AMDG+
Dear Parent;

Greetings from one parent of special needs children to another!  How much Our Lord teaches us through our children.

Does CHC have a curriculum for special needs children?  Yes, and no.  Instead of carrying materials specifically designed for special needs children [whose abilities vary widely], CHC makes it easy for you to pick and choose from its materials at every level.  You are free to select from materials at any level that would be appropriate for your daughter, rather than being locked in to one grade level.

If your daughter is able to tackle second grade work, then you might wish to select from the second grade coursework suggested in CHC's catalog and on their website.  [Since CHC's phonics and reading program is accelerated, you may find that first using CHC's Little Stories for Little Folks, with the accompanying phonics and penmanship workbooks --Catholic Heritage Handwriting, Levels K and 1, will help develop and reinforce her reading skills a bit before tackling CHC's accelerated second grade reading.]

For Life Skills, may I suggest hands-on shopping and cooking?  With our son and daughter, we found that nothing beat step-by-step, directed experience.  Perhaps you and your daughter might together create menus for simple, balanced meals, shop for ingredients, and then prepare the meals together.  Through these activities, she will be exposed to budgeting, math skills using money, proper nutrition, cooking, and safety in the kitchen.

If you live in a state which requires some kind of documentation for high school, you might find CHC's High School of Your Dreams to be a useful tool.  This volume not only shows how to document your daughter's educational program with credits and transcripts, but also provides suggestions for hands-on learning and even work experience that can be tailored to the abilities of the student.  For example, if your daughter likes animals and you have a good relationship with a local veterinarian or at the animal shelter, it is possible that she might volunteer and receive credit for the work experience.  Similarly, she might also be welcomed as a volunteer in your parish's office, at a nursing home, or in a pre-school classroom, as our daughter was.

May our good Jesus bless and guide you and your daughter,

Nancy Nicholson