“Come on. It’s only thirty-five feet high. After all, you’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building and you’ve looked over the fruited plains from the top of Pike’s Peak.  You’ve walked on the bridge spanning Royal Gorge and have experienced the thrill of climbing out on the rocks which rest on the upper edge of the Grand Canyon walls.”  But no matter what thoughts I used to try to bolster my courage, there was something unnerving about the thought of rappelling down the side of that farm silo. It was on a different level, altogether.

Several years ago my boys and I were participating in a father/son campout and were enjoying a variety of outdoor activities. My sons were eager to try the activity of rappelling. I suggested that we do some other activity, but soon found myself standing in the rappelling line with them.  (I had no desire to reveal my apprehension.  After all, I did not want to lose respect in the eyes of my boys.) 

“They will probably get cold feet,” I reasoned. I watched the line of young boys and their fathers in front of me get smaller and...

Leaders, You won't want to miss this!

Fall will be here soon and it will be time for MȂCHÉ's annual gathering of Minnesota support group leaders. This is a fabulous chance to connect with other leaders and encourage each other on our leadership journeys.  This year's Support Group Leaders Retreat will be held on Saturday, October 27 at Horizons Community Church in Ham Lake, Minnesota. 

We are blessed to have Cam Leedahl, a veteran homeschool mom and leader, share with us. Cam is a founding board member of REACH support group in northern Minnesota and serves as a board member on the National Alliance of Christian Home Education Leadership (The Alliance).  She will have two sessions with us.

Session One: Building the Framework of Your Group
Cam sets out the general principles for a successful support group and helps you target specific applications for your distinctive group. Utilizing the right tools for the job helps to make the construction and maintenance of your group easier.

Session Two: Leadership Would be Easy if it Weren’t for People
Just as one support group...

I was reluctant. I didn’t really want to go to MACHE’s Legislative Training Days. The day Mom asked me about it, I was against it. But she pointed out that it would be very beneficial since I was studying American government this year. It would fit in perfectly with my studies. She and Dad really wanted me to do it this year, if not in my senior year. I asked what I’d be doing and she told me it was basically a tour of the capitol and a detailed run down of the processes that go on every day. I was glad at least I didn’t have to do anything up in front of people. Even though I still didn’t really want to, I said I’d do it because Mom and Dad wanted me to, and God has commanded me to obey and honor my parents. So I determined I would go without complaining, mentally or verbally, to obey my Savior.

My dad and I left early Thursday morning for the State Office Building. At first, it started out as I expected: an encouraging word from Representative Mary Kiffmeyer, an outline of the day, and lots of information about how the House and Senate operate. Then came the excitement - the tour of the State Office Building. Just as we entered the...

Have you been agonizing over selecting your homeschool curriculum, or is the curricula you have been using not working? We understand. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions we receive in the Struggling Learner/Special Needs Department is, "What is the best curriculum to use with my child?"

There is no simple answer to this question. In fact, there is no one-size-fits-all curriculum that will be the magic bullet for a child with special needs. Rather, what makes the biggest difference is a loving and diligent parent-teacher coming alongside the child and teaching him at his level of functioning. It is not just the materials that make the difference, but the methods of instruction and how the materials are adapted to best suit your child's specific needs. It is important that you use methods and materials which accommodate your child's learning style and specific learning needs.

There is an abundance of homeschool curricula, supplementary materials, and programs...

The incidence of children with Asperger's Syndrome is increasing, but many parents are finding comfort and success for these challenged youths. In the February 2009 HSLDA Struggling Learner Newsletter titled, "Homeschooling a Child with Asperger's Syndrome", we focused on the biological interventions that parents of Asperger's children have found helpful. Then, in the July issue, we turned our attention toward beneficial educational and social interventions. Today, we will address the topic of frequently recommended and necessary therapies.

Therapies

Should your homeschool program include working with therapists? Many parents surveyed feel comfortable enough to work on most of their child's issues at home. Others feel that much is gained by having their child work with therapists once or twice a week.

1. Occupational Therapy
This type of help has received the most favorable comments from parents. Most helpful is sensory...

The incidence of children with Asperger's Syndrome is increasing. But parents across the country report that homeschooling their Asperger's children offers the breathing room they need. Homeschooling helps parents apply the advice of experts, many of whom encourage three approaches to help Asperger's children overcome the many challenges they face:

1. Biological interventions.
2. Educational interventions.
3. Social interventions and therapies.

In the February 2009 HSLDA Struggling Learner Newsletter titled, Homeschooling a Child with Asperger's Syndrome, we focused on the biological interventions. In this newsletter, we will focus on educational and social interventions. Part 3, the final section due out later this summer, will address recommended supplementary therapies for children with Asperger's Syndrome.

Should You Homeschool Your Asperger's...

In the United States, it is estimated that one family out of 150 has a child who is struggling with Asperger's syndrome , or autism . (CDC report as seen on www.medicalnews.today.com) This represents a 500% increase in the past 10 years. Homeschooling families are not immune to this phenomenon.

Many experts on Asperger's syndrome encourage three approaches to help these children overcome many of the challenges they face: biological interventions, educational interventions, and social interventions.

In this newsletter we will focus on the biological interventions that parents have found to be helpful with their children. In the next newsletter we will deal with educational and social interventions. Before we get to interventions, let's focus on the characteristics and why homeschooling is best in helping a child with Asperger's be successful.

CHARACTERISTICS

What does the...

"My child wants to read so badly, but he struggles so much. He is embarrassed because his brothers and sisters, even the younger ones, can read better than he can. We have tried so many curriculums. They have worked for my other children, but not for him."

As a reading specialist, and coordinator for HSLDA's Struggling Learner program, this is a statement I hear on a daily basis from homeschooling moms. What is really hampering this child's ability to read? Can a mom figure this out at home, or does she always need professional help for this?

My experience, after working with thousands of homeschooling families in my clinic, is that homeschooling parents are very capable of tackling this job successfully at home, once they have the correct information to work with. In this brief article, we will discuss the process that I teach parents to determine where their child's reading problem lies, and what to do about it.

Why is reading easier for the other children in the...

Homeschooling allows parents of children with learning challenges, and/or gifts and talents, to incorporate their child's strengths and interests while they work together at the student's pace to "catch-up" on basic skills.

Many parents opt to withdraw their children with special needs--those who have already been under an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) in a formal school setting--in order to homeschool them. Other parents never enroll their children in any formal school setting because they suspect that those children would struggle and likely "fall through the cracks" if they were not homeschooled.

However, some homeschool support groups may require that parents secure an IEP for these children. When HSLDA members call me about developing an IEP, I often introduce them to the Clinical Teaching Cycle Model which was developed by Janet Lerner, Ph.D., specifically for teaching children who have learning problems.

Here are the five components of her model and...

Homeschooling is not without challenges--especially when it comes to teaching struggling learners and children with special needs. This newsletter will introduce you to some resources which may help you with the challenge of developing a Student Education Plan (SEP).

Dilemma

"Mom A," a very conscientious mom who was in her first year of homeschooling, told me she and her son were schooling from early morning until 10 p.m. "Mom A" explained why they were adhering to that schedule. They had to meet the deadline requirements established by the curriculum provider who would be awarding the grades for each class in which her son was enrolled.

That mom's voice conveyed her exhaustion and also her fear that her son, a slower processor, was equating learning with misery, and that he would ultimately "just plain give up." Clearly, both mom and son were candidates for burnout.

I commended "Mom A" for her obvious diligence in homeschooling...