Homeschooling

Thanks to J. Maruca for providing the info for this page!

Homeschooling has been one of the best things we've ever done for my son and I wish more people would give it a serious look before they discard the idea - I think they would be amazed at what is available. For us it was a natural extension of all of the home programs that we'd implemented with the help of wraparound. My son always did well in a one-to-one learning situation and always had a lot of difficulty in a group setting. With homeschooling, I am able to work with him one-to-one and surgically hand-pick group situations in which he is challenged yet can have some degree of success. I personally think that the work involved for me has been equal to the work that goes into IEP's, fighting with school districts etc.. and with much-reduced stress level for the entire family. FYI - I homeschooled Alek for his Kindergarten year last year and we started his 1st grade year this Summer (2004).

With that said, here are some of the most helpful things that I've found:

Legal Issues

You don't legally have to file anything with your school district until your child is 8 years old, UNLESS he/she has attended even 1 day of 1st grade. Compulsory school age is 8 years old in Pennsylvania.

I have been keeping the paperwork required by the state such as a daily log and end-of-year portfolio even though my son is not yet of compulsory age. The reason that I have done this is that it is good practice for when we do have to file and also because of the fact that my son does have autism and was part of the preschool "system" and so the district does know about him. I want to have lots of documentation on his schooling if anyone should ever question whether he has been receiving an appropriate education. We also have joined HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) which provides legal assistance to members if it is ever needed as well as information.

When your child is 8 years old, if they have been identified as having special needs, you will need to have program pre-approval by a person qualified to do so, usually someone with a special ed degree and valid teaching certificate in Pennsylvania. At the end of the year, all homeschoolers must have their portfolio evaluated by a qualified evaluator and turn in both their daily log and portfolio to their school district of residence.

Websites that may be of interest on legal issues are:

Support groups

I would highly recommend associating yourself with a support group. There are different support groups available based on the geographic area in which you live as well as your personal belief system. Homeschoolers basically fall into 2 camps (with some exceptions) - Christian in belief or "unschoolers" who are more eclectic. As a homeschooler of a special needs child you have to decide where you best fit in.

The http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/ website has a list of many area support groups by county listed under the "support groups" section. Many support groups offer group field trips to local areas on interest such as fire stations, local farms, Old Economy, train rides, etc... Support groups also may offer the opportunity to join a small social group consisting of several families that meet on a regular basis for the purpose of support and socialization.

Curriculum - There are so many, many choices available it's mind-boggling. The thing that I love about homeschooling is that for each subject you can teach according to your child's abilities, interests and deficit areas. Some of the products that I've used and loved are Sing, Spell, Read and Write for Language and Math-U-See and Workjobs for Math. Here are some links to get started with:

There are occasionally homeschool conferences and curriculum fairs that are very helpful for looking over curriculum products.

Testing

The State of Pennsylvania requires standardized testing in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. When it is time for testing, you can choose from a number of tests and you can also choose who you want to administer the test. This can be done one-to-one or in a group. As a teaching parent, you cannot administer the test yourself. That is pretty much the only restriction.

Financial considerations

There is currently no funding source available for homeschooling, nor is there any tax break whatsoever for homeschooling expenses. Like anything else, you can be very budget-wise by using free, low-cost, or used curriculum items or you can spend more on packaged curriculum.

Recommended reading - Here are some books that I've found to be particularly helpful:

Cyber Charter Schools

Please note that this option is more accurately described as "public school at home" rather than homeschooling. Your child will be considered a public school student if you choose this option. There are advantages and disadvantages to that, depending on your child's needs and your family's situation. With homeschooling, you have the freedom to pick and choose any curriculum and materials that you wish, which I find to be especially helpful with a special needs child. With a charter school, you will have a curriculum provided for you. With a charter school you will most likely have an IEP, access to special services such as speech therapy if needed, and access to regular and special eduction teachers. Some of the cyber charter schools serving our area are:

The Pennsyvania Cyber Charter School (formerly Western PA Cyber Charter School)
Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School (PAVCS)

The http://www.pahomeschoolers.com website has all available cyber schools listed under the "homeschool links" section.

Please feel free to contact Jane Maruca at j.maruca@comcast.net with any questions on homeschooling a child with autism. I will be happy to try to help in any way that I can.