Parents of children with special needs, including those with conditions such as autism, often face challenges when deciding on the best educational environment for their child. While public schools provide essential services, they may not always offer the individualized attention, therapeutic support, or specialized interventions that some children require. For these families, options such as homeschooling, alternative school, and therapeutic day schools at multidisciplinary clinics may provide a more tailored and supportive learning experience.

Therapy & Wellness Connection strives to be a one-stop-shop for families of neurodivergent children – including education alternatives for those who find public school isn’t cutting it. We believe that if kids don’t learn the way we teach, then we need to teach the way they learn. Public schools are provided state and federal funding to kids with special needs to ensure access to a quality education. However, they still often lack the resources to provide it. That’s why we decided to step in and provide these education alternatives for Northeast Ohio kids with special needs.

Our tailored education alternatives include access to fully-qualified teachers, certified intervention specialists and education plans that meet state-mandated criteria. The fact that we are also a multidisciplinary therapy clinic means students have specialized supports with professionals across various disciplines like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. This establishes a holistic approach to the child’s development.

Homeschooling for Children with Special Needs

Homeschooling offers families a highly individualized approach to education. A lot of people think of “homeschooling” as something that has to happen at home and/or be provided by parents. It does not. We can offer homeschooling in our Brecksville clinic.

For children with special needs, this can be particularly beneficial because the curriculum can be entirely customized to the child’s learning style, pace, and specific needs. Sometimes parents or caregivers who homeschool their children will collaborate with our specialists to incorporate essential therapies and interventions into the daily schedule. Or our teachers can provide homeschooling services to the family directly.

Some benefits of homeschooling for children with autism or other developmental disabilities include:

• Flexible Learning Environment: Children can learn at their own pace, free from the pressures of a traditional classroom setting. This can be especially helpful for children who experience sensory overload or anxiety in large groups.
• One-on-One Attention: Homeschooling allows for personalized, focused attention that may not be feasible in a classroom of 20 or more students. This can help ensure that the child fully understands the material before moving on.
• Integration of Therapy: Homeschooling allows instructors to easily integrate therapy sessions (such as speech or occupational therapy) into the day without disrupting the child’s schedule or requiring additional trips to external clinics.

Many homeschooling families partner with multidisciplinary clinics to provide structured support, including therapies that are crucial for addressing the child’s developmental challenges. This partnership helps ensure that the child receives a balanced education that supports their cognitive, emotional, and physical development.

Alternative Schools for Children With Special Needs

Multidisciplinary clinics offer a holistic approach that combines therapy with specialized education, creating a supportive and structured environment that addresses both the academic and therapeutic needs of children with special needs in a way that traditional public schools often cannot.

Certified intervention specialists and special education teachers offer individualized instruction based on each child’s unique learning style and challenges. Smaller class sizes and personalized attention enable these teachers to address each child’s specific academic and behavioral goals, which may not be practical in larger public school settings.

Additionally, alternative schooling programs at multidisciplinary clinics often incorporate sensory-friendly environments and flexible schedules tailored to the child’s needs. These elements are especially important for children with sensory processing issues, which are common in those with autism.

Therapeutic Day Schools at Multidisciplinary Clinics

Therapeutic day schools offer a more intensive approach to education and therapy, combining academic instruction with a focus on addressing the child’s developmental, behavioral, and therapeutic needs. These schools are often housed in multidisciplinary clinics where certified intervention specialists, special education teachers, and licensed therapists work together to create individualized education plans (IEPs) tailored to each child’s specific needs.

Advantages of therapeutic day schools include:

• Comprehensive, Individualized Care: Therapeutic day schools integrate education with therapy in a seamless way that is difficult to achieve in traditional school settings. Speech, occupational, and ABA therapies are often built into the child’s daily routine, ensuring that educational and therapeutic goals are aligned.
• Behavioral Support: Many therapeutic day schools employ ABA therapy to help children with autism improve their social, communication, and self-regulation skills. This level of behavioral support is often difficult to provide in a typical public school setting due to larger class sizes and fewer specialized staff.
• Smaller Class Sizes: Therapeutic day schools typically maintain smaller class sizes, which allows for more one-on-one attention and personalized instruction. This can make a world of difference for children who may struggle to keep up in a larger classroom.

Why Public Schools May Not Be Practical for Every Child

Public schools, while offering valuable resources, often have limitations in terms of class sizes, individualized instruction, and access to specialized therapies. For example, public schools may not always have the capacity to provide daily speech or occupational therapy, nor are they equipped to offer the level of behavioral intervention that many children with autism require. In contrast, a multidisciplinary clinic like Therapy & Wellness Connection that offers therapeutic day schools or alternative education or homeschooling services can provide the intensive, tailored support that many children with special needs require.

Bottom Line

Choosing the right educational setting for a child with special needs can be a daunting decision for parents. However, the right education alternatives, including options like homeschooling, alternative schools, and therapeutic day schools—particularly those associated with multidisciplinary clinics—offer the specialized support and therapeutic services that many children with autism and other developmental disabilities need to thrive. By combining education with therapy, these options provide a holistic approach that promotes both academic success and developmental growth.

Additional Resources:

Unveiling alternative schools: A systematic review of cognitive and social-emotional development in different educational approaches, March 2024, Children and Youth Services Review

More Blog Entries:

Handwriting Helpers From Our Cleveland Occupational Therapy Team, Oct. 27, 2024, Therapy & Wellness Connection Blog

We Provide Akron Tutors and Homeschool Help for Kids With Special Needs, Aug. 11, 2022, Therapy & Wellness Connection Blog