Will a child with a IEP learn better at home?

Question

My son is a very active five year old, he has very little acydemic skills and he has not shown much improvment in his special education class, I was wondering if teaching him myself might work better for him?

Answer 1

We have three kids who had IEPs, and they have excelled at home. Five is so young to say they are hyper....he's just an active learner ;-) Our Sam is very active as well, and one of the (MANY) reasons that we are homeschooling is that I overheard the speech therapist telling another teacher than he needed to be medicated. Um, i don't think so, and I don't need that kind of preconceived notion teaching my son, thanks! He was on IEP for speech, nothing else. I have a ten yo with severe/moderate autism, and a twelve yo with aspergers/nvld.

Answer 2

All the studies I've read say he will do much better with individual attention. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of breaks to avoid burnout.

Answer 3

It might very well work out better for him. I am the mother of a VERY autistic ten year old girl and up until she began homeschooling she had next to no academic skills. The school was just administratively pushing her through from one year to the next. I should add that she is primarily non-verbal and her lessons are all at the kindergarten /first grade level.Her lessons have to be broken down to what she can understand, but she is doing so much better.

Answer 4

It very well could.  Many little boys that get "diagnosed" with something or other, ending up in an IEP, are really just kinesthetic and, well, boys.  At 5, many boys really aren't wired to sit still and participate for long amounts of time; they're wired to learn by getting up and moving, touching, building, and making noises.  There's nothing wrong with that - it's completely normal - but these aren't traits that work well in a classroom.

My son is like this as well, and homeschooling has been really, really great for him.  He can learn in the ways that make sense to him without worrying about distracting anyone or getting in trouble; he also doesn't have to worry about other distractions in the classroom.

Your son may have great academic potential, he just may not be old enough to care about participating in class yet.  He'd probably rather be kicking a soccer ball, playing in the yard, or catching frogs.  If he's taught in a way that meshes with his learning style, you may very well find that he learns more than anyone thinks :-)

Long answer short...home would probably be better for him, at least through elementary.  He can develop and learn at his own pace without the stress of getting in trouble or being labeled "slow".  You may find he isn't a special ed kid - he's just an active boy :-)

Answer 5

Homeschooling is a wonderful option for any of our children and those with "Special Needs", whatever they may be, can do very well with Homeschooling.  :o)

My sons began in public school and we brought them home to learn when one was heading into seventh grade and the other into fourth grade.  It has been great!  For all of us.  We now have two daughters who will never go to public school.  :o)

I've met hundreds of families like yours, and mine, who are Homeschooling.  Some began in public school and all of them have nightmare stories to tell.  Others went straight to Homeschooling.

If you would be interested in getting an idea from a fantastic group of people, here is a link to a yahoo group you might enjoy.  :o)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HS-Plus/

Answer 6

I think he would benefit from the focused one on one attention you can provide.  You know more about your son than any teacher ever could, but it is not a decision to be made lightly.  It takes organization, patience, and time to home school properly, especially with a struggling learner.  Check out http://www.hslda.org/strugglinglearner/d... for some helpful info on the subject.

I would also recommend contacting one of the many national organizations that can provide support for you if you decide to home school your son, a list of them can be found at http://www.hslda.org/strugglinglearner/s...