SPED Homeschool: Resources for Homeschooling Children with Special Needs

By Kathy Kuhl         Last spring a friend told me about SPED Homeschool, a nonprofit and website serving the homeschooling special needs community. (SPED is short for Special Education.)

Since the friend was Cheryl Swope, I paid attention. You may have heard me give workshops with Cheryl. (My review of her excellent book is in the notes below.) As a board member of SPED Homeschool, Cheryl encouraged me to contact them. Cheryl is a wise and kind expert on homeschooling kids with challenges, so I listened to her. I’m glad I did.

How SPED Homeschool Began

Long-time homeschool mom Peggy Ployhar founded SPED Homeschool after years helping homeschoolers teaching kids with special needs and learning challenges, like us. She’s led the Special Needs Team for the Texas Home School Coalition, and served as special needs coordinator for MACHE (the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators). She has homeschooled for 16 years, and still homeschools the youngest of their three children. Her firstborn has Asperger Syndrome.

Peggy has gathered a team of homeschool veterans and a board of experts including Dianne Craft, Cheryl Swope, Jan Bedell of Little Giant Steps, and many others. Their goal is to collect resources to help you as you homeschool your struggling learner.

What does SPED offer?

• Therapy resources of many kinds.
• Curriculum picks (Their policy on conflict of interest protects readers from shameless self-promotion.)
• Several of their team members can be hired as consultant. So can their consulting partners.
• Podcasts and free webinars with a wide range of experts offering practical advice. 
• A Facebook support group, providing information, encouragement and support.

I gave one such webinar Monday, September 11, which you can view now on their Facebook page, or listen as a podcast. (Links below.) We discussed raising never-give-up kids, that is, how to nurture perseverance.

I welcome your questions or comments below.

Resources

• SPED Homeschool’s website
• Watch my Facebook chat or
• Listen to the podcast here
• My review of Cheryl Swope’s book, Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child.