My child is struggling 
Now that my child has 
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Homeschooling
Perhaps you’re wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling your child with LD. You may feel you can do a better job of tailoring the curriculum to your child’s particular needs. You may want to protect your child from teasing or labeling. Homeschooling is permitted in all states. You can homeschool for one year or less, or from kindergarten through high school graduation. The important thing to remember when considering homeschooling is that you are accepting total responsibility for your child’s education.That doesn’t mean you can’t find help. Local and national organizations assist parents who homeschool their children. Local groups often provide opportunities for homeschooled children and their families to meet. Homeschooling parents can buy instructional units and materials from specialized companies. It’s crucial for you to understand your legal rights and responsibilities as a homeschooling parent: these vary from state to state. It’s also important to seek out a community networking group, preferably one with members who understand the needs of children with LD.
In order to provide the kind of targeted instruction your child with LD needs, you may have to do considerable research and get specialized training. You’ll need to consider many issues: your teaching ability, your strengths in organization and focus, your talent at providing structure and discipline for your child, your flexibility and creativity, your willingness to find social experiences for your child, and the needs of your family (especially of your other children who may or may not be homeschooled). Most important, ask yourself whether your child would flourish going to school at home.
Online Learning
Especially if your child is in middle school or high school, he or she can take online classes or even enroll in an online school. High-quality online learning offers individualized instruction, flexible teaching methods, and immediate feedback. Today’s online schools offer “real-time” classroom discussion, phone and email contact with the teacher, videoconferencing, community-focused assignments, and the chance to do group projects.Does your child like working on computer? Will your child thrive in the flexible, personalized, but also solitary online classroom? As with any potential school for your child, you’ll need to look into staff qualifications, parent-teacher communication, curriculum, teaching approaches, and the school’s experience meeting special learning needs.
Online schools vary greatly in quality and in how states oversee, regulate, and fund them. You can research online schools on the Internet, through online parent discussion boards, and by reading school reviews on sites like GreatSchool.net. Do you know other parents whose children with LD attend online school or have taken online classes? There’s nothing better than talking with parents who’ve “been there.” Listen carefully for the positives and negatives of other students’ experiences.
You Know Your Child
The more choices your state offers, the more challenging your search will be. Keep in mind that you know your child’s learning needs as well as or better than any teacher or learning coach (though such professionals can be valuable sources of advice). Think through the deficient or discouraging parts of your child’s current education. Narrow your options to schools that seem to offer a genuine change for the better. Then look at your calendar. It’s very important for you and your child to visit a prospective school. For a worksheet of questions to ask and things to look for during a school visit, download “Visiting a School Worksheet: What to Ask, What to Look For.”Bonnie Z. Goldsmith has worked in the field of education throughout her professional life. She has wide experience as a writer, editor, and teacher.
Additional Resources
GreatSchools.com's "Find a School" ToolFinding Schools for Kids with LD
International Association for K-12 Online Learning
KQED's MindShift: Online Learning
