Simply Classical (A Beautiful Education for Any Child) 2nd Ed.

Is there a place for special needs children within the world of classical education? I've often wondered. It's so language intensive and language is often an issue. It's also rigorous and academically advanced and that seems unattainable. But it's also highly structured and brain-building. And that's the key. Cheryl Swope proved with her own children, adopted twins with multiple delays and issues, that not only is there a place, but it's the very best place. Simply Classical is more than their story even though it's a beautiful one filled with hard work, daily sacrifices, heartbreak and disappointment, and then, ultimately, with the magnificent realization of what has been accomplished step by agonizing step. Simply Classical is a road map through a classical, Christian educational journey for children who face special challenges. Employing the basic principles of classical education the three arts of language (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and the four arts of mathematics (arithmetic, music theory, geometry, and astronomy), she built a disciplined plan for her children who had very different challenges and now has turned her efforts toward sharing what she has learned with others. This is a wonderful resource for the homeschooling parent of autistic or other special learners. It looks at the challenges faced by special needs children and offers insights for success in education and social skills. Part personal story and part practical resource providing curricula recommendations, book lists, sample schedules, tips on making modifications to meet a child's needs, mini-screening checklists, developmental milestones, informal and formal testing as well as others' stories. The book concludes with a thorough appendix of outside resources. 276 pgs, pb. ~ Janice

Publisher's description: This revolutionary new book guides parents and teachers in implementing the beauty of a classical education with special-needs and struggling students. Cheryl is an advocate of classical Christian education for special-needs students. The love of history, music, literature, and Latin instilled in her own children has created in Cheryl the desire to share the message that classical education offers benefits to any child.