If you have a child with eczema, allergies, or special needs, chances are you’ve already encountered the challenge that school brings up. Letting your children out of your sight for many hours a day can be overwhelming to parents since they lose control over the unique health needs their child has – but is home schooling the best alternative to doing so? Many parents in recent years have chosen home schooling as a way to keep their kids at home where they can be given the best direct support and care, and we’ll be looking into this option in this week’s ScratchMeNot post.
The Challenges Of Letting Go
While many parents thrive on having their children off at school for a few hours a day, parents of kids with special needs may not be so lucky. Not being able monitor what your child eats, plays with, or how they are treated with medication schedules can be nerve wracking for parents. Wondering if your child is being overlooked or given the care they need while they’re away can cause a great deal of anxiety, and not knowing how a flare up or reaction is handled can keep you up at night in worry.
Parents of kids with eczema, allergies, and other special needs face these fears and worries every day when they send their kids off to school, so it’s no wonder that many parents are opting for a home-based education.
Home Schooling And Unschooling Options
In order to keep a better watch over children with unique needs, and to ensure that they are given the best in direct care, many parents keep their kids at home for home school programs or unschooling. These programs allow parents to give their children a full range of learning experiences while also ensuring that they get the special care they need.
Home school has become a popular trend among parents with kids who have eczema and allergies because nobody knows how to treat these issues better than each unique child’s parent! When kids stay at home for their educational experience it’s easier to make sure they get foods, snacks, toys, and other things that are in line with their health needs while also helping them learn and grow.
Home schooling and unschooling provides the parents the opportunity to play a more integral and direct role in their child’s well-being and education, and many parents celebrate these options as solutions to a serious problem.
What Works For Your Family?
As public and private schools become more and more familiar with the needs of kids with eczema and allergies, many parents are finding that extra involvement and lots of dialogue with school staff makes it a safe and healthy experience for their kids. Other families find that home schooling or unschooling are the best options for keeping kids healthy and happy.
The fact of the matter is that both home and away from home schooling options have benefits and challenges – so each family has to decide what will work best for their unique situation.
Knowing that home schooling is an option can be extremely liberating for many parents, and learning more about the options can help you feel empowered. These days you can find online schools, pre-made curricula, and unschooling ideas online that can help take the guesswork out of the process. You can also network with other local and national families who use these techniques to get extra support.
If you stay in school away from home, there are a few things you can do to help you child have a great experience. First, be open and clear with school staff about your child’s needs. Make sure everyone is on the same page and that they all have the resources and information they need to help your child feel great. Next, feel free to check in often with your child’s teachers and staff to see if anything is happening you need to know about. Finally, spend time at your child’s school when possible by volunteering as an aide or helping the school with recess or lunchtime supervision. They’ll usually love the chance to have your help!
Do you use home schooling methods, or have you considered them? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!
Thank you for this blog! I’ve been debating this exact thing for my 2.5 year old. I have him in a preschool 2 days per week for a few hours per day and it has been so difficult. He only started there 8 weeks ago and he has already had an accidental exposure to peanuts and they forgot to tell me about it. He also has a lot more scratches from unsupervised itching. I worry about bullying once he gets to school age and I’ve really been considering homeschooling. Also, I worry about him going to school before he really understands his allergy to peanuts, knows how and when to use an epi-pen, and can advocate for himself. I’m curious to see other readers’ experiences!
It is something to consider and it can be very rewarding! I think many people view homeschooling as ostracizing children or the children will not be socialized. However there so many resources, co-ops, daytime play and learn groups, etc that meet to create a community that children & parents love! I think it’s a great option whether battling skin conditions or not, especially if you have the time and resources to do it. Within a few weeks I think you’ll know if it’s the best fit or how to tweak it to work for your family. Keep us posted if you decide to do it and how it worked with managing your son’s eczema.
I have two children with asthma, eczema, peanut/tree nut allergies and soy/corn sensitivities. In addition, they both have very poor sleeping habits from the endless scratching since birth. They are now 12 and 4. I’ve been homeschooling for 6 yrs now and don’t regret it at all. The skin infections/flares are few and far between, and the kids don’t feel the negativity associated with a nut-free table or people staring at their eczema scratches. They are free to eat anything served at home and are much happier children because they are still able to sleep 8-10 hrs after a rough night, vs being pulled out of bed to catch the bus if we were up itching. We tried school for two years and everyone was miserable. My kids are very well socialized through various outside activities and they repeatedly test well above grade level. It has truly changed our lives for the better!
This is Great Tammy! Thanks for this insight as it’s hard to see years down the road when handling a toddler, or young elementary age child. While public schools seem to be catching on, it is a delicate balance to allow everyone to feel included and not separated from those with or without allergies.