Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in Pennsylvania

What Pennsylvania asks of a homeschool family

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

Getting started (notice)

a notarized affidavit (or unsworn declaration) filed with the local school district superintendent before starting, then annually by August 1; it includes names/ages, address, subjects to be taught in English, educational objectives, immunization and health-service evidence, and a criminal-history certification. Alternatives: a Pennsylvania-certified private tutor, or satellite enrollment in a religious or accredited day/boarding school.

Records you must keep

a portfolio with a contemporaneous log of instruction and reading materials, samples of student work, and the required standardized test results

Testing / evaluation

standardized testing in grades 3, 5, and 8 (approved tests include CAT, ITBS, Stanford and others), plus an annual written evaluation of the portfolio by a qualified evaluator (licensed psychologist or certified teacher with two years' experience), with the evaluator's certification submitted to the district by June 30

Special education and your homeschooled child in Pennsylvania

We researched this from Pennsylvania'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

A home education program is its own legal option under 24 P.S. 13-1327(d) and 13-1327.1, distinct from private schools and private tutoring, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) guide (revised May 2026) says special education services for a homeschooled child are distinct from the FAPE a district gives a public school student.

Asking for an evaluation

PDE's guide says that if a parent believes a child has a disability and needs special education but has not been evaluated, the school district where the family lives must evaluate the child at no charge when the parent asks in writing, and must explain the results. If the district does not, PDE points parents to its Special Education Consult Line at 1-800-879-2301.

Services and IEPs

PDE says providing special education services to a homeschooled student is a local decision under district or intermediate unit policy, must be agreed to by both the parent and the district, and is not required. Services must be requested by the parent and provided in the public schools or a licensed private school, not in the home (24 P.S. 13-1327(d)); a parent who revokes consent for special education ends the services and the pre-approval requirement.

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

Under Act 67 of 2005 homeschooled students may take part in extracurricular activities in their district of residence, and under Act 55 of 2022 (effective 2023-24) districts must have policies letting homeschoolers join co-curricular activities tied to an academic course, career and technical education, and academic courses up to at least 25 percent of the school day, on the same basis and eligibility rules as other students. Therapies such as speech, OT or PT are covered only through the district's discretionary special education services above.

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs fund income-based scholarships through approved scholarship organizations, and state reporting tracks recipients who are students with disabilities. Whether a homeschooled child can receive one was not found in the primary sources read.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Also worth knowing

For a child identified under IDEA, the home education affidavit must be accompanied by written approval that the program addresses the child's specific needs, signed by a Pennsylvania-certified special education teacher, a licensed clinical psychologist or a certified school psychologist (24 P.S. 13-1327(d)); no special certification is required of the parent. Homeschoolers still take statewide or approved tests in grades 3, 5 and 8, and PDE warns that revoking consent for special education means the child is no longer identified under IDEA.

State office to ask: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education.

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 Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania allows.

Records in Pennsylvania

Check the records line above for Pennsylvania. 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.

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Questions

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

Pennsylvania's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: A home education program is its own legal option under 24 P.S. 13-1327(d) and 13-1327.1, distinct from private schools and private tutoring, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) guide (revised May 2026) says special education services for a homeschooled child are distinct from the FAPE a district gives a public school student. PDE's guide says that if a parent believes a child has a disability and needs special education but has not been evaluated, the school district where the family lives must evaluate the child at no charge when the parent asks in writing, and must explain the results. If the district does not, PDE points parents to its Special Education Consult Line at 1-800-879-2301.

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 Pennsylvania's testing rules?