What is Therapy Unschooling?

Could it be the right fit for your family?

If you’re looking for a non-confrontational alternative to traditional schooling, the idea of unschooling might sound right up your alley. 

And when you have an autistic child you’re homeschooling, this path offers you a wonderful option...the ability to prioritize private therapies so your child can focus on strengthening their lagging social, emotional, and developmental skills.

A lot of people assume attending school is a requirement to get the best education possible…but what if I told you that there are alternatives to traditional education that can provide you with a higher quality of learning? Especially if you're parenting a neurospicy kid.

Read on to discover what Therapy Unschooling is, and see if it's the right fit for your family!

What is Unschooling?

Unschooling is a method of teaching children that is very different from traditional school methods. In an unschooling environment, children are responsible for making decisions about how they want to learn. Instead of being given the answers, they figure it out by observing what others do, asking questions, and taking action to solve problems themselves. Because there is no prescribed curriculum, unschoolers learn in their own way and at their own pace.

Unschooling is based on the idea that children are naturally inquisitive and interested in learning about the world around them. When children aren’t forced to memorize lists, complete worksheets, or take tests and report card grades, they're more likely to develop a love of learning.

What is Therapy Unschooling?

You may not have heard of the term because I'm pretty sure I made it up...this was the style of homeschooling we naturally gravitated to in my kids' early years out of necessity. 

In a nutshell, you schedule the private therapies you think your child will benefit from (speech, PT, OT, play therapy, water therapy, horse therapy, etc.), then you keep the academics in your homeschool day pretty light.

The focus is on helping your child develop the emotional, social, and academic skills they need to succeed in a more structured learning environment. This also ensures they have enough time to process and integrate the therapeutic skills they are earning in therapy. 

In our experience, it also ensured they had enough rest and downtime to function well, and avoid becoming over-stressed (which we all know is a one-way ticket to meltdown city).

You'd be amazed at all they can learn while using this approach!

The benefits of Therapy Unschooling for autistic kids.

One of the things that makes Unschooling so attractive for parents of autistic children is the idea of being able to spend less time fighting to get your kids the education they deserve, and instead spend more time playing and exploring together with your child.

These are just some of the benefits I've noticed with my own kids...

• My kids are well-rested and in tune with what their bodies need. They never have to ask for a snack or to use the restroom.
• They made tremendous gains in their therapies and have overcome a lot of their early challenges.
• When you separate academics from socialization, it becomes easier for them to get good at the two separate tasks.
• My kids love to learn! I’m not sure they would have had the same experience inside a classroom.
• They get the chance to interact with all sorts of people, not just the same 10-25 similarly disabled students in the same zip code who would make up their Special education classroom.
• We do lots of hands-on learning, which is what motivates them and helps them learn.
• They get the chance to practice life skills every day…did someone say laundry?! Yeah, my 8-year-old knows how to fold her own clothes. #HumbleBrag
• We’re able to focus on learning what they want to learn, and what they need to learn. No need for Algebra II over here unless someone wants to dive into it, but they will learn how to do their taxes before they graduate.
• We can dive deep into their special interests, often with some pretty cool results.
• I don’t have to fight a school district about what my kids need.
• My kids don’t have to learn at the pace and rate the Department of Education thinks they should, which is not developmentally appropriate, even for neurotypical kids!

I could keep going, but you get the picture…Therapy Unschooling is a great option for autistic kids!

What does it look like at our house?

In the early years (up until age 8 or so), we always included a read-aloud, an educational PBS Kids show or two, and some basic math (counting, adding/subtracting, or helping in the kitchen) in our days.

Most days, we also played board games and did our at-home therapeutic activities as well. YouTube and Curiosity Stream were huge parts of our day...as the kids learned about new and interesting things, they naturally wanted to learn more! Special shout out to Minecraft, the giver of sanity and teacher of coding, typing, spelling, and reading.

Now that my kids are a bit older, we've been able to implement a few curriculums into their day. We felt it was important they develop a love of reading and learn how to do consumer math, so we focus heavily on budgeting and reading for pleasure. 

Also, science kits are a great way to get them motivated (most days) as they both love learning about the natural world. We added history for the first time last year, and while it wasn't a teaching success, they at least have a passing knowledge of Ancient History right now, so I'll call it a win.

The rest of their days, after “life skills school” (aka doing chores) are filled with arts and crafts, trips to the store, playing online or in person with friends, playing with our pets, reading for fun, and watching a ridiculous number of baking shows. They have the time to pursue their interests in between therapy appointments and are allowed to honor their natural rhythms and changing needs.

Conclusion

Some families would benefit from a therapy unschooling approach and others wouldn’t. The bottom line is that there are no hard rules that dictate which approach works best for everyone. You must evaluate what works for your family.

Therapy unschooling is based on the philosophy that our children have the right to lead a happy, healthy life filled with education and support. We are here to give them the freedom to find their path, to explore their interests and passions, to discover who they are, and to develop into happy, independent adults.

That’s why I’ve dedicated an entire series of articles about the US educational system and how it relates to autistic students, so you can make the best, most informed decision for your child. The last article in the series will be published on June 11, 2023…check back then to get all the information you need to make the best education decisions for your autistic child.

In the meantime, drop a comment below and let me know…are you prioritizing therapy over school or vice versa? Does Therapy Unschooling seem like it’d work for your family?  I’d love to know what’s working best for you!