Baby Einstein: Preschoolers With Learning Differences

God doesn’t make cookie-cutter people—each one of us is unique. Baby Albert Einstein (the real person, not the educational toy) was one of those very different children. It is said that Einstein had an abnormally large and misshapen head, was slow to speak, and had difficulty with traditional rote learning. His forgetfulness was legendary; supposedly he couldn’t even remember his own phone number. Had he been born in the twenty-first century, he would probably have been put in a special school, perhaps labeled as developmentally delayed or autistic. Although he attended school sporadically, his mother also taught him at home, and despite (or perhaps because of) his different way of learning, he eventually matured into the theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity.

Homeschoolers can maximize their child’s learning gifts, and find ways to learn in spite of challenges. Just as Einstein didn’t learn well through traditional methods, you may find that you need to teach your little “Einstein” differently.

Perhaps other children picked up on the alphabet song in just a few days, but your child with special needs can’t recite to save his life. Yes, learning the ABCs is on the developmental milestone chart, but maybe it isn’t really that important right now. (Especially considering that many typically developing children recite the ABCs by rote, without any understanding of what the letters represent.) Instead, it might make more sense to use an active, hands-on beginning phonics program, concentrating on the sounds of the letters, before their names. Consider programs such as Sing, Spell, Read and Write or Love and Learning; find more resources at nathhan.com/currtest.htm.

Children who can’t comprehend workbook assignments often learn well with tactile activities and hands-on learning. Try learning through music, mirror writing (with wipe-off pens), using fingers to write letters in sand, educational computer games, lapbook learning, alphabet cookie baking, alphabet letter-bead bracelets, squishing letters in clay, and yes, even educational toys.

Thomas Sowell wrote a book titled the Einstein Syndrome in which he described exceptionally bright people who experience a delay in development of speech. Parents with children who have various learning challenges have adopted the term “Einstein Syndrome” to describe how expectations affect learning, either positively or negatively.

However, the old saying “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” applies doubly to preschoolers with special learning needs. Both new homeschoolers and old timers can feel overwhelmed, at times, by baby Einstein children. My adult children homeschooled from preschool through college; however, when my youngest was born with special needs (low vision, medically fragile, and speech challenged) I found out how little I really knew about child development. Before a child will “drink the water” of learning, he or she must want to learn, and be given the tools to overcome learning challenges.

I found encouragement through an article in the NATHHAN (nathhan.com) Spring/Summer 2010 magazine titled, “Do-it-Yourself Early Child Development,” adapted from the book, Christian Homes and Special Kids, by Sherry Bushnell and Diane Ryckman. The article started with the “Baby Years: a Look at Infant Stimulation and Early Childhood Intervention.” Ryckman provided biblically-based, abundant, specific information, which could be easily implemented by parents with children who have special needs.

For instance, she recommended that when providing homeschool-style infant stimulation and early childhood intervention for your baby with special needs, there are two simple keys to keep in mind: “1. Know what comes next in skills development, and 2. Work towards it.”

Ryckman stated that “For some children, input needs to be so much greater before they will begin to respond…” In addition, the text provided a wide variety of resources for communication and speech development, pre-reading skills, pre-writing skills, beginning math skills, and most importantly, guiding little ones to Christ.

Books such as Choosing and Using Curriculum for Your Special Child and Learning in Spite of Labels, both by Joyce Herzog, also share practical methods for homeschooling baby Einstein children. Use a curriculum as a guide to developmental goals, but try and stay flexible. Tailoring resources to your child’s individual needs is essential; however, take heart, as homeschooling is well suited for individualized education.

Often, families feel alone—they wonder if anyone can understand their struggles and pain. However, homeschoolers can find support and specific information on challenges such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Down syndrome, giftedness, communicative disorders, vision and hearing disorders. Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), hslda.org, offers a Special Needs Coordinator and legal assistance. You can find additional resources and curriculum, on my website: eaglesnesthome.com.

A homeschool author and mom wrote, “Homeschooling a special needs child presents many unique challenges. Depending on the learning disability or specific needs of your child there are a variety of resources available to you. There are also some unique issues you must be prepared for. When we adopted our daughter three years ago we knew she had severe hearing loss. We did not know that at 4-1/2 years old she had no language, no concept of language or even a self-identity. This presented some real challenges to me. Thankfully I had three years of homeschooling under my belt so I was fairly confident as a homeschool mom that I could still teach my daughter. It was difficult, and remains very challenging, but it is worth the effort.” (“Teaching Children with Special Needs,” National Home Education Network). You don’t need to “walk alone.” Help is available. You will probably find that your little person, although unique, is in good company when you network with other families who homeschool with similar gifts and challenges.

Parents with preschoolers who have learning challenges must cope with the added difficulty of teaching a strong willed child who cannot understand or remember directions or language. Although academic skills are important for success in a modern world, resources such as Better Late than Early, by Raymond and Dorothy Moore, encouraged us to focus on character and behavior—not just academics. If you’re struggling with communication issues, Dr. James D. MacDonald offers resources for parents and families: search for “Communicating Partners.”

It is often difficult (due to pressure outside the family) to ignore academic delays and focus on successes, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to others. If your developmentally delayed four-year-old finally is able to say “Mama” using sign language, how can you share your joy with families homeschooling preschoolers who are reading storybooks and coloring inside the lines? How can you share, just how miraculous it is, and how much effort your preschooler must exert in order to learn?

Carol Barnier, wrote at opengifts.org, “I believe that we miss many of God’s greatest gifts in ourselves and in our children because we fail to truly open the gifts. Instead we long for our gifts to look and walk and talk like all the gifts we see in others. We aren’t comfortable being different in any way. My goal is to convince you that these differences are the gifts, and to plunge into the delicious process of opening the gifts sent to us by our heavenly Father, learning to use our uniqueness to live out the wondrous plan made on our behalf.”

True, most of our children with special needs will not grow up to be Einsteins. However, each child has unique untapped gifts. In our most challenging times, Galatians 6:9 tells us to “not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Perhaps in this lifetime we may not know why our child must struggle—and it hurts. We want our child healed, and right now. However, God knows the plans that he has for us, and our little ones, and He will give us the strength, and the network, to walk in His ways.

I pray that we have eyes to see our unique special children—God’s gifts—with God’s eyes.