How do you homeschool a neurodivergent child?
In this guide, Tiana Thompson covers what parents need to start homeschooling including financial considerations, learning styles, and applying for support and applying an exemption to home-school. Originally published in 2022.
Why homeschool?
Hei te tau tītoki | The year the tītoki tree blooms
This whakataukī references the Tītoki tree, which, like our tamariki/rangatahi only blooms when the climate is right.
As a parent of a neurodivergent tamariki or rangatahi, home-schooling may be something you are considering as a beneficial opportunity – or as a last resort. Many home-schooling whānau arrive at this option due to the education system not meeting the needs of their neurodivergent ākonga. They may be overwhelmed in the classroom, are bullied, or don't receive the learning support they need. Many have faced exclusions, standdowns or expulsion. One study shows autistic children in New Zealand are almost three times more likely to be stood down or suspended from school than children who aren't autistic.
In the case of my child, it was a combination of all these factors. Our whānau was forced into home-schooling having exhausted every other option available to our son. We were traumatised, exhausted and isolated. During the following four years that we home-schooled, we were able to heal, have our needs met, and create nurturing friendships amidst a community of like-minded families.
Getting started on your home-schooling journey can be overwhelming and intimidating, and because you're going against the "norm" of sending your tamariki/rangatahi to school, it can also feel like you’re alone, swimming against the current of popular opinion.
The good news is that there is a huge home-schooling community that have been through what you are going through and are happy to help!
How much does homeschooling cost?
I orea te tuatara ka puta ki waho | A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions
Financial constraints are a big factor preventing whānau from home-schooling.
To make home-schooling work, you need to be able to have one parent at home.
Your child will no longer be eligible for any teacher aid hours or in-school supports. However, they'll still have funded access to certain supports like a speech language therapist, occupational therapist and assistive technology.
Home-schooling families are paid a small allowance which is paid in bi-annual instalments. The amount for one child totals $796.00, with lesser amounts for each subsequent child. I'm also aware of families paying themselves using carer support payments.
What are the different types of homeschooling?
E koekoe te kōkō, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū | The parson bird chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos (It takes all sorts to make a world/ variety is the spice of life).
There are many different styles of home-schooling that your whānau can choose from, depending on what works best for you and your tamariki/ rangatahi.
At one end of the spectrum is Te Kura/ Correspondence school (which is like a regular school that is taught extramurally with the parent supervising).
At the other end of the spectrum is Radical Unschooling, in which no scheduled formal learning takes place, with child-centred learning naturally occurring in daily life.
The style of home-schooling you choose may evolve and change throughout your home-schooling journey, depending on what works for you and your child.
As a qualified teacher, I naturally gravitated toward a more formal teaching and learning style. This rapidly changed into more of a project-based integrated curriculum, driven by my child’s interests. I strongly recommend that all whānau new to home-schooling begin with a period of ‘Unschooling.’ This provides tamariki/ rangatahi with an opportunity to ‘detox’ from any negative learning experiences they’ve had while at school and allows them to start home-learning with a fresh mindset.
Other styles or aspects you might like to adopt (or include to some extent) include using a purchased curriculum subscription or work-books, or attending tutoring or a Nature School.
How to access support at home
He rau ringa e oti ai | Many hands make light work
From a parent’s perspective, home-schooling is incredibly flexible, enjoyable and rewarding. However, it can also be unrelenting, sometimes menial, and often unrecognised work.
A good support system is imperative if you are going to succeed. While it’s not the case for many, I was lucky enough to have my parents, husband, and many of my close friends behind me on our home-schooling journey. However, the people that really made a difference were the other members of the neurodiverse home-schooling community we met along the way. There are many different groups within the general home-schooling community. The best way to get in touch with your local home-schooling community is via thier Facebook page - check out the list of support groups in your region on the NCHENZ website (National Council of Home Educators NZ). Most local home-schooling communities organise weekly meet-up and activities such as swimming or dance lessons, gymnastics, lego club etc.
Make sure to factor in time for yourself too, whether this is scheduled time while your tamariki/rangatahi spends with another caregiver, or in a Respite Care setting.
How to apply for a homeschooling exemption
Tē tōia, tē haumatia | Nothing can be achieved without a plan, workforce and way of doing things
To homeschool in Aotearoa, you need to apply to the Ministry of Education for an exemption from enrolment for your child. In your exemption application, you need to demonstrate your intention to "teach your child at least as regularly and well as in a registered school."
This includes what and how you are going to teach, as well as the resources you intend to use. If your tamariki/ rangatahi is younger than six or older than 15, or you are enrolling them in Te Kura they do not need an exemption.
Te Kura is a registered school so you would need to follow the enrolment criteria and process after qualifying under one of the gateways. The funded gateway that might apply to neurodiverse tamariki/ rangatahi is that one that refers to psychosocial needs. Te Kura is free for 16-19 year olds who are not enrolled in school.
I found the Exemption Application process a good opportunity to really nut out how I wanted home-schooling to work for us (although as I’ve said this may change!).
I’d recommend looking at the examples on the resources section in the Homeschooling NZ Facebook page or searching the page for relevant advice that has previously given.
The biggest, most helpful piece of advice I could give is to get help from an expert. Seasoned home-schooler Cynthia Hancox offers a Home Education Exemption Application Guide Pack, including a template that is much more accessible than the Ministry of Education (MoE) provides! Cynthia also offers a service to review applications before they are submitted.
Applications usually take four to six weeks to be processed, depending on the region. They may get declined first time around or you may be asked for more information. This happened to me, despite my being a qualified teacher. So don’t be disheartened!
Once you have your exemption, you are free to home-school your tamariki/ rangatahi without the need for any further intervention from MoE.
There is the VERY SLIGHT chance you might be subjected to an ERO review if someone lodges a complaint about you to the MoE. If you’d like your tamariki/ rangatahi to trial regular school again, you can retain your exemption as long as attendance is less than 10 weeks.
Home-schooling was an amazing option for our family. Free from the daily stress, sensory overwhelm, prejudice, and failure our child experienced in the classroom environment, our child thrived. They acquired the skills they needed to engage in learning in a positive and successful way and have since reintegrated into mainstream schooling. The friends I have found along the way, from within the neurodivergent home-schooling community, have become one of my biggest sources of understanding, empathy, and strength.
He taonga rongonui te aroha ki te tangata | Goodwill towards others is a precious treasure
