Homeschooling the Child with ADD (or Other Special Needs)

by Lenore Colacion Hayes

Prima Publishing

Author Lenore Hayes, experienced homeschooling mom of a special needs child, draws upon her own experience, her learning through a graduate degree program in community and clinical psychology, her experience working with hundreds of families, and input from many other parents of children with special needs. Thus, this book pools the wisdom, information, and lessons learned from those who really know what they’re talking about.

This book is a particularly good starting point for parents considering homeschooling because it starts from the point of “figuring out what’s wrong” and goes all the way through “what we can do about it ourselves.” While specific diagnostic information is relatively brief (Remember that there are entire books written about each type of disorder!), parents might still be able to make an informal diagnosis from what is presented in the first few chapters, or at least know they need professional assistance. Hayes then addresses the various barriers parents of special needs children confront: dealing with objections from professional educators, removing children from school, dealing with challenges from friends and family, figuring out what curriculum and methods to use with each child, and getting support and assistance. As befits such a practical book, each chapter includes recommended resources, web sites, groups to contact, etc. so you know where to go further information or assistance.

While Hayes and many other contributing parents have found government-school supplied services inadequate and sometimes even negative, they do not reject all use of such services. The overall attitude seems to be: don’t expect too much and be your child’s best advocate.