By Peggy Ployhar, SPED Homeschool Founder & CEO

 

Are you starting your homeschooling journey this year? Then here are 20+ ready-made resources you can use to start homeschooling your struggling learner with confidence today.

 

9 Easy Steps to Start Homeschooling 

Ease into homeschooling by following these 9 easy steps.

 

How to Write a Homeschool IEP 

Free download and step-by-step instructions for writing a homeschool IEP.

 

Homeschool High School Checklist 

A checklist to ensure you know the essentials about homeschooling a struggling student through high school.

 

At-Home Therapy Resources 

Learn from professional therapists on how to provide at-home therapy for your student by using this curated list of free online resources.

 

Use Routines to Build Your Student’s Learning Independence

How to create routines so your homeschool student becomes a more independent learner.

 

Motivate Your Student by Making Learning Fun

4 examples for motivating students to learn by adding fun to their homeschooling lessons.

 

How to Use Rewards as Positive Learning Motivators

Apply positive learning motivators into your homeschool setting.

 

Building Resilience in Children with Autism 

Strategies for homeschooling a student who struggles with anxiety or sensory issues.

 

Using Workboxes to Support Independent Learning

Learn how to plan for independent learning times during your homeschool day by using workboxes for your students.

 

Online Assessment Tools to Evaluate Your Struggling Learner

30 free online assessment tools parents can use to evaluate various types of learning struggles.

 

Reinforcing Homeschool Learning Through Play

Gain an understanding of the skills, stages, and ways you can support your student’s learning growth through play.

 

Simple Homeschool Organization Ideas

3 simple examples of how to organize your homeschool assignments, schedule, and work spaces.

 

20 Fall Learning Activities for Your Homeschool

Use these activities to add some fun and seasonal flair to your homeschool.

 

How to Start Homeschooling Kindergarten with a Special Needs Child 

6 steps that break down the basics of homeschooling kindergarten when you don’t know where to start.

 

What Your Child Needs to Know by First Grade

Use these lists and resources to evaluate your student’s readiness for first grade homeschooling materials.

 

30+ Active Learning Ideas

Make learning active for your wiggly kids by using these suggested activities.

 

DIY Occupational Therapy Ideas

Learn how to DIY occupational therapy at home to help your students reach their therapy goals.

 

Tips for Homeschooling Active Kids 

7 strategies parents can use when homeschooling an active child.

 

10 Free Hands-On Unit Studies

Use one of these free unit studies to teach your hands-on learner.

 

Slow & Steady: The Key to Homeschool Success 

Homeschool success doesn’t happen overnight, but it happens when you follow these 5 simple steps.

 

Am I the Best Teacher for My Child?

We all ask ourselves this question, and here is the answer you need to be reminded of as you homeschool your struggling learner.

 

Popular Special Needs Homeschooling Acronyms

Understand the meanings and homeschool applications for the most commonly used special needs acronyms.

 

To find more free resources for homeschooling your struggling learner, check out our Homeschool Help page. Plus, subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter and receive updates on events and special offers.

 

Twinkl and their home education team featured this blog among their Best Home Education Bloggers list.

 

 

 

 

 


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Peggy Ployhar – Written November 2017

Thanksgiving celebrations all over the United States gives families time to pause and thank God for all He has done for us over this past year.  At the top of my list was my family, especially the many answered prayers God has worked out in the lives of my children.  But, next on my list was this new ministry, SPED Homeschool.

 

If you are not familiar with SPED Homeschool, other than the articles we post on our website or the free resources we offer for special education homeschooling families, I am excited to have this chance to share with you why we have so much to thankful about.

 

Where it All Started

SPED Homeschool incorporated as a nonprofit in late August (2017) to fill a resource and support void in the national special education homeschooling community.  But, that is not where SPED Homeschool got its start.  A little over two years ago, I accepted a volunteer position with the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) to work on their customer service team and help with their efforts in supporting the Texas special needs homeschooling community, just like I had done in starting up a special needs outreach in Minnesota for MACHE (Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators).

“But, there was a stirring inside me I couldn’t shake…one that kept me looking at the greater need for special education homeschooling families beyond our state borders.”

Over these past two years, my work for THSC grew from a volunteer position to a staff position, and my team also grew to include an assistant consultant and eight volunteer team members.   We were working well as a team, and it showed.  A speaker at the THSC convention this past May told me she felt “THSC had the premier state organization special needs department” and I had to step back and smile at all God had brought together. But, there was a stirring inside me I couldn’t shake…one that kept me looking at the greater need for special education homeschooling families beyond our state borders.

 

When Curriculum and Online Support Is Not Enough

For those on the outside of the special needs homeschooling community, it looks like these families have everything they need to successfully homeschool. With an ever increasing number of special needs homeschooling curriculums and Facebook support groups to cover most diagnoses, an outsider would say these families have a strong support base. 

 

With all that is available, navigating the many options requires more precious time than these families can afford.  Offering a trust-worthy, one-stop place with a national reach to provide recommendations to the best resources, support and advice became my goal.  In addition to curriculum suggestions, parents are looking for local support groups, local co-ops, local therapy providers, and state and county resource providers who are special needs AND homeschool friendly.  

 

These resources are extremely difficult to track down unless someone in their area, like a local or state special needs homeschooling consultant, has taken the time to scout them out. Instead, these parents struggle to do this leg work and advocate for their child in a completely new schooling realm, while juggling the already taxing load they have raising and homeschooling at least one child with special needs.

 

Who We Are

In early June of 2017 I approached THSC about stepping out of my position and taking my team, minus a dedicated assistant special needs consultant, to start a new national special education nonprofit ministry.  THSC not only blessed my request, but have worked to help promote our efforts from the start.

 

Five of the volunteers who had been working with me at THSC had also been feeling the need to grow our ministry, so they transitioned as part of our team and board:  Dyana Robbins,Dawn SpenceShanel Tarrant-SimoneCammie ArnMyeshi Briley, and Elaine Carmichael. And, soon after our launch, we added three more members our team Sherry Martin, Kimberly Vogel, and Jennifer Cullimore and two more board members Dianne Craft and Dr. Jan Bedell.

 

Each of these team and board members are parents who took the leap to homeschool their own student with special educational needs.  Some are still in-the-trenches teaching every day, and some have graduated their students and are now fully devoted to helping other parents on this journey.  But the great calling we all share is to minister to families who are homeschooling children with learning challenges.  As our team and ministry continues to grow, our main goal is to help SPED homeschooling families in every facet we have been helped by God and others along our own homeschooling paths.

 

What We Are Doing

It has been a busy fall for us at SPED Homeschool, but we don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

 

Since starting SPED Homeschool in late July (2017), our first steps in setting up outreach to special education homeschooling parents has been:  
  • Recruiting influential and knowledgeable board members in the field of special education homeschooling
  • Branding SPED Homeschool to be an approachable, yet professional, organization for special education homeschooling parents
  • Developing a website with useful and pertinent static content pages
  • Scheduling content calendars for blogs,images, and videos
  • Building an Internet presence through social media streams (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube)
  • Incorporating as a Texas nonprofit on August 24, 2017
  • Receiving IRS approval on September 28, 2017 with a Federal 501.c.3. tax exempt status

 

Why Special Education Homeschooling is Growing

Current statistics are now showing a 25% special education student demographic already within the homeschooling population, which spans a wide range of learning difficulties.  Plus, one of the fastest-growing groups seeking parent-led homeschooling education are families already in the public school special education system or those whose children are enrolled in early childhood intervention programs which experts feel is much greater than the current national learning disability diagnosis rate of 13%.

 

Families who choose to homeschool, do not do so lightly. Many, just like myself 14 years ago, realize homeschooling is the only educational option able to provide the necessary customized instruction their children need.  These families sacrifice careers, time, and money because they believe their children have a better future than most educational institutions are willing to help them achieve.  These are parents are determined not to let their children become one of the increasing statistics of our failing public school special education programs.

 

These statistics show that only 65.5% of students in the US, who have a known learning disability, graduate high school as cited by the Grad Nation Report .  But, even the majority of these graduates are not ready to transition into a meaningful job or into higher education.

 

A recent survey on this subject stated 90% of current students labeled with learning disabilities had the ability to make a successful job or higher education transition if they were helped to establish a support system before graduation per The Hechinger Report . Unfortunately, most of the programs in our current high school education system are not focused on this effort and most students who graduate are not prepared for life beyond their high school career.

 

We can’t do this without you!  

Since SPED Homeschool is a nonprofit and our bylaws are set up in a way to not require membership because of the financial hardship many of our families face, we completely rely donors and partners to keep our outreach going.

  • Please pray for God to move mightily in providing for our needs  
  • Help us get the word out about our nonprofit and how we are working to fill the gaps that currently exist for families who homeschool children with special educational needs

 

Fall 2019 Update – 2 Years into this Journey

We now have partnered with over 110 organizations, host a weekly live broadcast that reaches on average 900 viewers/listeners a week, have a solid leadership team, and are already working on some very exciting new developments for 2020 which will include upgraded technology and reach of our broadcast and regional support groups on a site that follows HIPAA compliance standards so our families can start sharing local resources with one another and connecting with each other in person.

 

Our board, team and I are excited about the hopeful future ahead for special education homeschooling families and we thank you for your consideration in supporting us in our calling to fill the gaps for special education homeschooling families. 

 

 

 


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