[Lawlwen]

Reading the posts about home schooling kids with special needs.

We are in the process of adopting our nephew (8) who has been diagnosed w/ ADHD, ODD, and recently as "exhibiting signs of RAD" and recent testing shows Mildly Mentally Retarded. He is in 3rd Gr and functioning at k-1 level. It seems he has not made any progress in school in the past 12 months. He has been with us for 10 mo now.

He is in the spec ed program and has a one on one with him all day to keep him on task and behaving properly. We have had to fight to get him out of programs such as French that should be the least of his worries.

I know nothing about homeschooling! What can you tell me, where do I find information. My husband and I have talked at great length that what he needs are life skills in the end not French and such. He needs to be able to behave in public, polite, hold down a job, run a check book, pay his bills, and get by in this world. Can we homeschool these things and not the traditional curriculm? If we have not officially adopted him yet can we homeschool? Do you agree this is the best option for these kids?

Where can I get a look at samples of curriculm etc. I am really interested in looking into this option. Help!

[lucyjoy]

It varies by state whether you can homeschool and what rules apply. The school district I live in gave me the guidelines for homeschooling in my state so you may want to check with them.

I built my children's curriculuums based on their needs. I used resources from Christian book ditributors(CBD.com, I think) and also found that Barnes and Noble carry some curriculuum guides.
Some of my kids the state allowed me to home school before finalizing the adoption, some kids they did not. It really depends on the worker and the laws.

When dealing with my ODD and RAD kid, I used a lot of hands on learning, but kept bbok assignments to let them sit and work on (or stare at) when they were uncooperative(and they could sit and stare all weekend if they wanted to). I used cooking for math and science, lots of experiiments for science that did not involve flame or chemicals, games for learning states and capitals, scrabble for spelling, monopoly and the allowance game for learning to count money, shopping and shopping lists to learn about the costs of things-that type of thing. As they got older, we used many life skills English and Math skills for some of the lower functioning kids.

[HappyMomAnna]

If your state is Open to Homeschooling most often they are also required to assist in providing resources and testing services. Federally, I believe all children (even pre-school) are entitled to early intervention testing and services. You might consider contacting the school your student would attend and asking them about the policies they have. We have found our public school not only supportive for our student, but also willing to provide materials, special instruction and support for homeschooling parents.

[mina2u]

You might be interested in checking out this site: wwwK12.com
My sister in-law uses this program with her ADD child. It works very well for them.

[hope4kids]

I homeschool my daughter. She has sensory integration dysfunction, a phonological disorder, and probably ADHD and FAS. It has been wonderful. I am able to discover just where the gaps and challenges are in her understanding and to create a curriculum unique to her. She goes into the school for speech therapy and will likely begin going for occupational therapy soon. She also gets private therapies in the children's hospital.

I have practical living skills like you mentioned scheduled into our curriculum on a daily basis. Having her home all day gives lots of time for her to learn those things. We cover a lot more academic material in a couple hours a day than many kids do in the classroom. Being a former classroom teacher, I am amazed how much we get done working at home!

[Bridgetswims]

I would love to know if my unknown sibling has kids like mine. I homeschool my elder son because school just didn't work for him. He is 10 and has been home almost 2 years. We get a lot done in a short amount of time each day. We network with a few homeschool groups in my area. For curriculum, his skills are all over the place, so I wing it and use the library a lot. In Maryland we had to submit an annual portfolio, but here in Texas there are no requirements. I have my son practice shopping, paying at a register, screening calls, and fixing lunch in addition to academics. And if he needs to ride his scooter around the block a few times a day, or take a ten minutes comic book break, I don't worry.

My other son is very successful in school, so it takes all kinds. My homeschooler had trouble in school because the focus was all about behavior, not learning. But if you homeschool, you may be eligible for special ed services from a public school. You may or may not find them helpful.

Think of it this way, most people homeschool, they just stop when the kids are about 5.

Good luck! Find a few good support group web pages and hit the library.

[eranchhome]

There are dozens of web sites, books, and magazines available on the subject of homeschooling. You can even find examples of "homeschool" curriculum on-line. I highly recommend that you find a local homeschool support group to answer specific questions. They will be able to give you the scoop on homeschooling in your state and community.

[open2more]

in your specific state go to http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp