I believe strongly in homeschooling dyslexic kids. Here are my top 10 reasons why I believe in homeschooling kids with dyslexia.
After over 25 years of homeschooling my kids with dyslexia and with a site entirely dedicated to helping other parents do the same, it’s probably obvious where I stand on homeschooling dyslexic kids. However, if you still need convincing, here are my top 10 reasons why I believe that you should homeschool your kids with dyslexia.
Benefits of Homeschooling Kids With Dyslexia
There are many benefits to homeschooling, whether your child is dyslexic or not. However, until the public schools make some major changes in how they help dyslexic students, parents of kids with dyslexia have another option – homeschooling. Here’s why:
1. Teaching can be individualized to your child’s unique learning style in all subject areas: reading, spelling, composition, and comprehension. If you’ve been homeschooling outside-the-box kids for more than 5 minutes you already know this, but not all kids can sit still, listen, and read to learn. (Also, 40-60% of kids with dyslexia will have some form of attention deficit.) Adapting how we teach our kids at home is one of the biggest benefits to homeschooling any child with or without dyslexia.
2. If one method of instruction (or curriculum) isn’t working, you don’t have to wait until your child is failing to change it! Curriculum can be modified and accommodations given however the parent/teacher sees the need.
3. Homeschooling allows freedom to provide adequate and timely remediation of areas of weakness like reading, spelling, and writing. Ask any parent of a public schooled child with dyslexia and they will tell you how difficult it is to get approved for this kind of help let alone the to get the right kinds of help.
4. Homeschooling allows the freedom to provide meaningful and appropriate accommodations so that these bright students can learn and perform at their intellectual level. You’re probably already adjusting how you teach your child with dyslexia. Accommodations are an excellent way to help a child with dyslexia perform at their intellectual ability despite weaknesses in reading or spelling.
5. Homeschooling is time efficient and leaves time in the day for kids to focus on areas of interest, which brings confidence and a love of learning.
6. Homeschooling allows the freedom to plan lessons around those interests. Interest-led learning has been shown to be one of the best ways to learn. It’s actually how people naturally learn all the time.
7. Homeschooling allows for freedom from being measured against peers, day in and day out, with no learning difficulties and minimizes many of the common emotional issues associated with dyslexia.
8. Homeschooling allows for your child to work at their own pace using resources that work best with their individual strengths. Surprisingly, even though many people believe that schools are the educational experts, teachers are generally not educated much at all about learning differences like dyslexia.
9. Homeschooling necessarily avoids the rigid scheduling and standardized testing {and the practice of teaching to the test} that is required in public schools.
10. The extra time spent with your dyslexic child as you homeschool allows parents the benefit of being able to observe where their child’s interests and abilities intersect and to take the time to develop their unique gifts.
Making the Decision to Homeschool Your Child With Dyslexia
Every family and every child is unique. Making the decision to homeschool or to have your child attend a public or private school is a very personal decision. It is my own experience of homeschooling our 7 kids with dyslexia for the past 25 years that prompts me to say that it is the best method for educating dyslexic kids.
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How about you? Do you homeschool your kids with dyslexia? What has your experience been?
Homeschooling is the best thing we’ve ever done for our dyslexic 16 year old. She is smart and can learn so much with the one-on-one and accommodations. She’s not held back by her limitations as she would be in school. Especially with math, if she doesn’t get it, we go over it again. And again. In school they would have moved on and she’d be playing catch up, or worse. The dyslexics I know about all have fascinating strengths too, so I’m blessed to be able to see those and nurture them.
Hi can you msg me im started out and I need some info pulling my fixed to be 4th grader but he is learning at 2nd grade and I need help on what to do
I’m right there with the lady above. Please help get this going.
This is my first year homeschooling my triplets and youngest daughter. I have a son who is dyslexic and suffered from the emotional aspects of being in a group, EVEN in special ed for reading. My youngest is dyslexic and ADHD. I am only in week one of homeschooling and I can tell this is exactly what I need to be doing. My special needs kids are so happy and relaxed now.
We made the decision to homeschool our two boys (8 yr old) last spring, when one of them was falling way behind in reading, spelling, and math because of dyslexia, dygraphia, and dyscalculia. There was no way he was going to be ready for 3rd grade if something didn’t change, and fast. I was worried about how isolated I would feel, and if we could get anything meaningful accomplished given that I am not a professionally trained teacher.
What I’ve learned so far is that one-on-one teaching MORE than makes up for my lack of teaching expertise. The curriculum options for these kinds of LDs are plentiful. And, they are fantastic! Our boys (and I) loved the H/S experience last spring so much that we/they have decided to make it a permanent part of our parenting. He used to cry himself to sleep every night from frustration and feeling like a failure at school. He developed anxiety about school and it was awful watching his self-esteem plummet.
Now, he’s a totally different little boy… much more confident, believes he’s smart (rather than feeling stupid because he didn’t test well at school), and is LOVING LEARNING! We couldn’t be more happy home schooling.
Thanks for this wonderful, informative, and resource-rich website! You are one of my go-to bloggers for ideas and inspiration!
We began homeschooling so that my son who is dyslexic would get the education he needed but we continue to homeschool because we love it! My son is able to learn through hands on activities. The schools in our area tend to focus a good bit on quantity of work which is difficult for a child with dyslexia, dysgraphia or any child in my mind. Homeschooling allows us to focus on quality work. I completely agree with Tamra above that there are wonderful choices in the curriculum world and we get to pick and choose. We do not have to fit into the one chosen for us.
my son is 11, and i used to homeschool him. but i felt as if i was failing him as a parent because i felt he would not get as good of an education as he would if he was in school. also, i feared being homeschooled would make him lazy, or not want to work in the future (my husband and i are disabled and are at home 24/7… so im scared he will think it is normal to sit at home and draw a check… anyway, i noticed that since he has been in school, the teacher is “forcing” him to read books he has no interest in… she sends him homework home, and he has no clue how to do it. the way they teach him is different from how i would teach him. (i feel like were butting heads). I dont know what to do… he is smart, very artistic, but cant bring himself to focus on books he has no interest in, math makes no since to him, (he is a visual learner) thoughts? ideas? please INBOX me. thanks
I have three children with varying degrees of dyslexia. This is our sixth year to home school. The first year I just brought my two youngest children home. They were in the third and forth grades. We did the third grade curriculum together. One sat on each side of me at the computer and I read every single thing to them. During that year my oldest was home sick and saw what we were doing. Before I knew it she was joining in on the discussions. About two weeks after that she came to me and asked to home school the next year because she was in the sixth grade and had not even had what her brother and sister were going over in third grade. So we all home schooled the next year. In the summer between our first and second years to home school I trained to teach my children in simultaneous multisensory instruction. This is the single most important thing that I ever did. They learned to read and read well. I returned the next summer for the second year of training. Now I tutor other children to read, also. Right now- eighth and ninth grades- our only issue is time, and we are working on that! This year our oldest was accepted to the our state residence school for math and science for the 11th grade and 12th if she is successful this year. Right now she has seven A’s and two B’s! If you are anywhere in the area of Memphis, TN check out the Simultaneous Multisensory Institute of Language Arts. They gave me the power to change my children’s lives! Please don’t allow your children to suffer with not being able to read. Technology is great but it is not replacement for reading- it is for a backup while learning to read. They can learn to read with the proper instruction!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment Jamie. I feel the same way and that is why I started this site – to empower parents to understand how their dyslexic kids learn and to create a he environment where they can thrive and succeed!
Jamie,
I know there are stay-at-home parents who can help their children who have dyslexia and too themselves if they know are dyslexic, I know they can seek as many websites feel are good and get all the help that can. However, Not everybody is stay-at-home bond. This is why there is libraries. I became a certified volunteer tutor for those (children AND adults) who didn’t know how to read and write English even during my schooling of in Southern California. I received an A.A. degree in General Studies at Palomar College and a B.A. in Literature/Writing at California State University, San Marcos as I tutored at the Carlsbad, CA Library from 1992-1998 and then the Oceanside, CA Library from 1998-2009. I only speak English and have tutored in supervised cubby-holes once I received my certification. In order to be a certified literacy tutor in Temecula, CA one has to be bi-lingual, have had a job and pay for rooms they tutor in. I rather tutor online.
Jamie… could you give more info on the place in Memphis? We are in North Mississippi about 40 mins from memphis. Our 8 yr was just diagnosed and placed on an IEP in PS but we are exploring our HS options for both our boys. Thanks you can email me if you would like too. kaceysmommie2011@gmail.com
Personally, I hate homeschooling my dyslexic which I’ve been doing most of her life (13yrs). And, the hands-on multi-sensory idea is not applicable to high school, or any, reading/writing curriculum. Similarly, the memory and inconsistency issues make it feel like she’s mastered something only to find she can’t recall the info. If anyone has a great high school English/Lit/Writing/Oral Communication curriculum that has been successful and “hands on” then I’m all ears. Thanks.
Hi Jody. You are not the first person to mention their frustration with teaching high school English. I will write on that soon. In essence, you want to educate yourself so that you can help your kids – understand how they learn and how they don’t and learn about the different technologies that are available today such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text, mind mapping and phonetic spell checkers. I will try to get that post up in the next week or so.
i have a mixed perspective on this issue. I was homeschooled, and got a great education. I am currently an SLP working in public schools.
I continue to support homeschooling as a viable and often-awesome choice for families who can manage it. The benefits can be fantastic in the right situation.
I also had several friends growing up who were homeschooled and had various learning difficulties. Some of them did okay, some of them did NOT. They were all in caring, involved homeschool situations, but for some of them, especially in larger families that did not quite have the resources to give them enough support, they simply did not learn well and continue to struggle as adults. They now wish they had been public schooled, and I believe they would have been more successful if they had.
I have also seen homeschool students come in to my public school to be evaluated for leaning disabilities, to help their families better understand how to help them learn. Again, some of those kids have been doing terrific, and homeschooling was obviously working for them. But others have been getting further and further behind, NOT getting what they need, trusting that “eventually it will stick” when clearly it was not going to. Those kids made my heart break, knowing that they would probably continue to struggle, and not get the support they need, and there was nothing I could do about it.
So I see a mixed bag. If homeschooling is working, and your kids are continuing to grow, and you are able to get the special training you need to be able to help them, please continue. But if that is not happening; if you don’t know what to do and/or your child is not continuing to make good progress in reading/writing, PLEASE do not continue because someone on the Internet told you that it is the BEST way! Find what works for you. Some times that will be homeschooling, but other times that will definitely be traditional schooling.
I hear what you are saying for sure. However, as a dyslexia advocate I also see MANY children coming out of the public school system that have slipped through the cracks, who have been demoralized and misunderstood for years, who suffer from anxiety and depression from their teachers who were never educated about what dyslexia is or how to help kids who have it. I am talking about the majority of people who have or have had dyslexic kids in public school are experiencing this to varying degrees. It is extremely rare to hear of a school actually giving a child the help they need in a timely manner. So while it can be tempting to say that things would have been better if these kids were in school, it may not be entirely accurate.
I my name is Joyce smith I live in the UK and had to take my dyslexic daughter out of school because of bulling this I’d all new to me teaching my 13 year old daughter
I’m sorry to hear that your daughter was being bullied Joyce. That is so sad! You are in the right place. Check out the blog and resources page and let me know if you have questions.
As an adult with dyslexia I can say I went to public schools [with a diagnosis] and the schools did nothing to help me. There simply were too many students, not enough resources and not enough teachers. I could not read at a workable level until I was an adult. Dyslexia does not have a simple fix and sometimes it takes years, even with intervention, to make gains. I am homeschooling my daughters because they fell behind and their public school, even many years later, is in the same boat; too many students, not enough resources and not enough teachers. The struggle that dyslexic students go through is something I lived through and continue to have ramifications from. I made it through college by long hours of reading slowly doing the best I could, I don’t give up easily; neither should dedicated homeschooling parents because the public schools are not the answer. Don’t do the ‘should have could have’ game.
Thanks for your feedback Audra. I especially resonate with this: “Dyslexia does not have a simple fix and sometimes it takes years, even with intervention, to make gains.” So true!
I homeschooled my 2 children, the older from 2nd grade on and the younger from Kindergarten. I took the okder out because I recognized the dyslexia abd the school said they wouldn’t even test him for a few more years. My younger is more severely dyslexic. I am infinitely glad that I homeschooled them both. They are now 23 and 20 years old. Life isn’t perfect, they are still dyslexic but they had a more intensive and personalized education at home than they could have had in a public school. They can both read and enjoy reading even though it’s an effort. It wasn’t destroyed in them. They both spell terrible but they do their best. They are both amazing poets. Dyslexia gave us the gift of homeschooling and a wonderful life together.
I just spent over $6,000 to learn my son has brain seizures, 3 severe forms of dyslexia, hypotonia, ocd, add, anxiety and depression. After 6 months of fighting with the public school system we still do not have an IEP in place. There have been physical assaults on both of my boys in the public school, so I pulled them out. My oldest who has no problems is in a private school now. My special needs son is almost 9 years old and has just started seeing a tutor who uses Orton-Gullingham. I am desperate to help my son, what programs can I do at home with him until he is “caught up” to go to the private school. I need to keep him on track as much as possible. Please someone help me, I am in a desperate situation…there are no schools here for the dyslexic but the private school is willing to work with me if I can get him reading.
thank you
Jenniffer
Hi Jennifer. I’m glad to hear that your son is getting the help that he needs. It can take 2-3 years to get a child reading fluently. It will depend on the severity of his dyslexia. I would try to nurture his soul and help him to develop a talent so that when you transition him back into school, he has something he is good at. In the mean time, you can ask your son’ tutor to give you any homework that he can do. The more time he spends practicing what he is learning, the faster he will learn. Also, get educated on what dyslexia is and which technologies will be helpful to him for use as accommodations.
I am a dyslexic mom thinking about homeschooling my dyslexic daughter that is in the first grade and I am scared to pull her out of her structured environment, yet I am worried about her self esteem if I don’t. She is already telling me she hates school and she doesn’t want to go. I would love some words of wisdom to help me make this leap. 🙂
Hi Aleese. Stepping away from a system that we are familiar with is difficult. It is hard to step outside the box, at least it is for me! I would like to encourage you that you can create a warm and loving learning environment (with structure) at home. I developed a free e-course for people getting started homeschooling their kids with dyslexia. You can access that here. We reevaluate our decision to homeschool every year. Every year, especially for us with a house full of dyslexic learners, we choose to keep homeschooling. Many parents here have been in your position. The schools are just not prepared to help kids with learning differences like a caring parent is. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am here to help if you need anything!
We decided to homeschool before finding out our son has dyslexia. Now that we know, I am SO glad we pulled him from public school! He was struggling enough in kindergarten I don’t even want to imagine what life would be like for him if we allowed him to continue to struggle there. (he has ADHD and dyslexia so a double wammie)
I have three children age 5, 7 and 10 and am just determining that my 7yr old boy is dyslexic. Our 5 year old girl also has significant cognitive delays. At present all three are in public school and I (mom) work as an RN doing 12hr night shifts so that I can be home for the afternoons with my kids. How can I consider homeschooling and still manage to work 12hr shift work? My son is already falling behind and voicing disparaging comments about himself. I have no family close by to help in the care of my children, and feel very stuck between the rock and hard place. My husband works M-F and often weekends. Do you have any thoughts?
Hi, my daughter is dyslexic and have been struggling for so long, she is in grade 9, 14 years old and I think it’s getting to her now that she is in high school, she is giving up like she told me she can learn with her tutor today and will know her work but tomorrow she can’t remember all that she had to learn. I’m really considering homeschooling her. I don’t want her to think she can’t do or be what ever she want in life. My heart bleeds when I see her cry because she can’t study and do good in school.
Oftentimes, the pressure kids feel in school has a negative impact on kids. You could definitely homeschool her!
hi my name is daysea im in middle school and i have dyslexia and i want to now if homeschooling will help me be better and all of my subjects.
Darlene
My daughter has dyslexia and was challenged by the effects when she was in elementary school. Since I got involved in her life when she was 8, she struggled with spelling, but had better math skills. I developed a program for her that used numbers 1,2,3,4 5 for vowels. She was spelling words with both numbers and letters. She was often confused with the vowels. So, A=1, E=2, I=3, O=4, and U=5. Book is written “B44K” After 1 year of both public school and homeschooling, she was able to be in mainstream classes. She is now 39 and attended college. Another aid we discovered was the “Franklin Dictionary.” It’s a dictionary that helps you spell a word correctly, based on how you think it might be spelled.
I tutor other students, some with dyslexia. I’m creating a set of flash cards/task cards to teach about homophones. Many of the students are challenged by these words. There are 56 sets of “Homophone Triplets” like to, too, two. So this is the first sets of cards soon to be available. One deck set has the 3 words on one side and definitions and sample sentence on the other. There are several suggested “games” to help teach these words. Another deck also has just the 3 words “to, too and two” listed together and separately on 4 cards. This deck can be used to play concentration, go fish and solitaire. So using both together can be a double resource. I’m eager to finish the first set including about 4 or 5 decks of 50 cards and will be presenting them to several of my students in the near future. One student is fascinated by homophones, so he will be the first to try them. He has Down Syndrome.
I also found a font set that is recommended for students with dyslexia and will be using this font on all the cards.
There is a program called “TTRS” — Touch, Type, Read and Spell that uses 4 senses (vision, hearing, touch, verbal to learn to type, spell and learn grammar rules. The more senses that are used, sometimes makes it easier to learn. Ask me about details on all these resources. contact me for more information. It’s ok to give out my email.