Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in Ohio

What Ohio asks of a homeschool family

These are the homeschool rules we have on file for Ohio, last verified 2026-08. Our Ohio page has the full list, with sources.

Getting started (notice)

written notice to the superintendent of your resident school district within 5 calendar days of starting (or moving districts or withdrawing from school), then annually by August 30; it contains the parent's name and address, the child's name, and an assurance the required subjects will be taught. The superintendent must acknowledge in writing within 14 days, and the exemption is effective on receipt.

Records you must keep

none required by the current statute

Testing / evaluation

none. The 2023 overhaul (HB 33) eliminated the previous annual academic assessment and hours-of-instruction rules

Special education and your homeschooled child in Ohio

We researched this from Ohio's statutes and administrative code, the state education department and the US Department of Education, last checked October 2026. Where a source was missing, old or in conflict, the line says so instead of guessing. Federal law (IDEA) gives a child placed in private school by a parent no individual right to services, only a share of the district's equitable-services funds, and each state decides how a home school is counted.

How the state counts a home school

Its own category, not a private school

Ohio home education (ORC 3321.042) is a parent-directed exemption from compulsory attendance that excludes children enrolled full time in public or chartered nonpublic schools; the state Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) does not treat it as private school enrollment for IEP services.

Asking for an evaluation

ODEW's 2024 Special Education Model Policies say the district of residence is responsible for evaluating homeschooled children, and ODEW's May 2024 office-hours slides say the district where the parents reside generally handles child find, initial evaluations and reevaluations for home-schooled children (34 CFR 300.111 and 300.201). This differs from private school children, who are evaluated by the district where the school sits.

Services and IEPs

ODEW's 2025 Home Education Fact Sheet states that special needs children who are home educated are not eligible to receive services for their IEP from their district of residence. ODEW's model policies say homeschooled children who accept a Jon Peterson or Autism scholarship give up the right to FAPE; a parent who withdraws a child from school would therefore not keep district IEP services.

Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school

ODEW's fact sheet says home-educated students may take part in extracurricular activities at the district they would attend (ORC 3313.5312) and must meet the same non-academic and financial requirements. Part-time academic classes or therapies for home-educated students were not found in primary sources, though ODEW's home schooling page links College Credit Plus for home-school families (details not read).

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

ODEW says home-educated children may potentially be eligible for the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship (ORC 3310.51 to 3310.64) or the Autism Scholarship (ORC 3310.41) if they find an approved provider; the statutes require a district-identified disability and IEP (Jon Peterson) or an autism identification or diagnosis (Autism), and prior-year district enrollment or being eligible to enter school. ORC 3310.41 shows an effective date of September 23, 2026 (Senate Bill 19), a recent change worth checking.

Also worth knowing

Parents notify the district superintendent within five days of starting and by August 30 each year (ORC 3321.042, effective October 3, 2023 per House Bill 33), and the parent issues the diploma. ODEW's home education team is at [email protected] or 614-728-2678.

State office to ask: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Office for Exceptional Children.

Sources we read

A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Scholarship and school-choice programs change often, and we have left dollar amounts out on purpose. Confirm current rules with the state office before you act.

Pace, testing and the plan

Check the testing and evaluation line above for Ohio, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what Ohio allows.

Records in Ohio

Check the records line above for Ohio. Letters & Devotion logs instructional hours automatically while your child works, tracks mastery per skill as a ready-made portfolio record, and prints a transcript in one click. Turning supports on or off does not change that record, and nothing in it names a condition, because Letters & Devotion never stores a diagnosis.

Six Learning Supports you can switch on

A parent ticks what helps, never a condition. Each support is a bundle of single switches, and any switch can be changed on its own. After about three weeks the parent side asks whether a support is helping.

Reading support
Often chosen for dyslexia
Read-aloud with each word highlighted, a clearer font, extra spacing and answer buttons.
Focus support
Often chosen for ADHD
Short pieces, one question on screen and movement breaks.
Predictable routine
Often chosen for autism
The same layout, a heads-up before changes, a calm look and plain wording.
Math support
Often chosen for dyscalculia
Pictures and a calculator, with nothing timed.
Writing support
Often chosen for dysgraphia
Answer out loud, with ideas counted over spelling.
Low-pressure mode
Often chosen for anxiety or perfectionism
No scores, calm feedback and a free second try.

What this is not

It does not diagnose anything or store a diagnosis. Your child never sees a condition name.
It is not special education, therapy or an evaluation, and it is not a substitute for an IEP.
Read-aloud is a computer voice, not a person, and answering out loud needs the microphone switch.
Some lesson rewrites, such as plainer literal wording, are pre-written, so not every lesson has one.

Try it with your child in Ohio

All 84 courses are readable in full with no account and no card, and the first 30 days are free.

Start 30 days free See all 84 courses →

$29 a month or $290 a year for every child. Cancel anytime, in one click.

Questions

Can I homeschool a child with autism or ADHD in Ohio?

Ohio's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: Ohio home education (ORC 3321.042) is a parent-directed exemption from compulsory attendance that excludes children enrolled full time in public or chartered nonpublic schools; the state Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) does not treat it as private school enrollment for IEP services. ODEW's 2024 Special Education Model Policies say the district of residence is responsible for evaluating homeschooled children, and ODEW's May 2024 office-hours slides say the district where the parents reside generally handles child find, initial evaluations and reevaluations for home-schooled children (34 CFR 300.111 and 300.201). This differs from private school children, who are evaluated by the district where the school sits.

Does Letters & Devotion store my child’s diagnosis?

No. You pick supports, never a condition, nothing stores a diagnosis, and your child never sees a condition name. Support settings are never sent to analytics.

Does this replace an evaluation or an IEP?

No. The setup screen says it plainly: these change how lessons look and feel, and they are not a substitute for an evaluation or an IEP.

Do the supports work with Ohio's testing rules?