How to Get Started in Homeschooling (Especially with a Neurodivergent Child)

If you’re new to homeschooling, it can feel overwhelming before you even begin.

Curriculum choices. Grade levels. State requirements. Social pressure. And if your child is autistic or neurodivergent, there’s an added layer of:“ Am I doing enough—or too much?”

Here’s the truth many parents don’t hear early on:

Homeschooling doesn’t start with buying curriculum. It starts with understanding where your child is right now.

Step 1: Figure Out Where Your Child Is Actually At

This isn’t about testing or labeling. It’s about observing.

Ask yourself:

• What grade level would they be in, roughly?

• What skills feel solid?

• What feels emerging?

• What are they curious about?

For example, my daughter Aiza is technically at a fourth-grade level, so we cover core fourth-grade material to meet expectations. But we don’t stop there—because she told us through her letterboards and AAC app that she wanted to explore early high school topics like chemistry and pre-algebra.

Homeschooling allows us to:

• Meet her where she is

• Honor where she wants to go

• Do both at the same time

You don’t have to hold your child back to stay “on level.”

Step 2: Use Grade Levels as a Guide, Not a Cage

Grade levels are tools—not limits.

You can:

• Use grade-level curriculum for structure

• Supplement with more advanced material where interest exists

• Slow down where regulation or access is harder

This flexibility is one of homeschooling’s greatest strengths—especially for autistic kids whose abilities may be spiky rather than linear.

Step 3: Make Learning Engaging and Kinesthetic

Many neurodivergent kids learn best when their hands are involved, not just their eyes and ears.

Kinesthetic learning (learning by doing) might include:

• Cut-and-paste activities

• Coloring and visual matching

• Hands-on experiments

• Sorting, building, and manipulating materials

• Writing, circling, or pointing instead of answering verbally

For my daughter, engagement increases dramatically when learning feels interactive instead of passive.

Step 4: Build Communication Access into Learning

Academics and communication don’t have to be separate.

We incorporate S2C letterboards into learning by:

• Letting her spell answers instead of speaking

• Using boards to choose topics or activities

• Allowing spelling to guide pacing and interest

• Presuming competence—even when motor planning is hard

This keeps learning accessible while honoring her voice.

Step 5: Remember—Engagement Comes Before Output

If your child is regulated, curious, and engaged, learning is happening—even if it doesn’t look traditional.

Homeschooling isn’t about recreating school. It’s about creating access.

And when kids feel safe, supported, and seen, growth follows.

Lastly, some important reminders

You don’t need:

• A perfect schedule

• Every subject every day

• Proof that you’re “doing it right”

You need:

• Connection

• Curiosity

• Flexibility

Homeschooling is a relationship first—and academics grow from there.