Homeschooling a child with special needs with a toddler interfering

[SonshineMama]

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[HuggaBuggaMommy]

Originally Posted by Maleldil's daughter

My ds is 6. He started first grade about a month ago after homeschooling for kinder.
He has some attention issues of some kind, which we're working on getting identified. That will be a process we will undertake regardless.
He is emotionally overwhelmed with school. It is big, and far more structure and expectation than he's used to. The school day is long (7 1/2 hours) with only one ten-minute recess after lunch (!). He is being given an inappropriate amount of homework and inexplicably (to me) grades, so there is a pressure to perform on his in-class assignments.
He's also academically overwhelmed. I believe in play-based learning for kinder (I think it's supported by good research) so I provided what I considered an enriching education in kinder but I did not have him reading at a level D, which is apparently what is expected here in TX. He dislikes writing so although we did some daily writing last year, it wasn't daily journals, so he struggles with how much writing is expected. He tells me he can't finish work because he doesn't know how to write words such as 'permission' or 'digestion.' On top of the attention issue and his slow handwriting. He is doing fine in math.
The attention thing really is there though. And yes, that's part of why I'm considering homeschooling again, is that despite the toddler, it seems like he could get more attention and hands-on or interactive learning, and thus make good progress while still retaining a positive self-concept as a learner, which is crucially important. But then there's this little accusatory voice saying well, you homeschooled last year and now he's behind so how do you know he wouldn't just fall behind more (even though I think the expectations for kinder/first are kind of absurd).

My two cents - knowing that I tend to have a "better late than early" philosophy, and I also have a 17 year old in his second year of college who was almost completely independent in his daily work by fourth grade - is that 1st grade require only about 90 minutes of "school" (formal instruction), and that can be done at various times (does toddler nap?) as convenient. The rest of learning time, toddler can join in.