Amy Bodkin
But What About Social Skills?
Amy Bodkin is an Autistc Adult, School Psychologist, and Homeschool Mom to her two Autistic kids. She consults primarily with homeschool families as the Special Needs Consultant at A Charlotte Mason Plenary. She works with families who have experienced chronic health conditions, disabilities, trauma, asynchronous development, etc. Her practice is guided by Charlotte Mason’s idea that “Children are born persons” and makes it her goal to see each child as an individual, not a diagnosis.
Amy has recently started a new venture at amybodkin.com to provide a home to her advocacy work and her new podcast “Special Needs Kids are People Too!”
Peggy Ployhar
Flipping Special Needs Homeschooling
Peggy Ployhar, SPED Homeschool Founder & CEO, is a leader in the homeschooling community and popular speaker on home educating students with learning challenges. After working as a special needs consultant for both the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) and the Texas Home School Coalition (THSC), Peggy founded SPED Homeschool in 2017, an organization that empowers families across the globe to home educate children with specialized educational needs. Peggy also hosts the popular live broadcast and podcast, Empowering Homeschool Conversations, a weekly talk show where her guests address relevant issues related to homeschooling for unique learners.
Julie Polanco
How to use Hyperfocus and Obsessive Interests to Your Advantage
Julie Polanco, MH is an author, blogger, podcaster, speaker, and 20-year veteran homeschooling mom of four special needs kids. Check out her books, God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn and 100 No and Low Cost Ways to Motivate Kids, and discover how she used natural learning methods to educate her special bunch of ADHD and Aspie kids. And, to learn more about a natural and holistic approach to thriving with your unique and beautiful children, visit her website, Julie Naturally.
Beth Ellen Nash
Dyslexia Outside-the-Box: Flipside Strengths and Challenges
Beth Ellen Nash has her Education degree from the University of Wisconsin—Madison and has 21 years’ experience working with dyslexics and other struggling learners. She was the founder, director, and lead teacher for 8 years at Hope Academy, a school for struggling middle and high school students in Madison, WI.
In 2011, she shifted toward an individualized online and homeschool hybrid option and founded Wings to Soar Online Academy to empower outside-the-box learners with skills and confidence for success through Path to Success™ Personalized Learning Plans for kindergarten through 12th grade.
Beth Ellen is currently Director and Intervention Specialist for Wings to Soar Online Academy. Beth Ellen has tutored, assessed, and consulted with hundreds of families. She is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Dyslexia Outside-the-Box as well as Wings to Soar Spelling Foundations. She is also the creator of the Wings to Soar: Fostering Whole-Person Well-Being app and the Becoming the Me I Wanna Be course.
In addition, Beth Ellen is a sought-after speaker for many homeschooling and educational conferences.
Beth Ellen tailors her talks to the needs of the audience drawing upon her experience with students ages 3-21 with dyslexia, ADHD, autism spectrum, RAD, OCD, anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, and those who otherwise learn differently from traditional schooling.
Sarah Collins
All the Pieces of the Handwriting Puzzle
Sarah Collins, MSOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist with a background in both pediatrics and home health. In fact, working as an OT actually led her to homeschooling. When in a client’s home, Sarah was introduced to homeschooling and was amazed at the atmosphere of learning within the home. Later that year, due to a move, the opportunity to begin the Collins Academy of Excellence arose. Though the style of homeschooling has changed and morphed over the years, the overarching goal of ushering the kids towards their specific purpose has remained. After 2 years of homeschooling, Sarah consistently noticed that families were asking the same questions and though were experts on their child, could benefit from consulting with an occupational therapist for guidance within their homeschools. As a result, Collins Academy of Excellence grew into Collins Academy Therapy Services with the purpose of educating families on how to create homeschools specifically designed for their student’s needs. The other half of Collins Academy of Excellence is training Occupational Therapists to best serve the homeschool community. Combining both of these allows Collins Academy Therapy Services to provide resources for homeschools and occupational therapist to come together in guiding children towards their specific purpose in life.
Dr. Jan Bedell
Learning Struggles Don’t Have to Last a Lifetime
In 1992, a journey began that transitioned Dr. Jan from desperate home school mom of a struggling learner into a master neurodevelopmentalist. With her new knowledge of brain optimization, coupled with experience as a public, private and home school teacher, she developed curriculum and training programs for parents and professionals. The NeuroDevelopmental Approach gave her hope for her daughter and now Dr. Jan aka Brain Coach™ dedicates her time to helping children, teens and adults reach their fullest God-given potential whether they are gifted, typical or challenged.
Curriculum development and training programs for parents and professionals has been Dr. Jan’s specialty. Her approach: Life-changing! Her passion: Making life and learning easier for millions!
You can find Dr. Jan at www.BrainSprints.com.
Pam DeArmon
If We Lose Mom, We Lose Everyone: Keeping it Together as a Special Needs Mom
Pam DeArmon is an 8-year homeschool veteran mom of two boys. When she’s not managing their busy schedules, she loves reading, watching movies with her hubby, and writing in her bullet journal. When she isn’t going those things, she’s writing for Our Homeschool Hive, which she started after having countless people ask her “how to get started with homeschooling.”
Marin Lipowitz
Teaching Special Needs/ADHD With a Focus on Multiple Learning Styles
Marin Lipowitz has always been passionate about experiential learning as a
concrete, hands-on approach that can circumvent many learning challenges
while generating the interest and enthusiasm that makes teaching and
learning fun, effective, and successful.
Marin holds a Masters Degree in Waldorf Education, and has had years of
experience as a class teacher in the early grades. Also, as a homeschool
teacher in California public schools, Marin gained an in-depth knowledge of
state and national education standards.
This combined knowledge and experience led to Math By Hand, a creative,
colorful curriculum for grades 1-4, and a lively alternative to a more abstract
focus on drill and memorization.
She believes that if enthusiasm and joy come first, the rest will follow,
empowering all children with the self-confidence and love of lifelong learning
that can awaken the sleeping genius in every child.
See all of the Math By Hand products at www.mathbyhand.com
Terrie McKee
Creating Schedules for Differently-Abled Children
Terrie McKee, a follower of Jesus, is married to Greg, and together they have four children, two of whom are married. All of them have special needs ranging from autism to ADHD and dyslexia to diabetes. Greg is paralyzed and a full-time wheelchair user who plays wheelchair basketball. Terrie is an author, speaker, homeschooler, and content creator. She blogs at Homeschooling1Child.com.
Jess Arce
Tips for Improving a Learner’s Memory
Jess Arce, America’s Dyslexia Expert, is the CEO of I am Not Dumb, Inc. and Program Director of Lexia Learners, a tutoring company specializing in online private tutoring for students of all ages with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and similar learning differences, as well as masterclasses for parents to confidently homeschool their children that learn differently.
She began homeschooling her second youngest son in 2009, unexpectedly while they were living in Texas. The following year, the family moved back to Las Vegas and she continued to homeschool him as well as her youngest son, who has severe Dyslexia & profound Dyscalculia. She immediately realized she needed to homeschool him differently than she originally intended. That is when she began using an Orton-Gillingham-based program and incorporating multisensory activities into their day. Within no time he was learning to read. A few years later they moved to Southern California and they decided it was beneficial to homeschool her daughter with profound Dyslexic, who was struggling in traditional high school. A few months after working with her son, another homeschool family asked Jess to work with their children, and her company Lexia Learners was born. Today, Jess focuses on training her tutors, in order to help more families and homeschoolers experience success.
Jess is a self-diagnosed Dyslexic, she unknowingly married a fellow Dyslexic. Jess and her husband raised four children, three with Dyslexia and all four of them experience a total of eight neuro-diversities: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia, Vision Processing Disorder, Auditory Processing Delay, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Autism Spectrum.
Jess is a certified Dyslexia Tutor and Dyslexia Specialist that has been a guest speaker for several podcasts and shows. She shared about Dyslexia numerous times at several homeschool conferences, such as California Homeschool Network and California Home Education Association.
Her goal is to share more of her knowledge and experiences through “I Am Not Dumb, I Am Dyslexic” her first published book that is full of inspiration and deep discussions about Dyslexia and other similar learning differences.
Yehudis Litvak
Homeschooling Children with Learning Differences
Yehudis Litvak is the owner of HomeschoolBoost.com, the host of Digital Homeschool Convention, co-founder of Ani VeAmi – the Jewish Living Education curriculum, and the author of its curriculum guides. She has been homeschooling for thirteen years. She is passionate about giving every child an opportunity to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically in a homeschool environment. Yehudis loves to read and write living books, and she is the author of a Young Adult historical fiction trilogy, as well as numerous short stories. You can find her at Homeschool Boost and Ani veAmi
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