Washington · autism, ADHD and learning differences
Homeschooling a child with autism, ADHD or a learning difference in Washington
File a declaration by September 15, cover eleven subject areas, test or assess once a year, and keep the result yourself. Starting in Washington means the notice step listed above. What changes for a neurodivergent child is how the lessons look and feel, and that is something a parent can set.
What Washington asks of a homeschool family
These are the homeschool rules we have on file for Washington, last verified 2026-08. Our Washington page has the full list, with sources.
Getting started (notice)
a signed declaration of intent each year to the superintendent of the district you live in, or the district accepting a transfer, by September 15 or within two weeks of the start of any public school quarter, trimester or semester. It gives the child's name and age and says whether a certificated person is supervising the instruction.
Records you must keep
you keep test scores or annual academic progress assessments and immunization records yourself, along with any other records of instructional and educational activities. They are forwarded only when the child transfers to another public or private school.
Testing / evaluation
once a year, either a standardized achievement test approved by the state board of education and given by a qualified individual, or a written assessment of the child's academic progress by a certificated person currently working in the field of education. The result becomes part of the child's permanent record. It is not submitted to the district.
Special education and your homeschooled child in Washington
We researched this from Washington'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
Home-based instruction is its own category under RCW 28A.225.010(4) and chapter 28A.200 RCW, and WAC 392-172A-04000 states that 'parentally placed private school students' does not include students receiving home-based instruction.
Asking for an evaluation
WAC 392-172A-02040 requires each school district to locate, identify and evaluate students who may be eligible for special education living within the district boundaries 'whether or not they are enrolled in the public school system', so a parent can ask the district where the family lives for an evaluation. The separate private school child find rule (WAC 392-172A-04005) is limited to approved nonprofit private schools and does not cover home-based instruction.
Services and IEPs
Because home-based students are excluded from the private school service plan rules (WAC 392-172A-04000), the route to services is part-time enrollment: WAC 392-172A-01135 defines it as a home-schooled or private school student whose parent chooses to enroll the student in the resident district for special education or related services under RCW 28A.150.350, and the student is then served through an IEP. Whether an existing IEP continues after withdrawal for home-based instruction: not found in primary sources.
Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school
RCW 28A.150.350 says a district board shall permit part-time enrollment and provide ancillary services for students receiving home-based instruction who would otherwise be eligible for full-time enrollment, and chapter 392-134 WAC sets the rules. OSPI's Pink Book (2017 edition) says ancillary services include counseling, psychological services, testing, remedial instruction, speech and hearing therapy, and sports, with athletic eligibility set by the state athletic association.
Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability
No Washington disability scholarship, ESA, voucher or tax-credit program for homeschoolers was found in the sources reviewed. This is an absence finding: no primary source was located that states there is no such program.
Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.
Also worth knowing
RCW 28A.200.010 requires parents to file an annual declaration of intent by September 15 with the resident district superintendent and to have a standardized achievement test or a written annual progress assessment by a certificated person; the statute does not require these children to take the state assessments. No special rule for children with disabilities was found in that statute. OSPI says it offers technical assistance on home-based instruction and part-time enrollment (360-725-6229).
State office to ask: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Special Education.
Sources we read
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.200.010
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.200&full=true
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=392-172A&full=true
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.150.350
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.225.010
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=392-134&full=true
- https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/learning-alternatives/home-based-instruction
- https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/special-education
- https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/special-education/guidance-families/making-referral-special-education
- https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2023-08/pinkbook.pdf
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 Washington, 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 Washington allows.
Records in Washington
Check the records line above for Washington. 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 Washington
All 84 courses are readable in full with no account and no card, and the first 30 days are free.
$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 Washington?
Washington's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: Home-based instruction is its own category under RCW 28A.225.010(4) and chapter 28A.200 RCW, and WAC 392-172A-04000 states that 'parentally placed private school students' does not include students receiving home-based instruction. WAC 392-172A-02040 requires each school district to locate, identify and evaluate students who may be eligible for special education living within the district boundaries 'whether or not they are enrolled in the public school system', so a parent can ask the district where the family lives for an evaluation. The separate private school child find rule (WAC 392-172A-04005) is limited to approved nonprofit private schools and does not cover home-based instruction.
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 Washington's testing rules?
Check the testing and evaluation line above for Washington, 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 Washington allows.
What does it cost?
$29 a month or $290 a year for every child. The first 30 days are free with no card.
Keep reading
- Homeschooling in Washington: the full requirements
- Homeschooling for autism and ADHD
- A homeschool curriculum for a neurodivergent child
- ADHD homeschool curriculum
- Dyslexia homeschool curriculum
- IEP accommodations a homeschool curriculum can carry
A plain-language summary, not legal advice, and laws change. Confirm current requirements with Washington before relying on them. Sources are listed on the Washington page.