6 Things I Learned Homeschooling a Child with MERLD

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MERLD stands for Mixed Expressive-Receptive Language Disorder. Here are six things I've learned homeschooling a child with MERLD. #alittlerandr #MERLD #langaugedisorder #homeschool #specialneedshomeschooling

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the statement that homeschool shouldn’t look traditional. By it’s very definition it is anti-traditional school. It is homeschool, not school at home.

Honestly, it still hasn’t sunk in completely.

But what hasn’t yet sunk in all the way, should by the end of the 2019-2020 school year — because homeschooling a child with MERLD – a language disorder – must be approached in an atypical fashion!

6 Things I Learned Homeschooling a Child with MERLD

Many children with MERLD are misdiagnosed with:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Attention Deficit Disorder
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Sensory Processing Disorder

There are a couple of reasons for this:

The behaviors that are considered red flags are typical for their age, but because they have a language delay, they are put under a microscope and these behaviors are seen as problematic.

Their inability to process language correctly causes them to become bored or distracted. They tune out the constant noise in their environment.

This can mean that they appear to be anti-social, as they reject playing with other children because they have trouble engaging in conversation at the same level as their peers.

They often don’t read social cues as well as their peers.

They are often extremely distracted in classroom settings when they don’t fully understand what the teacher is saying.

All because of their trouble receiving and expressing language.

The more I understood the struggles my youngest son was having with language, the more I realized that if I was going to successfully homeschool him, I’d need to throw out the “sit-still-and-listen” classroom approach.

I was going to have to take homeschool outside of the box and do something totally different.

And the results have been amazing!!

Homeschooling a child with MERLD isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding!


Misty from Year Round Homeschooling generously allowed me to share on her blog in this post: 6 Things I’ve Learned Homeschooling Children with a Language Disorder


Don’t miss the other posts in this 3-part series:

6 Things You Need to Know About Homeschooling a Kid With MERLD

6 Things I Learned About Homeschooling a Kid With MERLD

What Every Parent Needs to Know About MERLD


More homeschool content here

Rosilind
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