Ways to Prepare Your Special Needs Child for a Successful Co-op Experience

Home school co-ops provide many learning activities for children, both academically and socially. If a special needs student is to succeed in a co-op setting, there are some important aspects parents must address with their student ahead of time to prepare for success.

How a Special Needs Parent Can Set Their Child Up for Co-op Success

Home school co-ops provide families with a community that helps share home schooling responsibilities for all the families involved.  As a family with a special needs student, there are many advantages to being part of this type of community, as well as additional responsibilities to ensure this community is equipped to help your student succeed.

Classroom Considerations for Special Needs Students

Parents of students with special needs must consider how their student will be affected by various aspects of a classroom learning environment.  This video walks parents step by step through a series of questions to ask regarding their student’s classroom capability when considering a home school group.

Group Activity Considerations for Special Needs Students

Parents of students with special needs must consider how their student will be affected by various aspects of group activities.  This video walks parents step by step through a series of questions to ask regarding their student’s group activity capability when considering a home school group.

Social Situation Considerations for Special Needs Students

Parents of students with special needs must consider how their student will be affected by various social situations.  This video walks parents step by step through a series of questions to ask regarding their student’s social skills capability when considering a home school group.

Medical and Physical Considerations for Special Needs Students

Parents of students with special needs must consider how their student will be affected by various medical conditions and physical limitations.  This video walks parents step by step through a series of questions to ask regarding their student’s medical and physical needs and how they will be attended to when participating in a home school group.

Preparing Your Child for Classroom Success

For many home schooled students, a co-op is their first introduction to a formal classroom setting.  For students with special needs this type of environment is often much more difficult to transition to without any preparation.  Therefore, parents should take extra steps to be proactive in preparing their special needs student for a classroom setting.

What to do When a Co-op Doesn’t Work for Your Special Needs Family

Home school co-ops, no matter how well equipped, are not always the best fit for a special needs family.  This video provides alternative ideas special needs families should they find a co-op situation is too much to work into their regular routine.