Homeschooling journeys are not always smooth. Sometimes we hit road bumps or boulders that bring us to a screeching halt. I have six children and have been homeschooling for twenty-two years. I quickly learned that what works for one child doesn’t always work for the next. The beauty of homeschooling is finding the perfect fit when educating each child. Early on this child required more one-on-one attention academically. My other children did not demand this amount of help. By the time my other children reached fifth to the sixth grade they were well on their way to being independent learners. Unfortunately, this was not the case for this child. Our children start co-op classes for literature and science in seventh grade. Our co-op uses Sonlight curriculum which is quite academically challenging. At this point, I realized that there was a definite problem. Could I blame laziness or the need to buckle down and get work done? When that didn’t work, I began working alongside my child. I soon realized that my child was struggling with this more challenging curriculum. Staying focused was difficult as well. You see, because I was not sitting beside my child, it added to the struggle of completing the required homework during the week. My child was diagnosed with ADD. I came up empty in my search for individuals or places that would take our insurance to perform a complete psycho-educational evaluation. I was frustrated when I discovered that insurance does not cover these evaluations. Out of pocket, the average cost is around $3,000. For most families, this is just not affordable. After almost two years into my search, I found that Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital offers psycho-educational testing through their Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders. The application process is quite long. Your child then has to be accepted. The wait to get in was long, almost 6 ½ months. They also only test children 14 and under. My child got accepted. Fast forward to this 2022-2023 school year. My child faced a boulder that academically caused a total roadblock. Our test date was not until January 2023. I hoped and prayed that we would get the answers we needed. We did! Severe ADHD and a learning deficit which is quite common in children with ADHD.
Our whole homeschooling trajectory was flipped in multiple directions. I realized homeschooling was going to look totally different. Even though I have been homeschooling for twenty-two years homeschooling is now a bit intimidating. Co-op is on pause in order to get some specialized tutoring. Current curriculum just isn't working so time for change.
If I had a couple tidbits of advice they would be:
If you suspect your child is dealing with a learning difference follow your mama
gut and seek out a full psycho-educational evaluation. Most places require
no referrals only your thorough observations as their teacher.
Early intervention is best.
You are not a failure as a parent or educator.
Beyond academics observing our children and listening to them gives
specialists important insight when helping to diagnose learning differences.
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