Where would I start with homeschooling in PA with a child who has ADD/ADHD w/oppositional diffiancy?

Question

Where would I start with homeschooling in PA with a child who has ADD/ADHD w/oppositional diffiancy?

Answer 1

I do not know the specifics about PA but first you should go to your local school district and ask what you need to fill out and what are the laws concerning home schooling.

Secondly, as one with much experience in dealing with both ADD/ ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder as well as some bipolar and OCD symptoms and homeschooling, I would very much like to share with you some things I have found to be very helpful and some victories my children as well as other children I know have had.   I promise I am not going to try to sell you anything- just share some knowledge I have obtained and what our struggle has been.  

I do not think you need a degree in anything to properly teach and train your own child but a network of support, especially when dealing with the above issues is essential.  

There are many good curriculums out there- I would do some research and try to find a curriculum fair in your area so you can check them out yourself- each child has different needs and learns in different ways so it helps to see the way different programs are set up before you buy.

My children are currently enrolled in WAVA- it is an online "public school"  it is great because I have teacher support and the curriculum costs me nothing but I have the benefit of having them at home, monitoring their curriculum and social atmospheres and giving them extra support and time in subjects that might be a little more challenging.

Please feel free to email me regarding the physical diagnoses.  I struggled for years and am finally seeing the light and would love nothing more than to help other parents  do the best they can for their children and still keep their sanity :)

Answer 2

One of my daughters has ADD and since we have been homeschooling, we have overcome a lot of the obstacles she faced in public schools - without meds. We tried meds while she was in public school, but I honestly had a lot of issues with putting her on meds in the first place. When we decided to homeschool, we decided to take her off the meds and see if we could work around it naturally - and we have. I am not saying my daughter's ADD is exactly like your situation, but I am saying you would probably be surprised at the changes in your child once he/she has the one on one attention and help as opposed to the classroom setting, where he/she has to compete with the rest of the class for the help he/she needs. Start by checking out the laws in your state (there is a link below) and go from there.

Answer 3

You may want to contact http://www.nathhan.org - they are an organization which supports special needs homeschooling.

Some good books on ADD/ADHD are The Myth of the ADD Child (he is not saying it's not real, just giving reasons for it and possible alternatives) and No More Ritalin.

Check your state laws at http://www.hslda.org

Answer 4

Ideally, you would start by earning a degree in special education.  Dealing with this student's needs will require a high level of expertise.

I'm going to presume that this child is in counseling.  Ask the professionals about what educational services would be available.  If your desire to explore homeschooling is motivated by your local schools' inability to meet your child's needs, there may be other avenues available.  While I don't question your abilities as a parent (indeed, you ought to be up for sainthood!), taking on the role of teacher with a student this challenging is likely to be rather much for you.