6 Tips for Choosing a Homeschooling Program for Struggling Learners
Top Considerations for a Homeschooling Program for Struggling Learners
As a former public-school teacher turned homeschool teacher, I know from personal experience how homeschooling can offer a unique and customized learning path for children. As a neurodivergent mom to neurodivergent kids, I can’t say enough good things about the benefits of a home education for our kids with unique needs. For many parents like me, the decision to homeschool is driven by the desire to create an environment that is supportive, adaptable, and responsive to the challenges that our kids often face in traditional school settings. Whether your child is autistic, has ADHD, or another special need, homeschooling can provide a more fulfilling and successful educational experience and overall life experience too!
There’s No "Right Way" to Homeschool
Before diving into specific tips, it’s important to remember that there is no single "right way" to homeschool. Every child is different, and what works for one family might not work for another. The beauty of homeschooling is in its flexibility—there are no rigid rules to follow, only what works best for you, your child, and your family. The most successful homeschooling program is one that adapts to your child’s needs, supports their strengths, and helps them overcome challenges in a way that makes learning enjoyable and effective, and inspires a peaceful and loving home life. School doesn’t work for our kids, so don’t feel like you ought to replicate school-at-home!
6 Tips for Choosing a Homeschooling Program for Struggling Learners
1. Short Learning Sessions
One of the most effective ways to keep struggling learners engaged is through shorter learning sessions. Look for a program that offers short lessons and lets you choose the frequency and pace, which maximizes limited attention spans and increases retention of key concepts. Neurodivergent children are more likely to struggle with sustained attention or to be aggravated and disconnected from something repetitive. It’s better for them to repeat a lesson if they didn’t completely understand than to be forced to continue listening to a lesson they already understand. Kids often retain more by learning less per session. This approach is not only beneficial for struggling or neurodivergent learners but also for any child who thrives on focused, manageable chunks of learning. Your child can stay focused, and you can reduce the likelihood of them feeling overwhelmed by looking for a program with short lessons that allow for lots of breaks.
"Every child has a different learning style and pace. Each child is unique, not only capable of learning but also capable of succeeding."
-Robert John Meehan
2. Mix-and-Match Grade Levels
Struggling learners often excel in some areas while needing extra support in others. Consider a program that allows you to mix-and-match grade levels not only across subjects but even within individual strands of a subject. For example, children with Dyscalculia tend to struggle in the Numeracy strand of math but not in other strands (such as Algebra and Geometry). This flexibility enables you to meet your learners exactly where they are and build from there at their pace, creating a custom-fit program that caters to their specific strengths and developmental needs.
3. Minimize Distractions
Maintaining focus can be a significant challenge for struggling learners, especially in environments with many distractions. This is why chaotic and busy classrooms are a struggle! In the day of TikTok attention spans, it’s common for even our home learning programs to engage in flashy, fast-paced movement videos or chaotic, image-packed pages. This can be overstimulating to many kids, so choose a program designed to engage without overwhelming. Look for materials that use color and animation but sparingly to create interest without causing distraction. Ideally, workbook pages aren’t black and white but should be free of heavy coloration or too much busy-ness per page, and videos should avoid rapid motion, reducing the chances of overstimulation and distraction while keeping your child’s attention where it needs to be.
4. Interest-Based Learning & Real-World Relevance
Interest-based learning is a powerful tool for keeping learners motivated and engaged. Many neurodivergent learners have special interests (colloquially known as SPINs) and are able to hyperfocus on topics of interest. Seek out a program that offers a broad library of electives, and ideally doesn’t force you into particular topics in science and social studies based only on birth year or grade level. In addition to this, many children feel a deep need to understand “why” when demands are made of them. Incorporating learning content that you can explain to your child the relevance of learning will be accepted much more easily by them (such as the real-world reasons to learn financial planning over Pythagorean’s Theorem). If your learning program allows you to customize topics, you can choose things that align with your child’s passions and that make sense to you and your child. A curriculum that supports their interests will not only educate but also excite and inspire them to explore further.
5. Alternative Learning Strategies and Demonstration of Knowledge
Traditional assessments and teaching methods don’t always suit the needs of our kiddos. It’s important to find a program that includes a variety of activity options and provides recommendations for alternative ways to demonstrate knowledge. This might include hands-on projects, visual presentations, oral presentations, or creative writing, ensuring that your child can showcase their understanding in a way that aligns with their learning style and preferences. This doesn’t mean you never have them do things they’re uncomfortable with, such as learning public speaking, but in a homeschool setting we can tailor knowledge demonstrations outside of the traditional standardized test.
6. Customized Support for Your One-of-a-Kind Learner
Every child is unique, and their education should reflect that. Programs that have one standard outline or schedulearen’t offering a flexibility that can dynamically change and grow with the child. Furthermore, a program that offers customized support through personalized learning plans or one-on-one advice are ideal, as they not only support your child, but you as well! Ideally, you should be able to provide information about your child’s strengths, areas for development, interests, and learning goals, which a teacher or education specialist can use to offer your advice and assist you in the design of your custom course of study, tailored specifically to your child’s needs. This ensures that your child receives an education that is personalized and that you have the support needed to feel confident as you progress in your homeschool.
"Every child is unique, therefore their education should be also."
-Jeannie Fulbright
How to Choose a Program that Meets These 6 Needs
When selecting a homeschooling program for your struggling learner, I always recommend you consider the Key Factors above. A program that offers short learning sessions, the ability to mix-and-match grade levels, minimized distractions, interest-based learning, alternative learning strategies, and customized support is likely to provide an amazing level of flexibility and adaptability to help your child thrive and help you feel successful homeschooling them. The right program will help your child develop a love for learning, build confidence in their abilities, and equip them with the skills they need to succeed both academically and in life.
How Does Schoolio Meets These Recommendations?
Schoolio was designed by real homeschooling, neurodivergent parents (that’s me and my partner, Sathish!) for our own neurodivergent kids. Everything we develop at Schoolio hinges on meeting these key ways we can support children learning at home. We provide bite-sized learning sessions that are easy to digest, a flexible curriculum that allows for mixing and matching grade levels, and a design that minimizes distractions. The program also offers a wide range of interest-based electives and incorporates varied learning strategies. Additionally, Schoolio provides customized support through personalized Student Success Plans, ensuring that your child receives an education tailored to their unique needs. By choosing Schoolio, you're selecting a program that understands the challenges and celebrates the strengths of struggling learners. We hope that every family homeschooling a neurodivergent child can finally find confidence and success by using our program, designed specifically for their needs.
In conclusion, homeschooling a struggling learner may seem like a challenge, but it can be a truly amazing opportunity for you and your child, creating a learning and home environment that supports their individual strengths, challenges, and interests. By focusing on these key considerations and selecting a program that meets these needs, you can create a supportive, engaging, and effective homeschool environment for your child, where they feel loved and respected, and not alienated for their differences. You can empower them to learn about their own needs and develop strategies to self-manage throughout their entire lives. Remember, the goal is not to replicate the traditional school system at home but to design a learning experience that actually supports your child in reaching their full potential.
Thank you to our guest blogger, Lindsey Casselman, from Schoolio for sharing with us this week.
Lindsey Casselman has spent nearly a decade as an educator and homeschool parent, with a specialization in Social-Emotional Skills and extensive experience working with autistic students. As a founder and Head of Learning at Schoolio, Lindsey plays a pivotal role in designing the Schoolio homeschool program, overseeing content creation, and leading a dedicated creation team. Beyond Schoolio, Lindsey is passionate about supporting new homeschoolers, offering guidance through her support group and personalized one-on-one consulting, ensuring every family can embark on their educational journey with confidence.