Does anyone homeschool a child with a speech delay?

Question

I would like to homeschool but the public school will no longer provide speech therapy and it seems too expensive in private clinics and insurance won't pay. What are other options?

Answer 1

I'm sorry you've run into trouble with the PS.

Yes, many people do HS their children with speech delays (and other LDs).  There are a number of options available to you.

There is an email list specifically for people Homeschooling their "Special Needs" children.  Speech delays, and other such issues, are one of the many things dealt with.  

Right now the volume has picked up, but you could certainly opt for Special Notices only and read at the list's site if you don't want the messages in your inbox.

There are wise and amazing people there and I'm sure you would find suggestions and advice that would help.  There are also a number of links the list holds, which might be of use.

The list is at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HS-Plus/

Answer 2

You can go to www.linguisystems.com and buy the materials to do speech on your own.    They have a lot of great materials that professionals use but can be used by anyone.  I use a lot of their products for my daughter who has dyslexia.  

I know it's probably different where you are at but up here I know that the local health clinics provide some speech therapy free of charge.

Answer 3

As a tax payer you have a right to the speech therapy services even if your child is not a full time student.  My own son received speech therapy while being homeschooled, however some states and districts do fight this, so unless you are ready to fight back they will bully you.

Why won't insurance pay?  

At any rate, my son, who didn't speak more than 3 words at age 4, is now the most talkative and articulate 7 year old I have ever met.  A lot of it the result of what we did at home with him.  

We had a bulletin board full of pictures that represented words that he was to practice, and each day we practiced all them.  Of course, the speech therapist chose the words, I guess it depends on how much of a speech delay your child has and how old the child is.  There are some things you can do at home, such as the "Help me talk right" series available from http://www.sycamoretree.com

Answer 4

You better check the laws in your state. http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/il/2006031...

This is a link to the hslda article I read not long After I started homeschooling. I know it was in Illinois but it bears further investigation into the laws of your state.

We have lachip which is Louisiana's state health care for kids. They cover all our sessions at the therapist of our choice (as long as they take Medicaid). We have never paid a dime for any of our medical bills for any of the kids. You may qualify for the Medicaid program min your state. Here I think the limit for income is like 50,000 a year

Answer 5

Better to enroll your child in public school. If your child has a delay, it is imperative that your child has the opportunity to have language develop in the classroom.

you don't need to homeschool your child to be a huge part of their educational life. YOu can work with your child after school and really make a great difference.

Sending your child to school is like having a friend on your side, otherwise, you will be alone.

Good Luck.

Answer 6

Have you asked the school?  Have you checked your state board of ed's site for information about homeschool as the "LRE" (least restrictive environment) for an IEP?

The SD sould still be required to provide ST with an SLP.  You may have to get a new IEP written, but it should be available.  You are still paying taxes to your SD.

That's interesting that your insurance won't pay for at least part of it.  Are they looking at it as an educational thing?  Does your child have a set "medical" diagnosis like apraxia or is s/he just "delayed"?

In most locales, the Scottish Rite provides therapy, usually in conjunction with a teaching university.  Other resources are Easter Seals (sliding fee) or United Cerebral Palsy.  There may be other charities in your area also.

Answer 7

I have worked in the schools in a few different states and there have always been options for speech therapy for homeschooled children.  I have provided services for homeschooled children during the school day at the child's zoned school.

Check with the director for speech therapy or special education at the county level to see if the information you received is correct.

Answer 8

According to IDEA, schools do NOT have to pay for therapy for children who's parents have voluntarily pulled them from school. Some schools will go ahead and provide therapy if the kids are enrolled part time.

Insurance also will not cover speech for us, technical terms is that they don't cover speech disorders that aren't regressive aka aren't part of traumatic brain injury (stroke or accident victims)

What we chose to do is to do the speech ourselves. We went to a private therapist under consultation, so she observed our son for a month of sessions, helped us create a program that we could do at home. We visited once a month to show his improvement and revamp his program. It has been wonderful, because he trusts us and we know him very well. We've also done this with our children with autism, and they have done much better than in school's therapy or even private therapy because we can generalize to all of our daily interactions.

Good luck. homeschool is AWESOME.