| | | | Options For Schooling The Disabled Child |
By Charlotte Gerber
Parents with disabled children want to do the best thing for their children. Deciding on how to school your disabled child can be one of the most difficult decisions a parent has to make. If your child is receiving assistance through a state agency your schooling options may already be clear. However, if your child has disabilities that aren’t readily apparent, i.e., they have developmental disabilities as opposed to physical ones, it may be harder to make a decision as to where to school them. There are several options for schooling the disabled child, which include the public school system, homeschooling and private schools.
Children with disabilities that are placed in the public school system often have an aide that shadows them throughout the day assisting them with school projects and occasionally with eating and toileting needs. Most children develop a close relationship with these aides because they spend so much time with them. Many disabled children are also able to forge relationships with their classmates while others, because of the degree of their disability, are unable to do so. While children that are disabled are occasionally made fun of or bullied, the majority of disabled children are able to function at a normal level in their classrooms and their classmates accept them as one of the crowd.
Occasionally disabled children feel hostility toward their classmates because they are being made fun of. When disabled children become the object of ridicule on a regular basis action can be taken to assist them. Parents can discuss the situation with school staff as long as their children or an aide alerts them to what is going on in the school. When disabled children are having a higher than normal level of difficulty functioning in the public school setting parents may opt to place them in a private school or attempt homeschooling them.
Private schools may have much more to offer a disabled child than a public school can. Advantages to this type of education are that disabled children are able to interact more easily with their peers and these children are better able to focus on their studies since everyone in the classroom is disabled. The disabled child is no longer the “different” one in the classroom setting. Parents will pay a premium to have their child attend these schools because the staff has been specially trained for this learning environment. Children in these schools typically are higher achievers because there is a higher teacher to child ratio. Parents may be afraid of sending their child to a special school because of the stigma but the reality is that many disabled children find the support that they need in these schools.
A third option for schooling a disabled child is homeschooling. If you are already caring for disabled child and transporting them to a school is too stressful, homeschooling them may be an option for you. Tutors can be found that specialize in your child’s disability and their expenses are often covered by state agencies. Parents can also play a big part in their child’s education by learning everything they can about the child’s disability and joining a support group for parents homeschooling disabled children. The Internet also offers a lot of information to help you educate your child and to find the additional resources to make your teaching program a success. Your local public school should also be able to provide you with resources and contacts to assist you in this endeavor.
Parents should examine all of their options when making a decision as how best to school their disabled child. Your child will learn best when all of their needs are being met. For more information on options for schooling the disabled child visit http://www.bridges4kids.org.
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