Homeschooling Special Needs Children... Not Missing the Needs of Mom

I have a special needs child and have come to know scads of women raising kids with varying degrees of special needs... some of these women are homeschoolers.

Homeschooling is a huge commitment and undertaking even under the best of circumstances, but when you're raising a special needs child, you really owe it to yourself to have a support group in place. If you can't find one, start your own... I say this after finding much healing and strength in a local women's group in my area solely created for ministering to mom's of special needs kids.

To facilitate such a group takes 99% heart and only 1% organizational skill, and really no special abilities to speak of. Women really just need an outlet, a place to talk, sometimes to cry, to know they're not alone, and compare experiences, doctor recommendations, maybe even experiences with medications and procedures.

I believe in my heart that even if you don't know a thing about the specific challenges that another weary woman is dealing with, if you both have a challenge, you can understand the heartache. You can relate, and through that special time of bonding... in sharing and praying, you can start to rebuild who you used to be before you started down this unexpected journey that has become your new norm.

Friendships are a beautiful thing. If you'd like to find a group locally, do an Internet search, ask friends, call churches, maybe try MeetUp.com and see if there's a group close to home. If you come up empty, please do consider hosting a group of your own. Meet in a coffee house or the meeting room at a library. Find your spot and watch women flock to be part of your group.

I have yet to meet a mom with a special needs kid who wasn't immediately interested in knowing more about the group I belong to. The need is huge!

Here's a special link for homeschooling parents with special needs children:
Nathan.com
and the HSLDA's page for teaching children with disabilities:
HSLDA