Homeshcooling my IEP son

[judygray842]

I pulled my son out of school a few months ago when I got too frustrated with the public school system for not teaching him. He is 7 1/2, and was not about to pass first grade. They wanted to place him in second grade next year because of his age. He has ADHD, not an excuse to not teach him. He can't read or write, and is beginning to struggle with math, which used to be a strong point. They refused to test him for learning problems. When I pulled him out of school, they suddenly wanted to help. They went ahead and tested him, and now they want to provide 5 hours a week of special ed, and PT in addition to homeschooling, since I refuse to enroll him until I feel he's ready. We are homeschooling through the summer, to try to get ready for 2nd grade by the fall. I intend to teach at least until 3rd grade. They want him brought to school for these special ed sessions each week. I'm afraid they will do something completely different from our curriculum, and just confuse him. Has anyone else encountered this problem? Should I let them supplement my homeschool program?

[momo3boys]

I pulled my 7 1/2 year old son out of school for the same reason. We still went to school for one hour a day four days a week for speech, sped and OT. They were very helpful. Make sure that tey amend the IEP to say that the child is homeschooled and be specific on how to work with the teachers, example "the teachers will meet with a parent once week and dicuss ways to follow up on information given at school" or something like that. If it is in his IEP it needs to happen, just make sure it is in writing. Cody's teachers were very cooperative, and even gave me somethings to do over the summer. It was a new thing for them , we are the first family in the history of our school to do this, and we broke a lot of new ground. But it has let others know that this is an option. As far as interfering with a curricula, When a child is so far behind in certain things, most curricula doesn't work very well, because they are at so many different levels in math, reading, writing, science. Just make a Curricula for your son, find a math book, that he can have fun with that is at his level, get him to enjoy reading, and writing, rea to him, and let him pick a word in the book to read himself, let him tell you when he is ready, otherwise pushing him will make him hate homeschool too. Be flexible, when he cathces up if you want to get a whole curriculum you can. As long as you keep a freindly and open relationship with the school, you can make it work!

[judygray842]

[happycaringmom]

[pamtidteach]

Hi, I just joined the forum, particularly because of the special ed section. I am a speech pathologist and special ed teacher...quit the public school 11 years ago and started a small Christian school to help special needs kids. I have two that are dyslexic...and they were not learning in public.
The first thing I want moms to know is that moms have all the power when it comes to the IEP meeting. The laws that cover special ed are federal, not state run...although there are state to state standards and laws, the main one is the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilites Education Act) and they all have to follow it. When the time of the IEP comes, and there is a page for you to sign "I agree" you don't have to!! If you disagree...they have to have the meeting every 10 days until you reach an agreement. The special ed department won't tell you this....you have the right to disagree if what they are proposing will conflict with your homeschooling. You cannot ask them to teach Biblical material, they can't do that..but you can insist that they cover the same material you are covering and that the educational IEPs say that.
I also have some materials to recommend for non readers....the first is a computer program called Lexia, Phonics Based Reading...it is a little pricy but wonderful. The other is Teach Your Child to Read in 100 days..it is based on the old Distar/SRA program and is also very good. There is a program for kiddos who are non-phonic readers....keep that in mind, not all children can learn phonics...my two dyslexic are non-phonic readers and had to be taught another way. The program I used was a program by Lindamood Bell...it was called Auditory Discrimination in Depth (ADD) but now it is called LIPS..and I don't know what those letters mean. There may be a clinic or tutoring center near by that uses it. I love math u see... highly recommend it. The other program I highly recommend for LD kiddos is Shurley Grammar...they learn it and it is wonderful. Hope this helps...
Pam

[schoolingK2]

I am new and joined to bring hope and encouragement through my story.

Four years ago, we pulled our daughter out of the public school. They refused to help; they wanted her to attend a school for children with behavioral problems. We refused.

I began home-schooling and started noticing what teachers should have picked up on.

Today after numerous doctors appointments to get the intervention she requires; she has been diagnosed with:
 Deaf-blindness (sensory and functional)
 Developmental Dyspraxia
 Dysgraphia
 Sensory Integration Disorder

Doctor Recommendation:
 Speech and Language Therapy
 OT (Occupational Therapy)
 PT (Physical Therapy)
 Hippotherapy
 Adaptive PE
 Sensory Integration (sensory diet to meet her exact needs)
 Assistive Technology (auditory)
 Assistive Technology (eval. To determine what else will support her needs)
 If she isn’t reading and comprehending by age 12 they are recommending Braille ( so she will have some form of reading ability higher than grade K)
 No visual distractions
 No auditory distractions
 Room with no flickering lights and no back ground noise
 …………….the list goes on.

All of these carry the signs and symptoms of Autism, ADHD, and dyslexia to name the most common.

She is 10 and can barely read and comprehend. The schools are so eager to blame and put parents down. What I showed the school is that our daughter only learned 5 things when she was getting help from the "educational experts." Today she is learning but at a very slow rate. She has been taught the skills to compensate through her disibility.

You are your child's expert!

Our school district has tried to emotional break me. They have tried to convince me they are the "experts." Don't let them; you are the expert on your child. This just kept me advocating for my daughter.

I got the school to change her disability; I kept writing and calling them until I got the referral to our State's residential school for the Deaf and Blind. With out this I would not have a hearing aid for our daughter today. The residential school sat me down and said this is why she is doing this.... or this is why she is doing that..... This is why she is having problems in this area..... Finally relief came with answers. She wrote an educational plan to the school district in which we live.

I still knew there were more problems.

Our daughter's diagnoses are so rare that doctors don't even know what it is. The only help we found was a normal EEG, the Deaf Blind Project, and a kind hearted Neurophysiologist.

You know what your child needs before anyone else. Keep doing what your heart says. Just don't let the school see your emotions, be firm.


As a homeschooling mom you can receive ISP, this is for homeschooling kids only and an IEP is for public school kids only. The ISP is only for related services PT, OT, Speech and Language. Every state and every school district is different. In our school district these are the only related services that I have been informed about. Adaptive PE, tutoring, etc; they have told me that only public school kids can receive these services.

I have been through 2 IEP "eligibility meetings" and 2 IEP committee meetings this year. I have not signed because I disagree with what they are offering. This can drag on, but know your rights.

You have the right, should you disagree, to have an Independent Evaluation at the schools expense and you pick from their list that will provide this testing.

If you ever hesitate don't sign. If you feel the need to sign take it home review it, know your states laws. You can sign an IEP and say this does not provide my child with FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education).

Terms to know are FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) and LRE (Least Restrictive Environment). Under the IDEA the schools have to provide FAPE in the LRE.

Know your Childs disability and who is required to educate them if they are in the school system. In Virginia if the new law passes only a dually endorsed teacher in deafness and blindness will be allowed to educate our daughter. The district in which we live doesn’t even have a teacher that meets the criteria, set by VDOE. The law as it stands now, a teacher with an endorsement of severe learning disability can teach her; and they know nothing about how hearing loss and how it impacts her education. They don't know how to use a FM system, nor how her vision impairments impact her education and how to deal with a dual sensory and functional impairment.

Our daughter requires total communication this includes American Sign Language (ASL). Not English Sign Language.

The thing I just started to open up and tell people is I never wanted to home-school. I didn't even know what homeschooling was about until my daughter. It took my youngest of 4 kids to pave the way. The school never told me anything. I didn't even know what an IEP was until this school year, when we had to enroll our 2 1/2 year old into the school under and IEP for the early intervention services.

I am currently now working on advocacy training and setting up a support group. I want to give to others what I have desperately needed the last four years. Homeschooling can be challenging when it comes to a child with special needs. Get in a good support group in your area, online, etc. This really helps. I've talked to pastors because no one else understood my situation. That helped but what I'm learning is I have to be the educator on my child and her disabilities not just to the school for help with related services but also to doctors.

Jennifer