Emma- my DS has just been diagnosed with DAMP (Deficits inAttention, Motor Control and Perceptual Abilities) and a feature of this condition is that he requires a lot of repetition and one on one attention to learn effectively.
He is in Grade 1 this year, Prep last year and at almost 6 he is prob at the reading(letter recognition)/writing level of a 3 year old. He cannot concentrate in a classroom situation. Even if he could concentrate, his motor skills are so very underdeveloped that every day he is falling further and further behind. The long-term prognosis for these kids is very dark with academic failure, low self-esteem, depression and aggression being commonly experienced. The doctor has warned us that a diagnosis of Autism could be a possibility in the future due to 'developmental drift'.

We are unable to access Special Ed at the school because we don't have a diagnosis of Autism right now.

The way I see it, homeschooling is my only choice if I want my boy to be educated and keep his self-esteem in tact. I'm at home with DD and we're planning to have another baby next year. Due to our financial situation, we don't plan for me to work for the next 6 or so years (if ever) so it's not as if homeschooling is going to be a financial sacrifice.

Prior to his diagnosis, homeschooling is not something I would have considered but now it makes perfect sense. It's a little daunting- I know that it increases the pressure and time-constraints on me and I'm prob going to get stressed and exhausted blah, blah, blah. But a few years of that compared to the possibility of DS going through any of that other stuff...I think I'll find the motivation to keep going