People choose to homeschool for many reasons. My husband Matt homeschooled his daughter (my neurotypical stepdaughter) and she was almost grown up and ready to leave home when we Samara was conceived. I didn’t know anything about homeschooling when I first came into their home but I could soon see the positive outcome for my stepdaughter.  So, naturally, we wanted to homeschool Samara as well. Some of the reasons we wanted to homeschool before she received her autism diagnosis at age 2 still stand, and there some additional advantages that we are including on this list.

1.) Morals, Values, and Safety

We aren’t a “religious” family, but this was a big one for myself. I hate to sound like an old person here but let’s face it, schools are not what they used to be. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and I didn’t even approve of some of the things I experienced in school. Sadly, bullying, violence, drugs, lockdowns, pedophiles, security guards and police are a reality in today’s schools.

2.) Anxiety, Sensory Issues, and Emotional Dysregulation

Children cannot learn if they are constantly in a state of fight or flight. As a kid, I spent almost all my school days struggling with anxiety. I had auditory processing issues and most of the time couldn’t understand what my teacher was saying to the class. WORDS WORDS WORDS, I could hear them, but not put it together to make sense of it. As a result, the teacher would call on me to answer a question and I just broke down into tears. This outburst, albeit too much for me to ever control, was ultimately humiliating. Too many visual and audial distractions and being forced to be still can be excruciating for some kids. At home, you have control over the environment, lighting, noise, or including the right kind of sensory input for your child. *Check out some of these cool additions for your homeschool.

3.) Socialization

Wait? What? Yes, she doesn’t go to school because I would like her to learn to socialize and schools do not teach children how to socialize. Schools teach children how to sit at desks, be still, and only speak when spoken to and follow orders. Then they turn them loose by themselves on a playground to explode with no adults to role model and expect them to treat each other kindly. At best there’s a playground monitor to escort your bloody nose to the nurse.

When you homeschool your children get the PH. D. of socialization. They have you, the parents, to role model how to treat one another, and maybe older siblings too. There often times are homeschool groups that have park days where your kids can go play with other homeschooled children every week. Many homeschool groups also have outings (field trips), co-ops, and library days. Older children learn to role model for younger children and so there is a lesson in watching out for others and learning to interact with all ages.

Since they aren’t at school all day they get to go out in the real world and learn to navigate daily social skills and appropriate behavior whether it’s at the grocery store, post office, library or the museum.

Now you may be wondering specifically about autism and social skills. Many parents worry about socialization for their autistic child because autism involves difficulties in communication and relationship building. Homeschooling is actually the most ideal situation for an autistic child for some big reasons.

1.  They can learn the foundations of communication, like nonverbal communication, visual referencing, experience sharing, emotions, etc., from one on one interactions through play and activities with you at home. These are not taught in developmental preschool or elementary school and are needed before one can successfully have social interactions and friendships.
2. You are available to provide a safety net and help guide them through interactions if necessary.
3. They can have positive social interactions which will help them feel more confident. In my experience homeschooled children tend to be more aware, kind and understanding of others differences.

4.) Curriculum and Special Education

When you homeschool you can pick a style of curriculum that works for your child’s learning style, unlike the public school system which dictates what is used and its used for all the children regardless of learning styles. This also means you can tailor to your child’s natural interest which is a very important part of self-discovery and figuring their strengths and passions. How many of you graduated from high school still unsure of what those were? I know I did.

All children learn different things at different times and in different ways so you can meet your child where they are at, whether they are neurotypical, autistic, or have a learning disability. There are also many online resources if you need additional help with occupational therapy or speech strategies.

Best of all you have the freedom to be flexible when sickness strikes, anxiety days happen or its a beautiful day for a nature hike. FIELD TRIP!

5.) Learning is fun!

Yes, learning is fun. Learning is a lifelong process and it SHOULD be fun! At home, a child is free to explore areas of interest and learn in ways that are exciting to them. Whether its one of those cool monthly science boxes, exploring the backyard wildlife, reading,  or games and apps.

Are you homeschooling or planning on starting? I’d love to hear your top 5 reasons in the comments.

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