Homeschooled children can receive speech therapy for speech sound difficulties, language delays, stuttering, and other communication challenges. Families can work with a private speech therapist, either in person or online. Depending on state rules and eligibility requirements, children who are homeschooled can also receive services through their local public school district.
As a homeschooling parent, you may notice that your child is difficult to understand, struggles to express their thoughts, or has trouble communicating with others. This article explains how homeschoolers can access speech therapy, what signs to look for, and how to incorporate speech and language practice into your homeschooling routine.
Understanding your options can help you decide when to seek an evaluation and find services that fit your child's needs, your family's schedule, and your budget.
Key Takeaways
Speech therapy options: Homeschooled children can receive speech therapy from a private speech-language pathologist (in person or online) or through their local public school district, if eligible.
Free evaluations: Parents of homeschooled children can request a free speech and language evaluation through their local public school district if they suspect their child has a speech or language disorder.
School district services: Access to speech therapy depends on state laws and eligibility requirements. Services may be provided through an IEP or a services plan.
Practice at home: Parents can incorporate speech and language activities recommended by their child's speech-language pathologist into everyday lessons and routines.
What Is Speech Therapy for Homeschoolers?
Can Homeschoolers Get Speech Therapy Through the Public School?
Private and Online Speech Therapy Options for Homeschoolers
Signs Your Child Needs a Speech and Language Evaluation
How to Fit Homeschool Speech Therapy Into Your Day
What We See Working with Clients
Frequently Asked Questions About Speech Therapy for Homeschoolers
What Is Speech Therapy for Homeschoolers?
Speech therapy for homeschooled children addresses difficulties with speech sounds, language, voice, stuttering, and social communication. A speech-language pathologist evaluates your child's communication skills and develops an individualized treatment plan based on their needs.
Speech therapy works the same way for homeschooled children as it does for other children. The main differences are how families access services and incorporate practice into their daily routines.
For children who have trouble pronouncing certain sounds, articulation therapy for kids focuses on improving speech clarity. Children who struggle to follow directions, understand language, or express their thoughts can benefit from speech therapy for language disorders.
Can Homeschoolers Get Speech Therapy Through the Public School?
Homeschooled children can receive free speech and language evaluations through their local public school district. Access to ongoing speech therapy depends on state laws and eligibility requirements.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), public school districts must identify and evaluate children suspected of having disabilities, including homeschooled children. This requirement is called Child Find. Your child does not need to enroll in public school to request an evaluation. To get started, contact your district's special education office and submit a written request for a speech and language evaluation.
The services available after an evaluation depend on your state's homeschooling laws. In states that recognize homeschooling as private schooling under IDEA, eligible children can be considered for special education services. However, they are not individually entitled to the same services as children enrolled in public schools.
When a homeschooled child receives services under these provisions, the district develops a services plan outlining the support provided. This plan can include speech therapy, although the frequency and duration of sessions can differ from services provided under an individualized education program (IEP).
Other states have different arrangements for homeschooled children, including options for part-time public school enrollment or access to certain special education services. These rules can also affect access to occupational therapy and other related services.
Contact your local school district to find out what services are available to homeschooled children in your state. Ask about evaluation procedures, eligibility requirements, required paperwork, and where and how often therapy sessions take place.
Private and Online Speech Therapy Options for Homeschoolers
Families who homeschool can arrange speech therapy with a private speech-language pathologist, either at a local clinic or through live online sessions. Private speech therapy gives families more flexibility in choosing a provider and scheduling appointments.
| Option | Cost | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Public school district | You can request a free evaluation. Any speech therapy the district provides is generally free. | Access depends on state rules and eligibility. The district sets how often and where sessions happen. |
| Private clinic | Sessions usually have a fee. Health insurance or Medicaid can cover some or all of the cost. | You choose the speech-language pathologist, and the schedule is more flexible. Your family travels to each visit. |
| Online speech therapy | Sessions usually have a fee. Health insurance, Medicaid, or, in Florida, the FES-UA scholarship can cover some or all of the cost. | Your child attends sessions from home. A parent can join when the child needs support. |
| Connected Speech Pathology | connectedspeechpathology.com | ||
Health insurance or Medicaid can cover some or all of the cost, depending on your child's benefits and the reason for speech therapy. Ask providers about their rates, payment options, and insurance policies.
In Florida, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) can help pay for speech therapy. Eligibility depends on meeting the program's disability requirements, which can be documented through a qualifying IEP or a diagnosis from an approved healthcare professional. Step Up For Students administers FES-UA and the Personalized Education Program (PEP), but PEP funds cannot be used for speech therapy.
Online speech therapy is another option for homeschooled children. Sessions take place at home, making it easier to schedule appointments around lessons and other activities. A speech-language pathologist can help you decide whether online or in-person therapy is more appropriate for your child.
Our guide to in-person vs. online speech therapy explains what to expect from each option.
Before choosing a provider, confirm that the speech-language pathologist is authorized to provide services in the state where your child is located during sessions.
Signs Your Child Needs a Speech and Language Evaluation
An evaluation helps when your child is difficult to understand, or their language development seems delayed for their age.
Trouble saying sounds expected for their age, such as leaving out, changing, or distorting sounds. Other people may have to ask them to repeat themselves. A speech-language pathologist can determine whether these errors are part of a speech sound disorder.
Trouble using language for their age, such as using fewer words than other kids or having difficulty putting words into complete sentences
Difficulty following directions or answering questions about something they just heard
Repeating sounds or words, stretching sounds out, or getting stuck when trying to talk
Trouble with back-and-forth conversation, such as taking turns or staying on topic
As your child's teacher, keep short notes on what you notice during reading, spelling, storytelling, or conversation, and share them at the evaluation. If your child often seems not to hear you, an audiologist can test their hearing.
If you're unsure, our quiz for parents can help you identify concerns to discuss during an evaluation.
How to Fit Homeschool Speech Therapy Into Your Day
Homeschooling gives families the flexibility to schedule speech therapy appointments around lessons and other activities. You can include speech therapy in your child's school day and weave speech and language development into everyday learning.
Include Speech Therapy in Your Homeschool Schedule
Plan speech therapy appointments and practice time alongside your child's other subjects. Homeschooling also allows you to schedule multiple therapy sessions each week if your child's speech-language pathologist recommends them.
Short, consistent practice sessions are often easier for children to manage than longer activities. Including speech therapy during the school day, rather than adding it after lessons are complete, can also reduce pressure on your family.
Speech therapy activities can be included in your lesson plans, although rules about counting therapy toward required homeschool instructional hours vary by state.
Use Everyday Lessons to Practice Speech and Language Skills
Many homeschool activities can reinforce the skills your child is learning in speech therapy. Your child's speech-language pathologist can recommend specific methods and activities based on their communication goals.
Here are some ways to incorporate speech and language practice into your homeschool routine:
Narration: Ask your child to describe what they're doing during a lesson or daily activity. Model words and sentences that help expand their vocabulary and expressive language skills.
Conversational reading: During read-aloud time, ask open-ended questions about the story. Encourage your child to explain what happened, describe characters, or predict what happens next.
Story maps and visual supports: Use pictures, charts, or other visual tools to help your child organize their thoughts, follow directions, and retell stories in the correct order.
Cooking and science experiments: Following recipes and completing experiments provide opportunities to practice vocabulary, multi-step directions, sequencing, and explaining ideas.
Mirror practice: For certain speech sounds, your child's speech-language pathologist may recommend using a mirror to help them see how their lips and jaw move during speech.
Listening activities: Auditory bombardment involves repeatedly hearing words containing a target speech sound. Your child's speech-language pathologist can provide word lists and explain how to use this technique.
Audiobooks: Listening to audiobooks during car rides or quiet time provides additional exposure to vocabulary, sentence structures, and stories.
Communication temptations: For younger children, create natural opportunities to request something or ask for help. For example, offer a favorite toy in a closed container and give your child time to communicate what they need using speech, gestures, signs, or another communication method.
Games and playful activities: Board games, pretend play, and other interactive activities provide opportunities to practice conversation, turn-taking, and social communication skills.
Not every activity will be appropriate for every child. Follow your speech-language pathologist's recommendations, keep practice enjoyable, and avoid correcting every communication mistake throughout the day.
Stay in Contact With Your Child's Speech-Language Pathologist
Regular communication with your child's speech-language pathologist helps you understand their goals and reinforce skills between sessions.
Ask which activities to practice, how often to practice them, and what progress to look for. Sharing observations from your homeschool lessons can also help the speech-language pathologist determine which strategies are working and when adjustments are needed.
Finally, ask about additional resources, including apps, websites, printable worksheets, and activities you can use at home. You can also review information from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to learn more about children's speech and language development.
Speech Therapy at Home: 15 Useful Tips for Parents
Practical ideas for supporting your child's speech practice at home between sessions.
What We See Working with Clients
We work with homeschooling families whose children are dealing with speech sound, language, voice or stuttering difficulties. The examples below are based on real clients we have worked with. Identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
One family reached out because relatives and other parents at their homeschool co-op often had trouble understanding the family's 7-year-old son. He avoided reading aloud and got frustrated when people asked him to repeat himself.
During live online sessions, his speech-language pathologist worked on the sounds he omitted or substituted and coached his mother on short practice activities for reading and spelling lessons. Over time, family members asked him to repeat himself less often, though he still made some sound errors when he talked quickly.
Another mother contacted us about her 10-year-old daughter, who understood her lessons but struggled to put ideas into words. When the girl retold lessons aloud, she gave a short account and struggled to keep events in order.
In online sessions, we worked on organizing her ideas before she spoke and retelling events in order with a simple story map. Her mother started using the same tool in history and science lessons. Gradually, the girl's narrations became easier to follow, although she still needed the map for longer assignments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Speech Therapy for Homeschoolers
1. Can I provide speech therapy to my child myself?
You can help at home, but a speech-language pathologist should guide speech therapy. They evaluate your child's communication skills, identify areas that need support, and plan goals with your family.
2. Is online speech therapy effective for children?
Online speech therapy can be effective for many children, depending on their age, communication needs, and ability to participate in sessions. A speech-language pathologist can help determine if live online sessions are appropriate for your child. Younger children may need a parent nearby to help with activities and keep them engaged.
3. Will my child outgrow a speech or language delay?
Some children catch up as they grow, while others need help. A speech-language pathologist can assess your child's development and explain whether speech therapy is recommended.
4. Does speech therapy count as part of the homeschool day?
Many homeschooling families include speech therapy in their school day. If your state requires a set number of instructional hours, check whether speech therapy counts toward them.
5. Is a teenager too old for speech therapy?
Teenagers can still benefit from speech therapy. Many teens continue working on speech clarity, stuttering, language, or social communication. Our guide to speech therapy for a teenager explains what that work can look like.
How Connected Speech Pathology Can Help
Connected Speech Pathology provides online speech therapy for children and teens, including those who are homeschooled. Our live online sessions offer flexible scheduling, making it easier to fit speech therapy into your homeschooling routine.
Our speech-language pathologists develop individualized treatment plans based on each child's communication needs. They can also recommend ways to reinforce speech and language skills during homeschool lessons and everyday activities.
For eligible Florida families, we accept Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) funds and have been an approved provider since 2018.
Summary
Homeschooled children can receive speech therapy from private providers, either in person or online. Depending on state laws and eligibility requirements, services may also be available through public school districts. Parents can request a free speech and language evaluation through their local school district under IDEA, although access to ongoing therapy varies by state.
Speech therapy can also be incorporated into homeschooling routines, allowing parents to reinforce communication skills during lessons and everyday activities.
About the Author
Allison Geller, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a communication coach, speech-language pathologist, and founder of Connected Speech Pathology, an international online practice providing professional communication coaching and speech therapy for children, teens, and adults. With more than two decades of experience, she has worked in medical and educational settings and published research on aphasia. Today, she leads a team of specialists who help clients improve their skills in public speaking, vocal presence, accent clarity, articulation, language, fluency, and interpersonal communication.
