Homeschooling the special-needs child

She would have been a stereotypical soccer mom had things come out differently. She would have been the mother who, in between caring for her family and carpooling the neighbor kids, would have organized a bake sale, brought snacks for the team and even helped to coach. Perhaps she would have enjoyed going backstage, painting sets and getting involved in children's theater.

But that wasn't the way life turned out. She may never sit on the sidelines yelling herself hoarse while her son slides one past the goalie. She will probably never sit in the front row anxiously mouthing the words to a suddenly shy thespian.

The mother I'm thinking of was blessed with children with special needs.

When the local parents' group needs a volunteer, she is there. She still organizes fundraisers, but somehow, it seems, the stakes are higher. She drives to appointments, she makes calls to advocate for her children and for others.

And nobody ever hears her ask why. No "why me?" No "why them?" Instead, she welcomes those very people her children go to for help. She supports them, as they support her children.

Such moms exist, and I see them often in my role as a speech pathologist. Parents of special-needs children choose to homeschool, too, and the number of families making that choice seems to be growing.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees a "free and appropriate education" (FAPE) for all children. This federal mandate has not clearly addressed homeschooled children. How homeschooled children with special needs are treated in regards to provision of a free and appropriate education is a decision that is left up to each state.

In California, homeschooling families typically either file an R-4 affidavit with the California Department of Education to be classified as a private school or enroll in a charter school with a home study component. Special education services are provided by the district of residence for students homeschooling under an R-4 affidavit.

Typically, that means those children are given access to school-based special education services at the same level given to private school students.

Parents often opt to enroll their children in a charter school with an independent home program, and then the charter school is responsible for assessment and service provisions just like any other public school.

Many families find that the homeschool environment makes some special education services redundant. In a traditional school setting, a child's education plan might call for small group instruction. At home with a parent, the child is getting more individual attention than he would otherwise.

Home education isn't for everyone, and having a special-needs child can make the task more challenging. Still, the rewards are worth it to many. Homeschooling a child with special needs provides a way to shelter a child, to a certain extent, from bullying and from interacting with kids who pass along negative behaviors. It also allows the parents to tailor a child's educational experience to capitalize on strengths and intensively target weaknesses.

I can't think of a more individualized education plan.

Rose Godfrey is a speech pathologist and homeschooling mom in Hallwood. Read her homeschool blog