“What curriculum are you using?” This question is frequently asked of homeschoolers. The homeschooling parent of the special learner is no exception, but finding the right program for this student can be a challenge. I found this to be so with my son, Macklin, who has learning issues. However, I...

The Neurodevelopmental Approach is like no other approach to human development. It is unique in its approach of looking at the whole individual, not the separate pieces. Taking the individual pieces, without an understanding how they interrelate, will severely impede the success you have working...

Does your memory seem fuzzy at times? Do you have difficulties in remembering faces, facts, dates, or numbers? Do you experience memory lapses when your mind is just a blank? The cause could be traced to a nutritional deficiency. Your brain, like the rest of your body organs, requires a specific...

As our special needs children grow up there are new issues that we parents must address. One of the issues receiving some new attention lately is that of Guardianship. Actually, the laws governing guardianship have been in place for decades, but our society has largely ignored the need for...

Have you ever tried to be aware of more than one thing at once? Of course. We all have. Perhaps you’ve been talking on the phone, doodling, and jotting some notes. Let the oven alarm go off, a noisy child enter the room, or try to do too much—like check email or read the headlines while you’re...

Joseph was an unhappy baby. He didn't sleep for very long periods, and seemed to cry all the time. He did best when he was held and rocked, or walked. He spit up after nursing much more than the other babies in the family had. His parents called him their "high maintenance child." He developed...

Educators have not been able to agree on what dyslexia really is. Some authorities believe that it is strictly a language processing problem, involving the distinguishing of sounds of letters. This is why they cannot remember phonics sounds to decode a word. Others believe that it is a visual/...

Edited and rewritten by Jane Gambill, Adrianne Elbe and Buffi Crouch of the ICHE Special Needs Committee.

Illinois is the most free state for home education. It is not a legal requirement that a homeschooling family prepare a formal, written, Individualized Education Plan (IEP)...

Pictures of Mae Jemison, Bill Cosby and Rosa Parks clutter the doors of Cheryl and Derek Carter's back room where three desks for Jarrett, 13, Janae, 10 and Jolene, 6, line the wall.

School days in the Carter's Uniondale house, which began a week before public school, start at 8 a.m. with...

Homeschooling puts academic and moral excellence within the grasp of children of all races.

Bob Herbert of the New York Times wrote recently that "black children must be prepared to succeed." He reiterates what retired Gen. Colin Powell said at a recent NAACP conference in Atlanta, that...