The Special Needs Child
Homeschooling a special needs child is both legal and possible in the state of North Carolina. If your child is at least 7, but not yet 16, or 16 and over and planning to drive, you will need to file with the state a "Notice of Intent to Operate a School." Contact the N.C. Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) (919-733-4276) to request a homeschool packet, or download it from their web site.
Department of Administration
Division of Non-Public Education
1309 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1309
(919) 733-4276
http://www.ncdnpe.org/
HSLDAS's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner
Homeschooling the Special Needs Child (pdf)
Educating the teacher...
There are no exemptions for special needs children. They must meet all the requirements, including testing. The law does not specify what level test the child must receive.
Join your local support group. To locate your closest support group, check here or contact NCHE. Support groups provide activities, resources, encouragement and support.
NCHE recommends that you have a plan for short and long term goals. This will help you choose your curriculum and other resources.
Note: Children in school settings may be identified as having learning problems when what they really need is time to mature. For information on this subject read: Better Late Than Early and School Can Wait by Raymond and Dorothy Moore.
RESOURCES
General
- How to Write an IEP (Individualized Education Program), John Arena
- Growing up Learning, Walter Barbe
- You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, Ruth Beechick
- The Disabled and Their Parents, Leo Buscaglia
- The IEP Primer, Beverly A. School, Arlene Cooper
- Homeschooling Children with Special Needs, Sharon Hensley
- Learning in Spite of Labels, Choosing and Using Curriculum for Your Special Needs Child, Luke's Life Long List, Luke's Academic List, Joyce Herzog
- Developing Your Child for Success, Dr. Kenneth Lane
- The Impossible Child, Doris Rapp
- Strategies for Struggling Learners, Joe P. and Connie J. Sutton
- The Way They Learn, Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
- To a Different Drumbeat: A Practical Guide to Parenting Children with Special Needs, P. Clarke, H. Kofsky, and J. Lauruol
- NICHEY (The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities) (800) 695-0285, http://www.nichey.org
Attention Deficit Disorder
- Maybe You Know My Kid: A Parent's Guide to Identifying, Understanding, and Helping Your Child with Attention Deficit/Hyperactvity Disorder, Mary Cahill Fowler
- Attention Deficit Disorder, Glen Hunsucker
- The Hyperactive Child, Dr. Grant Martin
- A Guide for Parents of Children with ADHD, Larry Silver, MD, 1993
- The Parent's Guide to Attention Deficit Disorder, Stephen B. McCarney, Ed. D., and Angela Marie Bauer, M. Ed.
- You and Your ADD Child, Paul Warren
- The Attention Deficit Child, Dr. Grant Martin
- Solid Answers: Attention Deficit Disorder/Adult ADD, cassette published by Focus on the Family
Autism
- Shepherd Boy
www.shepherdboy.org
Quarterly newsletter - Children with Autism: A Parent's Guide, Michael D. Powers
- A Parent's Guide to Autism: Answers to the Most Common Questions, Charles A. Hart
- Teach Me Language, Sabrina K. Freeman
- Teaching Children with Autism, Robert L. Koegel, ed and Lynn Kern Koegel, ed
Blind
- Just Enough to Know Better, Eileen P. Curran
- The Xavier Society for the Blind
(212) 473-7800, ask for catalog and information
Cerebral Palsied
- Handling the Young Cerebral Palsied Child at Home, Nancie Finnie
Deaf
- National Association of the Deaf Bookstore
(301) 587-6282 ask for catalog (This association uses signing.) - John Tracy Clinic
(800) 522-4582 - educational center, ask for information
(This clinic uses oral training.) - Gallaudet University Bookstore
Developmentally Delayed
- Developmentally Delayed
- When Slow is Fast Enough, Educating the Delayed Pre-School Child, Joan F. Goodman
- Slow and Steady Get Me Ready, June R. Oberland
Down Syndrome
- Teaching the Infant with Down Syndrome, Marci Hansen
- Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome, Marci Hansen
- New Perspectives on Down Syndrome, Siegrfried Peuschel
- Down Syndrome, A Resource Handbook, Carol Tingey
Dyslexia
- The Gift of Dyslexia, Ronald D. Davis
- The International Dyslexia Association
(410) 296-0232 National
(800) 284-1990 NC Branch
Fragile X Syndrome
- Children with Fragile X Syndrome, edited by Abigail & Gregory Barr
Gifted
- Guiding Your Gifted Child, Janice Baker and Maggie Hogan
Learning Disabilities
- Help Me to Help My Child, A Sourcebook For Parents Of Learning Disabled Children, Jill Bloom
- Living With a Learning Disability, Barbara Cordoni
- How to Identify Your Child's Learning Problems and What to Do about Them, Duane Gagnon
- Making the Words Stand Still, Donald E. Lyman
- Helping Children Overcome Learning Difficulties, Jerome Rosner
- The Misunderstood Child, Larry Silver, MD (1992 ed.)
Speech and Language Therapy
- Phonics for Reading and Spelling, Bonnie Dettmer
- Straight Talk: A Parent's Guide for Correcting Childhood Mispronunciations, Marisa Lapish
- Straight Talk 2: A Parent's Guide to Language Development, Marisa Lapish
- The Joy of Signing, Lottie Reikoff
Organizations, Suppliers, Publishers
When contacting these resources, please state your needs and ask for information and/or catalog.
A.D.D. Warehouse
(800) 233-9273, <www.addwarehouse.com>
Cambridge Development Lab, Inc.
Special Times Computer Software for Special Education (Quarterly Catalog)
Free subscriptions
(800) 637-0047, <www.edumatch.com>
CH.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders)
(800) 233-4050, <www.chadd.org>
Attention!® Magazine, quarterly newsletter and resources
Educators Publishing Service Inc. (EPS)
(800) 435-7728, <www.epsbooks.com>
Focus on the Family
(719) 531-5181, information, (800) 232-6459, purchases, <www.family.org>
Hewitt Homeschooling Resources Special Needs Program
(800) 348-1750 [catalog requests], <www.hewitthomeschooling.com>
(800) 890-4097
Home School Legal Defense Association
(504) 338-5600, <www.hslda.org>
Learning Services
(800) 877- 9378, <www.learningservicesinc.com>
Mastery Publications
(828) 684-0429, <www.masterypublications.com>
NATHHAN (National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network)
(208) 267-6246, <www.nathhan.com>
Newsletter, Family Directory, Lending Library
Pro-Ed
(800) 897-3202
<www.proedinc.com>
Joyce Herzog
(800) 745-8212, <www.joyceherzog.com>
Small Ventures/In His Step
(940) 566-6123 (Phonics materials for special needs)
The Exceptional Parent (Magazine)
(877) 372-7368, <www.eparent.com>
The Moore Foundation
Special Needs Full Service Program
(360) 835- 5500, <www.MooreFoundation.com>
Woodbine House
(800) 843-7323, <www.woodbinehouse.com>