I’ll never forget the call. “We’ve got our daughters back!”

It had been a few months earlier that this mom called for the first time. “Can you please talk to me about homeschooling special needs children?” she said. “We’ve got to do something! Our twins used to be such happy little girls, but I realized the other day that I can’t remember the last time I saw them smile. I’m losing them!”

We talked about the laws in our state (we were support group leaders) and gave her some ideas for finding the right curriculum. We chatted for awhile and she hung up. It was only when she called back that we understood that what had been just a helping phone call to us had been a life-changer for their whole family.

Homeschooling is individual. The beauty of homeschooling children with learning challenges is that you can help them fly in the areas they can fly and teach them to walk in the areas they struggle in. Often that means that when they learn to overcome or cope with their challenge, they catch up super-fast!

No teacher is more committed than you. Nobody loves your children like you do. That means you’ll get the help you need, find the resources that are right for you, and make it happen.

There’s a lot of help out there! Two of the most useful sources of information we’ve found is HSLDA’s Struggling Learner page  and the materials by Dianne Craft.

How do we know you can do it? We’ve been through it! After several early learners, it hit us like a Mack truck when our next son started school. Melanie cried buckets of tears at first, but we made it through! That son is now a successful high schooler – and entrepreneur. You can read about our struggle and success in his own words (and Melanie’s) in this Old Schoolhouse Magazine article.

Ultimately, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) Homeschooling not only gives our struggling children the education that’s just right for them, it does it in a nurturing environment that helps them maintain confidence. That makes it worth all the struggle – ours and theirs!