Home schools in Alaska can feel exciting, and overwhelming and the stakes grow higher when you are homeschooling a neurodivergent child. You will be their teacher, which is rather obvious. But more than that you would be offering to provide learning at their pace while giving them the required space to thrive.
You will be learning and teaching simultaneously. So, what are some of the things that can help when you are teaching a neurodivergent child? You need to adopt practical strategies and shift your mindset slightly to ensure it is less chaotic. Moreover, you can also ensure that there are specific routines that make sense in your homeschool.
Here are a few tips that can help when you are navigating the homeschool space with a neurodivergent child.
1. Having flexible structure over rigid schedules can help your child thrive in homeschooling environment. If you try to replicate the traditional school schedule at home, it can frustrate everyone involved. You might notice that it can cause chaos in their learning journey. Your child might want routine and predictability. However, you don’t need to put it down to minute-by-minute plan. Instead of keeping it rigid, you can have a smooth workflow for the day. Say, you have morning movement, breakfast, some focused work time, sensory play, creative learning and so on. You can use visual schedules in Alaska home school programs to ensure the child is aware of the transitions and doesn’t get anxious. You should also give in buffer time between activities so that the child doesn’t rush through the day.
2. You should create an environment that helps your child grow. Sensory input is pivotal in creating a specific environment for your child. You should always ensure the room isn’t too bright or noisy. At the same time, avoid having the room too cluttered, which can derail their focus. You should make the area sensory friendly. Start by having soft lighting in the form of lamps. You can offer them a cozy quiet corner with a weighted blanket. Fidget tools within their reach can also help. Lastly use trampoline to provide them with movement breaks in home schools in Alaska. When you give them a supportive physical environment, you will notice that it supports their learning. You can also keep moving their learning from floor to the table and so on. This would also help them learn better.
3. If your child is leaning towards some topic, you might want to go in-depth with that. Let’s not force your child into reading comprehension or learning the entire unit around a topic. You can offer them things that they prefer learning. Every bit should be done in
an engaging and fun way. They should feel interested in the particular task, this way they would be more attentive and confident.
4. Don’t offer the entire task to your child. You should ideally break down the entire task into micro steps that can help them learn better. Your child might find things like planning, memory and attention overwhelming. So, it is a good idea to break down these tasks into smaller steps. For instance, get them to write their name, ask them to read the question aloud, make them answer it and then colour the picture once done.
When you conduct Alaska homeschool programs for neurodivergent child, it can be rewarding. You must listen to the child and follow their lead.