10 Reasons You Should Homeschool Your Autistic Child

*This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Are you considering it?

It’s almost the end of this school year and a new school year is just around the corner.

There are so many great reasons and benefits of homeschooling. It may not be right for every child and every family. But for my family, homeschooling our oldest C was the right thing to do. I’m very glad that I am a stay at home mom and was able to take on this challenge. You can read our story here.

As I started writing about this topic I looked into some statistics of homeschooling.

These are homeschool statistics based on theNational Home Education Research Institute 

Updated January 2019

-There are over 2.3 million homeschool students in the United States.  That is, there were an estimated 2.3 million in spring 2016.

-It may be the fastest-growing form of education in the United States.

-The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.

-Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions.

-Homeschooled students go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.

These are pretty great statistics!

As a parent of an autistic child that also has ADHD and learning difficulties, I love that with homeschooling I can challenge him to reach his full potential. Even though I don’t know if college or even a full-time job is in his future, I’m glad that right now I know he’s getting the best education I can offer him.

10 Reasons To Homeschool Your Child

1. You create your own schedule

If you’re a busy mom (and what mom isn’t?) as a homeschooling mom you can choose the schedule that best suits your lifestyle. And that best suits your child’s personality, activity level, and therapy schedule.

2.   You teach your child at their own pace

Does your child get bored easily? Or maybe they need things slowed down and repeated more than once? Homeschooling gives you the freedom to follow your child, your student, at their pace.

3.   You teach your child at their level

With our special kiddos it’s not always perfectly black and white. Sometimes even though they may be in the 5th grade, they are still at the 3rd grade education level. You are able to choose what level they are learning at and adjust as your child progresses.

4.    They can have as many breaks as they need

This is so important especially to a child that CANNOT STAY STILL. This doesn’t mean they get to get up and run around whenever they want to. But you can establish a routine and a schedule that fits your child’s needs.

5.   You can monitor their food intake

This is a very important reason especially if you have a child that struggles with eating. My C is on ADHD medication and is almost never hungry. It was difficult to make sure he was eating when he was in public school. At home I always know when and how much he is eating.

6.    There are no other kids around to bring out behaviors from your child

This can make such a difference in your child life. This doesn’t mean you seclude them and never let them near other kids, but there is something about the public school environment and the other kids that bring on anxiety and unwanted behaviors from our kids.

7.   You can choose the curriculum to teach your child

This can be overwhelming as I’m learning. But you can also try something and then change it if it’s not working for your family. Each subject can be learned differntly depending on what you and your child prefer.

8.   You have more time to teach your child life skills

Instead of staying in a classroom for 6 plus hours a day you can teach your child life skills!

9.    The teacher to student ratio is 1:1

Or if you’re homeschooling more than one child it’s 1:2 or 1:3… it’s not 1:29 like it can be in a public school setting. You’re able to give your child the attention that they deserve. This attention will give them the push and the encouragmen that they so desperately need.

10.   You can teach your children YOUR values and beliefs

You have direct influence over your child. They will learn from YOU! You will get to teach them what matters and what is important to YOU and your FAMILY.

Do you homeschool? If so what reasons do you have?

If not, what’s holding you back?

You got this, mama!

 ^“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” – Proverbs 31:26