hard to know what I should or could be doing differently.
Any thoughts? Thanks!
I just wanted to say that I think what you are doing looks great! The Bible reading, hymns, poems, and living books, going outdoors, plus meeting her other needs, the therapies and such, you are doing a wonderful job! I personally think for the ages of all the children, what you are doing is just right. I’m not an expert by any means to give advice, nor have I had experience with children of these kind of needs. Just wanted to encourage you, you’re doing an incredible job. 🙂
I agree that what you are doing is plenty.
I know of a mom with a couple of special needs children who used Five in A Row with her girls. Something like that might make it easier when you are doing more official “school” with them.
You are an awesome mom! You are doing many great things with your children. Many of us sometimes worry if what we are doing is enough. God gave her you for a reason. Your whole family is special and unique, so your homeschool will also be special and unique. And your younger children will be able to help out more around the house in a few years.
I have to give a big shout out for Five in a Row literature-based unit studies. You can use it for all of your children together until 4th or 5th grade. At that time, they can do most of their work independently. Just add in penmanship, phonics/reading lessons, and math for each child at their level as they are ready. Character and good habits are more important than academics when they are young. You might find encouragement in a short book I read called The Unhurried Homeschooler by Durenda Wilson.
https://fiveinarow.com/five-in-a-row/
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