ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the concerns of families whose children have special educational needs or disabilities within the context of schooling. It focuses on experiences of two families whose children had identifiable medical conditions, both of whom felt the specific needs of their children were not adequately supported by state schooling. Both families could have chosen to remain within state schooling but concluded that it was within their child's interests to receive an education more specifically focused on their needs. There were a number of striking differences between the Wilsons and the Knights. Whilst the distinction in conceptualising the issues was apparent between the two families, what seemed a lot less clear was how effective their decision to home educate would be for their children. The linking of specialness to the need for closer family engagement was a persistent feature of families who identified their child as having a special talent that was not fully appreciated or supported by mainstream schools.
