More on homeschooling sick children

Yesterday I touched on the benefits of homeschooling sick children. I discussed how homeschooling could improve a child’s health as in the case with my children. I also talked about how one family in particular was harassed by the school district and how the problem was resolved. I feel this subject needs a bit more attention because a sick child needs special care, and exposing them to large numbers of children and strict rules can be detrimental to the health and recovery of a sick child. As much as we hate to think about children that were are very ill … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Sick Children

As I have mentioned many times before, homeschoolers choose to do so for many different reasons. One unfortunate, but very common reason is because of a child’s delicate health. In many such cases, schools also agree that a sick child could be better taught at home, and even before homeschooling was legal, schools would facilitate such a private education. These days because of the overall popularity of homeschooling, it appears that some feel homeschoolers are lying about their children’s illnesses in order to homeschool without interferences. Never mind the fact that no-one needs “permission” to homeschool, there are still school … Continue reading →

Homeschool Questions and Answers: Reversing Letters

Question: My son still reverses letters. . .sequences of things etc. I’m fairly confident at this point that he has issues with letter reversals. In looking for resources but what I’m finding is stuff for kids who are behind–which my son is not. He is about to start 4th grade math (just started 2nd grade) and I fully anticipate that he’ll get at least half way through 5th grade. . .and he reads at a solid 2nd grade level. So why worry about a bunch of backwards numbers and letters? I’m not worried but I sense that at this point, … Continue reading →

Micheal Phelps, ADHD, and Our Homeschooling Journey

I just read an excellent article on Michael Phelps that talks about his problems with ADHD and how it ultimately helped to excel in swimming. The article talks specifically about the ability of the ADHD person to hyperfocus when it comes to learning something they are interested in. As an unmediated adult living with ADD (I am less hyperactive these days), I can relate. The first time I heard the word “hyperfocus” it was from my husband. He complained that when I found a new interest that I would literally shut everything else out and focus solely on that topic. … Continue reading →

Public School’s Offer to Help with Your Learning Disabled Child

It is that time of year again. Homeschooling parents all over my county and very likely all over the country are receiving letters that offer in school services to learning-disabled home schooled children. Here is an excerpt from one such letter: Federal law (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, or IDEIA) and the Georgia Department of Education Rules for Special Education require that each local public school agency work with private and home school providers to locate any student that may benefit from special education and related services. Our local school district is required to spend a proportionate … Continue reading →

7 Tips for Beginning to Homeschool a Child With an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Homeschooling for autistic children makes a lot of sense for a variety of reasons. It is not necessarily less stressful than sending your child to school. But for many families the stresses that come with home schooling their autistic children are welcome as parents see the needs of their children truly being met in a loving and compassionate way. At the request of a couple individuals I have begun compiling information from various sources about homeschooling with kids with autism spectrum disorders. 1. Deschooling Most experts seem to feel that the beginning of home schooling for a child with an … Continue reading →

Protecting your Special Needs Homeschool

For many children with special needs, homeschooling provides just the right environment for these kids to reach their potential. Homeschools are often significantly more consistent, there are less distractions, and homeschoolers with special needs have the best teachers of all: parents who are intensely interested in seeing their child succeed. However, if your child has been in the special education system, homeschooling legally can be more difficult than for other families. Here are some pointers from HSLDA to protect your legal rights to homeschool your special needs child: Arrange for regular Evaluations and Document Your Child’s Progress Regardless of your … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Special Needs Kids: Resources

I set out to write one, maybe two blogs about homeschooling your child with special needs. However, I foolishly didn’t realize that there was so much to it. For those of you who homeschool special needs children, I welcome your suggestions for blogs. For now, we will start at the beginning, with a list of resources for you to check out. National Home Education Network NHEN has a great FAQs page about home schooling special needs children. National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network A resource for Christian families who are home schooling special needs kids. Aut2Be Home An e-mail list and … Continue reading →