Becoming a driving force in your child's education especially if others have done it. Thoughts may be popping into your head. "I want to lead the charge, but I don't know how". That's what this series is all about. The way to proceed may be different with each reader. Let's look at some ways.
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Homeschooling. You are in control of what is taught and how it is taught. Think of the time saved in the advocating progress. No more school meetings.
- Dual Enrollment. This is a hybrid of school and homeschool. You or someone you employ can teach a child in our state. You can choose what you want to enroll your child in at the public school. I am currently working with a learning clinic who does autism specific strategies as well as speech therapy in all academics. This program lasts 3 hours each day. Some families dual enroll at the neighborhood school for the other half of the day.
- Private school that can handle your child's learning needs. This is the one our family chose. Our school was not equipped for special needs students in our early years there. I became a professional and trained the personnel how to execute the program. A counselor said, "Ruth designs the program. All we have to do is implement it." That type of collaborative approach made it much easier.There were a significant number of meetings each year to work with the staff. It was worth it especially because it was such a collaborative place. I do this for other families now so hiring a consultant to work with your school in this way is another choice.
- Public School. This is the most popular option for families who have learning differences. It may be the most time consuming option. There are lots of meetings. There are phone calls, emails, and feelings of frustration. There is research to be done, therapy to coordinate. Since this is the most popular option for families, we will look at the steps needed to reclaim and keep you, the parent, as the one that drives your child's program. It will be challenging at first but once you gain a voice and the school recognizes that you are going to be highly involved, it will be much easier. Next week, let's dive into these steps for working with your public school.
I would love to hear from others that have chosen other ways to manage her child's school program.
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