Home Schooling A Child With Down Syndrome

When considering the education of their Down syndrome child, home schooling is an option for consideration but not necessarily the best option for all families. Parents must consider the fact that they would like to have experts teach their children but this is not always a possibility. However, each parent is the expert for his or her child and can be the best teacher for the child as well. Down syndrome children who are home schooled experience a one on one setting with a teacher who their biggest ally and expert. This cannot be matched in the public school setting.

Home schooling also provides the child with a learning environment that is tailored specifically for them and to meet all of their needs. One obstacle to learning for the Down syndrome child is that they are not always comfortable in public settings or around other people. This is especially true if they have experience peer ridicule or being made fun of. By learning in the home, the student is learning in the environment that they feel the safest and is free from public ridicule and pressure. Down syndrome children who are home schooled are also at an advantage when it comes to their health issues. Early intervention also exposes them to early germs and viruses. Since they already have a compromised immune system, they can get sick easily and end up spending more time out of school when in a public school learning environment. Even minor illnesses can affect the child's ability to learn and process information.

Before embarking upon the adventure of home schooling a Down syndrome child, it is necessary for the parents to learn everything they can about Down syndrome and the different ways they learn and process. The parents will then need to choose curriculum based on their child's specific needs and goals. It is also imperative that the parents put together a support system for them and their child. As in other areas of care of the child, there are many people who are willing to help the parents of a Down syndrome child.

Children with Down syndrome are easily distracted by what is going on around them. In a public school environment it is possible that much of the day for the public schooled child is spent waiting for other children and being distracted because of the added activity level. By home schooling, the Down syndrome child these roadblocks to learning can be avoided.

In addition, the schooling can be tailored to fit the child's special interests as well as strengths and weaknesses. Some parents have been known to add vocational training and skill training when the child becomes an adolescent. This makes the child better equipped to enter the workforce if possible when they get older. They enter the work environment with a better self-confidence because of the skills and information they have acquired.

Home schooling is especially beneficial when partnered with appropriate social interactions and exercise experiences. Things like home schooling groups and athletics such as Special Olympics can provide these experiences.

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