A Charlotte Mason Feast Spread for Our Children with Special Needs
A carefully selected living book. A comfy couch. Blankets and snuggles. Excellent and attentive narration. Core memories made. Hearts touched. Loving education as the atmosphere on which we build our lives.
This was what I thought homeschooling would be like. No one bouncing on a yoga ball. No one interrupting my perfectly curated artist study, with genuine urgency, to ask if I had heard his story of the elevated Minecraft build he had made during his extremely limited screen time last weekend (yes, I had heard of it several times). Nor me, the one parent homeschooling, having to still hold my youngest child’s hand through much of his Year 6, Form 2A, curriculum.
But this was not to be. I am the mother of four incredible young men. I graduated my first in May of 2025. I have a high school senior in a local, focused high school program as well as a high school sophomore and a middle schooler still at home. We have schooled exclusively in the Charlotte Mason method for the past nine years. Amongst my children, they have diagnoses of ADHD, dyslexia/dysgraphia, autism, some mental health challenges with anxiety and depression, as well as two that are less than five points from a genius level IQ. My homeschool days look significantly different than I expected that they would. But they are beautiful in their own way, still filled with snuggles (albeit quicker and way less often) and loving education that is now perfectly curated for them. But how? How does one teach such lofty ideals as Charlotte Mason espouses, to learners who don’t take in or process information in the same way as our neurotypical population?
If we examine many of Charlotte’s principles, they seem tailor-made for our neurodivergent children. She suggests short and varied lessons.
… the brain, or some portion of the brain, becomes exhausted when any given function has been exercised too long… School time-tables are usually drawn up with a view to give the brain of the child variety of work…[1]
The lessons are short, seldom more than twenty minutes in length for children under eight; and this, for two or three reasons. The sense that there is not much time for his sums or his reading, keeps the child’s wits on the alert and helps to fix his attention; he has time to learn just so much of any one subject as it is good for him to take in at once: and if the lessons be judiciously alternated—sums first, say, while the brain is quite fresh; then writing, or reading—some more or less mechanical exercise, by way of a rest; and so on, the programme varying a little from day to day, but the same principle throughout—a ‘thinking’ lesson first, and a ‘painstaking’ lesson to follow,—the child gets through his morning lessons without any sign of weariness.[2]
The neurodivergent child’s brain needs this variety to maintain that all-important habit of attention. The short lesson time and switching between various skill sets within the child’s developing paradigm of learning offers the chance for fresh excitement and wide mental feasting that all children, yes, but especially our attention-challenged children need to have a successful school day. When we peruse different timetables from the PNEU, we see that the longest a structured lesson time ever went was 45 minutes, and that was for high school students! This was a protection for tender minds to keep their interest from flagging. How much more so do we need to remain vigilant to this as parents and teachers of our special needs children?
In practicality, this may involve the use of a timer. The timer both kept my children on task, and myself. It is so easy to desire to “just finish” or “get through the last page”, and I still fall prey to that constantly. But if we adhere to the timetable, children know what is coming and can feel empowered and independent as they grow to manage their own time.
Charlotte Mason was so far ahead of her time, as even now, the science of our brain shows how quick bursts of sustained energetic focus, nicknamed “tabatas” or “pomodoros,” enhances productivity and excellence in the product turned out. Tabatas were originally named after a Japanese professor and researcher who wanted to test short, high intensity workouts on the performance of the Japanese Olympic speed skating team. He found that it increased athletic performance by observable metrics. This was translated into the Pomodoro Technique by a university student named Francisco Perillo, using a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato, hence the name “pomodoro,” which is Italian for tomato. Whether you are using the terms “tabata” or “pomodoro,” these short lessons for all, but especially our neurodivergent kiddos, prove to be their ally, both when young and when launching into the world independently.
Beyond the varied subjects and the short lessons, her philosophy also recognizes the individuality of each child, including our neurodivergent population. Charlotte’s very first principle recognizes that children are born persons. We cannot mold them into anything that we want, as much as we may try throughout the years. They have an inherent purpose and personhood, given to them by the Creator, and they will become that with guidance and discipling. So, providing the “feast” for them recognizes this and doesn’t allow them to become stuck on any one thing. Since her methodology doesn’t assign busywork or worksheets, you can escape the stress of the shame cycle that so many neurodivergent children deal with when they can’t stay focused long enough to complete a boring worksheet that doesn’t foster any connections anyway. See the freedom? We aren’t forcing them to conform to some image or placebo of what a “student” should be. We allow them to be themselves and learn how they learn whilst implementing a feast of different subjects that gives them the grace to find their interests and deep dive if we so allow.
What about the neurodivergent reliance on a highly structured schedule? This is another aspect that I feel is well spoken of and documented by Charlotte and those who adhered to her philosophy. If you glance at the wealth of resources on Charlotte Mason Poetry detailing the time tables of the PNEU, you will see excellent structure to the day to keep lessons short and the time within the previously mentioned age-appropriate length. Younger children have movement breaks and play throughout the day, and afternoons left open to afternoon occupations. This changes a bit as they age, but guess what? You’re in charge of your child’s learning. I have already shared with you my children’s ages, and I still incorporate movement breaks, sensory circuits,[3] and PE-style physical exercises (I, myself, am an athlete) into each day. I need it as much as they do! Beyond the topic of movement breaks, posting a timeline on the wall so children know exactly what is to come is something that Charlotte spoke of herself in her volumes.
In the first place, there is a time-table, written out fairly, so that the child knows what he has to do and how long each lesson is to last. This idea of definite work to be finished in a given time is valuable to the child, not only as training him in habits of order, but in diligence; he learns that one time is not ‘as good as another’; that there is no right time left for what is not done in its own time; and this knowledge alone does a great deal to secure the child’s attention to his work.[4]
So, to sum up, there is a structured lesson plan, posted for the child to see and for you to verbally reference throughout the day to encourage the child or bring them back on track, and movement/sensory breaks programmed in (something else the child can look at on the posted timetable).
Ok, ok. So we’ve discussed her ingrained principles of short lessons and varying the tax on the brain with each subject. Her recognition of each child’s distinct personhood. Her structured daily schedules. But what about the books?? The sheer plethora of reading material for our dyslexic or dysgraphic children seems insurmountable. In practicality, my 13-year-old just began reading novels on his own. How could I possibly suggest a Charlotte Mason curriculum? Have you seen Ambleside’s booklists?! The answer I have for you is twofold. First, take a deep breath. Recognize that children are capable of so many things. In studies of dyslexia[5] and their image-driven brain,[6] scientists found that dyslexic children have the strong memory recall (it’s truly amazing, in my experience) of meaning-based memory (correlating with Charlotte Mason’s “mind memory”[7]). With something they can focus on, they will recall the interwoven nature of your lessons and hear and process different and surprising things that your neurotypical children may not. This is called associative memory recall. They also have been shown to have strong declarative memory properties. This means that they are able to store explicit knowledge such as facts and personal experiences in an integrated and complex way that gives them a (sometimes spooky) high level of recall when something is paired with an individual experience that they’ve had or a personal connection with an event (Grandpa fought in that war, etc.). This is great news! Since you, my dear reader, will be sharing these moments with your child via narration and discussion, regardless of their age, their recall will be interwoven with you, both deepening and enhancing your relationship.
But the practical experience of reading… this deserves some discussion. I will sometimes ask my dyslexic child for narrations more frequently than I do with my older child. I also still read out loud to him for many of our school readings, and those that he reads himself are done out loud to me. We do audio books for some things, especially on fuller therapy schedule cycles. And for those of you who have someone in your life (or you, yourself) who thinks that audio books are not “REAL” reading, I’ve always lovingly responded with, “When blind people read using Braille, is this real reading?” In my house, we call it “ear reading,” so as not to differentiate the level from “eye reading.” For the heavier levels of middle and high school forms, there is the possibility of you recording some of the sections to move them towards more independence. Look into the BARD, or Braille and Audio Reading Download National Library, a program (after you apply) for those who are blind or struggle with reading disorders that allows you to download so many titles! We have loved this resource.
There are many other ways to generally homeschool a child with special needs, working with social emotional learning and movement breaks, transitional difficulty, and special interests that go beyond the scope of this exact article, so please leave a comment below to let me know if this is a topic that interests you and I’ll be happy to write a follow up article.
Charlotte Mason said:
This scheme of fairly wide and successful intellectual work is carried out in the same or less time than is occupied in the usual efforts in the same directions; there are no revisions, no evening preparations (because far more work is done by the children in ordinary school-time than under ordinary school methods, when the child is too often a listener only): no note-taking, because none are necessary, the children having the matter in their books and knowing where to find it; and as there is no cramming or working up of subjects there is much time to spare for vocational and other work of the kind.[8]
Without busy work, with short lessons that allow a child’s intellect and imagination to meet mind to mind with other great, brave, and wonderful thinkers, we lay an expansive landscape of wandering paths before our children with special needs, giving them the directions and watching them follow the call that the Holy Spirit has placed in their hearts. Watching them become the young men or women that Jesus has called them to be. Watching true development occur as they learn to assimilate for themselves through narration and “telling back” what they have just learned. When they can tell it, they own it. We are merely the train conductor on a beautiful journey along with our children. I couldn’t imagine traveling any other way.
Kathy Dlugolonski is first and foremost a lover of Jesus. She is a wife of 22 years to the love of her life, who keeps making her laugh every day. She is a mother of four boys, having graduated her first in May 2025 after homeschooling him since second grade. She is a doula, or birth worker, providing one-on-one support and encouragement for mothers and their husbands through the incredible time of bringing children into the world. She posts on Instagram and podcasts under the name “The Colorful Homeschooler” about Charlotte Mason philosophy, homeschooling, and mothering special needs boys. She somehow wound up on three boards this year, one of which she has been on for the last five, the Treasure Valley Charlotte Mason Community, where she and another passionate CM mom plan several events every year, from full day immersions and weekend retreats to monthly educational opportunities teaching on all manner of CM topics. She loves bright colors and laughing out loud. If you don’t catch her doing one of these things, you’d likely find her drinking a warm drink, running or weightlifting, hiking the Boise Foothills with her fam, or snuggling her three fur babies, one of whom won’t stop growing and another of whom is her favorite daughter.
Endnotes
[1] Home Education, p. 24, my emphasis in bold.
[2] Home Education, p.142, my emphasis in bold.
[3] At its core, a sensory circuit is a structured sequence of purposeful movement activities that provide a child with the sensory input that they need in order to feel calm, alert, and ready to learn. For help, see my podcast, The Colorful Homeschooler, “S1E3 Planning Sensory Breaks for your child,” or the article “What is a Sensory Circuit” on Sensory Pie.
[4] Home Education, p.142, my emphasis in bold.
[5] Radtke, B.M., Łada-Maśko, A., Jurek, P. et al. Exploring Memory Compensation in Dyslexia: Strengths and Weaknesses in Memory Patterns Among Children and Adolescents. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-025-01878-4
[6] “Research Topic: Picture Thinking & Dyslexia” Dyslexia.com Resource Site.
[7] See An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education, p. 173.
[8] An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education, p. 245.
©2026 Kathy Dlugolonski
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