Did any homeschoolers explore their options with special education at school?

[javafinch]

This was recommended by the neuropsych (for Math). I have to admit, I'm skeptical that it would be helpful. A one-on-one tutor? Sure! But I'm guessing that the school won't have resources for that. I'm not even sure if the schools will provide anything ... have to look into it. We were 'kicked out' of ST when we started homeschooling, but maybe it's changed by now.

 

If you looked into it, what was offered to your child as a homeschooler as far as special ed?

 

I was looking at just doing OT at a clinic ... I believe insurance would cover it anyway. She recommended so many things, we couldn't possibly do them all. I'm trying to pick out the one(s) that seem like they would help the most.

 

Thanks!

[Riverland]

nm

[Walking-Iris]

I believe (correct me if I'm off here) that homeschoolers are eligible by law to any special ed resources the school may offer?

[VinNY]

I'm in NY and recvd speech,OT and resource room(5x a week) last year. I enrolled my dd in the PS this year because the special ed teacher was helping her more in math than I could. I do a better job with the reading and spelling. If I don't enroll her again next year, I can still receive resource room help 5x a week as well as her speech services. The only negative I am seeing is all the test prepping they need to do for state assessments. Special ed kids still have to take them,too :confused:.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

we don't use the school system for anything but we do see a behavior specialist (kid psychologist) and it's covered almost fully by our ins.....I think that any kid with a proven (diagnosed) disability is supposed to be able to get the same kind of things the schools offer but have NO idea how it would apply to homeschoolers.....

[wapiti]

Where we live, school special ed services are not available to homeschoolers.

[prairiewindmomma]

Our school district also requires students to be enrolled to receive services.

[AmyinMD]

You can check here to see what the laws are in your state.

 

http://www.hslda.org/strugglinglearner/sn_states.asp

 

Where I live the public school does not offer any services to homeschoolers but would do testing if asked. If I had wanted my son's speech evaluated they would do that but if I wanted him to receive speech therapy at the school I would have to enroll him. My 4 yo son is my one in special ed and he is enrolled to receive the services he gets. I think since he is below compulsory age that he could still receive speech therapy if he were not enrolled but that is it. Even having him enrolled we still do most things privately.

[javafinch]

For my state it just says, "There are no additional requirements for homeschool students with special needs. In addition, there is no policy which allows homeschool students to obtain special education funding." Seems kind of generic, and I'm not sure what it means. I'm looking into getting the answer, though. I'm also looking at tutors. I think I'd rather go that route, anyway.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Laws vary state by state. Our state is very accommodating. Our state says that homeschool students are able to use any public school resources and we are allowed to have a child enrolled in up to 3 classes before they are considered part time PS students. (though sometimes we need to show the school the law) We have access to therapy and they wanted to put ds in resource room. I asked what would be different in resource room vs at home. Ready for their reply??? They said "he would get somebody working with him 1 on 1 for 30 minutes a day" :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I just looked at them like :001_huh: and said he gets me one on one for all of his schooling.

 

Then they looked at me like :001_huh: and said "Really?"

 

 

UMMM Yeah-- homeschool LOL. Sorry- had to share that.

 

Ds goes to OT at the public school. They wanted ST but I had him progressing at a great rate at home and I didn't want that to change with whatever method a new person would use. So I declined ST. His speech is very good at the moment! They are debating on PT but so far OT is doing great so we are sticking with that. VT is obviously not done at the school. He had all of his evals done at the school with their psychologist and they brought in a few specialists (autism curriculum specialist and such) 2x a year I meet with the autism curriculum specialist and she gives me pointers on how to proceed and such. I am actually waiting to hear from her about phonics. I think we need to give VT more time before I worry but I guess I need some assurance in that area. (I made the mistake of comparing what ds was reading to what dd now 4th was reading at his age :glare: NEVER do that!)

[jujsky]

A lot of what your child will qualify for depends on your state and your school district. In NH, they aren't required to do anything for homeschoolers other than offer them testing and extra curricular activities. We went through testing and were told that even if we enrolled DS, he wouldn't qualify for services. No special math classes for him, and no OT even though he needs it. Some states are fairly generous with their services. It's worth looking into.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Crimson Wife]

In CA, there is no such thing under state law as "homeschooling". Students taught at home are either enrolled in public schools or private ones. Private school students are not eligible for special ed. The virtual charters do provide some IEP services to their students but with students who need more extensive services they usually try to claim that he/she needs to be in a classroom setting. I know someone who is currently in a dispute with her kids' charter over this issue.

 

I don't know what we're going to do if my youngest DD still needs a lot of services when she gets to be kindergarten-aged.

[Finnella]

I haven't tried to get anything from the school system since I started homeschooling; I wasn't getting much when my DS was a full time student in ps. First, he needs an evaluation. Sure, the school system is supposed to provide it but they freely admitted he would be at the bottom of a long waiting list. So we pay for the independent evaluation and get a 504 instead of the IEP the psychologist recommended.

 

Two years later we need to get another round of testing (independent again) to prove the new diagnosis of Aspergers. The upside was that his three LDs were apparent by then as well. Beyond the downside of paying for it, I started in August to try to get an updated 504 that reflected his new diagnoses. I got the new 504 in early March. That was the spring of 5th grade.

 

In 6th grade, I needed revisions to the 504 plan to reflect all the changes that middle school brought. What I really needed was an IEP by this point since my DS often didn't know which class he was in at any given time. Yes, he was that confused. What I got was a gutted 504 because the academic adviser kept crossing things off the list, claiming that they "did that for all the kids." Then she and other school officials blamed my DS for the bullying he was getting. Somehow he was supposed to know who the kids were that were punching and kicking him during class changes. Never mind that this school was for grades 6 - 12 and he mixed with the entire population. (We had been told that 6th graders had their own floor in the building and would be mostly isolated that first year.)

 

Even if NC law gives me the option to get any services from the ps, I am never going to bother again. If I got such lousy service when he was enrolled full time, I don't want to know what it would be like as a homeschooler.

[javafinch]

Finn, your story is kind of my fears about school for DS exactly :(. I'm sorry he had such a bad experience. I have been asking around (locally) and one mom I was talking to is really pro school now (previously homeschooled her kids). I feel her trying to convince me that my son could thrive in school because her kids do, and I just want to say, "But your kids both were far more competent socially in our homeschool group.". It's like apples and oranges! I can't even imagine him finding his way to classes or dealing with all that stimuli! Not to mention bullying. I really want nothing to do with school for him - I do hope that he will go to college or tech school or whatever ... I plan to start taking some classes with him soon (non-credit community college) and try to help ease him into that environment.

 

I have also heard stories about kids around here not getting what they need in school and their parents homeschooling (I'm talking locally), so yeah, I can't imagine them doing much for me. I've pretty much moved on from this idea since starting this thread :)

Edited March 2, 2012 by javafinch

[LisaAnne]

My DS is currently enrolled in a CA public school. He started off in the Mod/Sev special day class kindergarten however this tract does not graduate nor do they do actual general ed curriculum. At the end of the kindergarten I asked that he repeat kindergarten moving him into the mild/moderate special day class. Which he did and was able to grasp most of the concepts.

 

He is now in the 1st grade and the problems are beginning. First off not every school in the district offer SAI classes nor do they offer them for every grade. Meaning my DS has already gone to 2 different schools and may be moved again at the end of this year as my home school offers a 2nd grade class (but not a 3rd). His current classroom consists of 3 grade levels. 1-3rd are taught in the one room with approximately 20 other students. Class is broken into 3 groups based on abilities. DS works at the middle level. At this point he is getting confused after hearing the teacher explain higher level concepts to the students that are ready.

 

I feel I can do more at home one one one- we will lose his services which include speech. Our state only offers services to students who are enrolled. However I don't feel their setting is best for him.

[Pen]

It depends on where you are--but can also depend on how you structure things.

 

My son is dual enrolled as a homeschooler and in ps in order to get some services. He would not be eligible if not enrolled at the ps, but the enrollment does not stop us from doing hs, and we are still required to be enrolled as hs-ing and to fullfill hs requirements--as modified by his ps IEP. Phew. Seemed confusing and overwhelming at first, but like everything else, one catches on to it.. He was right on the edge of qualifying, and probably if it had been a more crowded and overburdened district, he would not have gotten the services, but as it isn't, he did.

 

They are not doing special things (no fantastic magic bullet techniques or anything exist, alas) at the school, but I think right now having it as an additional thing we are doing helps (and if I am having trouble with a particular thing, say he keeps not being able to read a particular word and it is frustrating, I can tell one of the teachers at the school and they can give it a try--so sometimes just a different person can be a change and a help). He does not have private sessions, but shares one session with 2 students and one session with 3 students.

 

I think he has gotten better served since we have been hsers than when he was full time enrolled, but I have learned a lot since then, and there was a change of superintendent, and of principal, and economy is down so probably getting in a little extra money for another child enrolled is more helpful now to the school, so I don't know what has been the most significant change to make things seem better.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Pen

[AimeeM]

I believe (correct me if I'm off here) that homeschoolers are eligible by law to any special ed resources the school may offer?

That depends on the state. Here, we are entitled to nothing the public school offers. We (homeschoolers) are completely independent; the same as a private school.