Children who have ADHD typically do not fit into the square box of traditional school systems. Children with ADHD can become the centre of teasing and bullying as well as suffering academically. Teachers no matter how wonderful and skilled will often struggle to help these children reach their true capacity as they are simple one person trying to teach a classroom full of children. They simply can not give children with ADHD the attention they deserve not for lack of trying though. 

There is an alternative! Homeschooling. I am guessing that is why you are here today? because you are looking for something different, something that could make a difference for your child, something that will help them reach their potential and learn to love learning. 

I don’t want you to be under any illusion that homeschooling could be an easy way out of a difficult situation. Homeschooling is a huge commitment to even the most “normal” child. If you have a child with special needs like ADHD then the difficulty increases as well. However with that said, the results of all that effort you put in will be rewarding for both you and your child. 

 

Benefits of Homeschooling a Child with ADHD

• The lack of distractions. School is full of distractions. Where ever you look there is something happening. Most children are able to block out most of the menial distractions and even some of the more crazy things going on. Children with ADHD struggle immensely with this. The result of this lack of ability to concentrate is poor academic results and also continued correction by teachers for not paying attention or being on task. 
  In your home you can reduce the distractions 100 times over. The class size is now reduced to one…or a few more if you homeschool siblings too. The volume of the learning environment is decreased and the more one on one learning occurs. The results? A new love of learning as they are able to focus and retain the subject matter. 
• Increased confidence. Imagine being told to sit down, be quiet, concentrate every 5 mins. Imagine always being the one to get in trouble despite trying really really hard to be good. That has got to be shattering to a child’s self esteem and sense of self worth. 
  Homeschooling can help your child’s self confidence soar as they gain confidence in their abilities and realise that their difficulties do not make them a “bad child” 
• Freedom to move: Children with ADHD need to be able to move. They have so much energy that needs to be burnt off. Schools require even very young children to sit and concentrate for extended periods of time without that much needed freedom to move. There are some really amazing chairs that are great for ADHD kids called “wobble chairs”. They are great because they allow the child to exercise both sides of their brain. This increased brain work actually increases the ability to concentrate and focus on the task at hand. 
  You can also let them go out and run around the back yard for 30 minutes, jump on the trampoline as they recite multiplication facts or just spend the afternoon at the park or splash pad burning all that energy off. 
• Individualise learning. You can tailor your child’s learning plan to fit them and only them. There is no need to have a one size fits all curriculum which requires a standardised test every other week. Look at what you child is good at and where his strengths and interests lay and go from there. There are many ways that children learn and you now have the ability to teach how he learns. 
• Work at their own pace. Children who are bored become disruptive, and this is most certainly the case for children with ADHD. They can excel rapidly in certain subjects, however they will usually not be challenged enough in the school setting as they would need to wait for their peers to catch up. The same goes in reverse, if they are struggling to grasp a concept once their peers have already mastered it then they easily fall behind. If they are not in the main pack they will struggle in one way or another. Homeschooling give you the capability to allow your child to move forward with a subject if the need and desire is there or to stay back and focus a bit longer on trickier subject matter. There is no need to follow the crowd. Many homeschoolers are working at multiple grade levels for different subjects. My son is working a grade level above for language arts but his hand writing is needing some serious attention. My daughter is five but is handling grade three math because she loves it however her reading skills are still at a kindergarten level. 
• Decrease in medication. This is a big one and somewhat a bit controversial but I want to include it anyway. Many many homeschool parents I have spoken to have remarked that once they brought their child home from school the need for medication to treat ADHD was either no longer needed or that it greatly reduced. There could be many reasons for this. Such as having more control over their diet or having more freedom to get out the energy that builds up or the ability to work more one on one with coping strategies. I would definitely speak to a healthcare provider before making any medication changes though. 

 

Will My Child Have Friends if they are Homeschooled?

This is a very real fear for parents who are considering homeschooling their children. For some reason everyone seems to have a picture of what homeschooled children are like. Usually it goes along the lines of weird, unsocialised, wear funny clothes, but really smart. Well guess what? homeschooled kids can be weird it’s true, but I bet you could name a bunch of weird kids you went to school with too. Also there is actually nothing wrong with being weird. 

There are plenty of opportunities for homeschooled kids to make friends, be invited to birthday parties and create havoc with. Homeschool groups meet everywhere for informal play dates, classes, field trips, camps, proms, dances, graduations. You name it and those crazy homeschoolers will be doing it. 

What I really REALLY enjoy about the homeschooling community is that they are very inclusive of those children who do have difficulties. That goes for both the children and the parents. I think for the children their abilities to be inclusive of all children is because their parents are able to guide them in the appropriate way to handle situations that they are unfamiliar with. For example at our homeschool co-op group we have several children on the autism spectrum. All the children are inclusive of every child and think nothing of the strange behaviours or awkward social skills these kids display because the parents have spoken about what is happening and why it is happening. 

 

How do I pick a curriculum? 

Well first you would want to figure out which homeschooling style fits you and your child. You can start at unschooling which is a child led approach to education, right through to traditional homeschool which is more like school at home with a specific curriculum for each subject. Then there is everything in between like Charlotte Mason or Waldorf education. 

Another way you might want to go about helping you dive into curriculum choices is to join homeschooling Facebook groups and ask in there what curriculums or ideas people would recommend for children with ADHD. 

There is also the option of online schools. Where your child is technically enrolled in school but is completing the work in the home environment. This is a good option for having the best of both worlds. You will have teacher oversight, guidance and support but the freedom to complete the work in the home.

You may want to read this post on how you can homeschool for free! Yes you can be allocated a certain amount of funds to purchase curriculum for your child. The funds you are allocated are usually around a couple of thousand dollars per year. 

There are usually a lot of big homeschooling conferences before the school years start too.These are a fantastic place to meet other homeschoolers, browse curriculum, ask questions and attend seminars or different aspects of homeschooling. These are always inspiring and can give you the boost you need to start a new school year of right. 

 

Homeschooling is a big undertaking and can be terrifying! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need some help or guidance or just someone to listen to your ramblings. Hopefully I will be able to put some of your fears at ease or at least give you a bit of clarity on how you may want to proceed.