This week on the Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Spectrum Resources for Homeschooling with Keisha Berry.

Spectrum Resources for Homeschooling with Keisha Berry

There’s not ONE kind of homeschooler but every homeschooler matters! That’s why we are so excited to talk with our friend, Keisha Berry of Spectrum Education and Therapy Center,  about resources and tips for supporting our unique learners!

Keisha Barry is a speech and language pathologist and special education teacher. Her Spectrum Education and Therapy Center was created to help “neuro-spicy” homeschoolers and their parents with tools for sucess. (Keisha is the sister of our friend and Cousin, Dr. Rochelle Matthews Somerville of EFM Education.)

Keisha’s Story

Keisha was working as a special education teacher when her sister (Dr. Rochelle Matthews-Somerville) began homeschooling. She at first thought, “Are you crazy?”

Then her son, who was attending a traditional school, started having some challenges. He was a very bright kid and also, neurodivergent. They had not pursued the diagnosis, but she started to get comments in his report card that he was hyperactive and inattentive. He did the testing for the talented and gifted program at school and found that they were definitely dealing with a twice-exceptional young man.

As they went along, Keisha learned about her son and his needs. School, she realized, felt so much more like a box and he was ready to expand. So she pulled him out of school in the first grade. It was supposed to be a temporary thing. Her sister Rochelle said, “well, just try it.”

She did not have enough money to send him to a private school, so she followed her sister’s advice. Keisha homeschooled him. He graduated and is in college now.

Keisha and her husband now have three more daughters that are homeschooled. They have never looked back to those kind of traditional settings.

The story of Keisha’s son is important because it can encourage the many parents with 2e kids. And not just, 2e kids- there are all kinds young people with all kinds of differences. They matter and their education matters. Homeschooling can help them thrive.

Keisha’s professional training helped, now she is helping others

With her training as a special education professional and her Masters degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Keisha had expertise that helped her create the best learning environment for her son.

She also knew that she could help bless the families of other children who are on the autism spectrum. Keisha wanted to help with both education and therapy side. So that’s where Spectrum Education and Therapy Center name comes from. A lot of people think she is referring only to the autism spectrum, but it’s actually the spectrum of education and therapy services.

SETClearning.com provides a variety of specialty services and support for neurodivergent homeschoolers. Keisha’s dream is to support these young people and their parents with (with in-person AND virtual services):

• homeschool related services
• speech therapy
• occupational therapy
• special educators
• psychologists who can do assessments and clinical evaluations
• counselors

Keisha wants parents to know that their neurodivergent kids are not lost. They are waiting to be developed. When you have the right resources and support, they’re going to do all the wonderful things.

Tips for homeschooling kids on the spectrum

Here are some tips from Keisha:

Why won’t you just sit still at the table?

Because you can successfully do  math can be done upside down on the steps, on a swing, or on the front porch . Who cares? Education does not need to happen on a chair at the table.

Pay attention to environmental stimuli

Keisha’s son explained to her one day that having multiple sounds going on helped him focus because he had to be intentional about ignoring things like sound. Every homeschooler is different! Some homeschoolers need quiet. You can talk to your homeschooler and observe to find out what works for them.

Why don’t you keep still?

Homeschoolers do not need to keep still to learn. Keisha’s son needed movement to help him focus on what he was doing.

Talk to your homeschooler

Try to did a lot of talking, a lot of asking why. Help them learn to say what they are feeling and what they need. They grow in self-awareness and ability to advocate for themselves. Keisha’s son is now in college where knowing himself is important.

Help them learn how to learn and explore their interests

Keisha embraced helping her son learn how to learn. Then, he could learn anything. By eighth grade he had learned to love learning. He would say, “Mom, let me tell you what I just learned. What do you think about this?”

Learn how to stay with the conversation

Keisha learned to embrace the joy of staying with conversations. She discovered that if they start a simple conversation, her son was going somewhere grand. And that conversation is really going to develop! She learned that  sometimes she had to take a deep breath and  stay in there on the conversation- listen to the whole thing.

Use the library explore interests or discover new things

When her son expressed an interest in a topic, she would say,  “let’s go to the library and pick out some books”. Her son discovered book series that she would have never picked for him- so he discovered an interest!

Some interests could be explored at the library. Keisha’s son has always been into Greek mythology. Exploring the library for books on Greek mythology helped him to build that interest.

Freedom is key

Keisha’s son had the freedom to choose and direct his exploration of interest. Her job was to help him find resources, such as the library.

Teach character

Some character skills need to be taught. Learning these skills is empowering to young people on the spectrum.  Think about teaching:

• love of self
• citizenship
• how to be a decent person
• managing their self-awareness and mental health
  • Don’t forget the power of working with professional counselors who can walk both parents and students through what they’re feeling. That is a high priority.

Connect with Spectrum Education and Therapy Center

You can access SETClearning.com for digital services/

If you are in the DC/Virginia/Maryland  area, look into the local Because you got local resources at SETClearning.com. Keisha puts out a monthly calendar with the events and field trips.

Find Keisha

• at SETClearning.com
• and at National Homeschool Advocacy (where both she and Vicki serve as homeschool experts)

Join Vicki and Keisha for a delightful discussion on homeschooling resources for young people on the spectrum.

For more ideas of finding curriculum for homeschoolers with differences, check out this post.

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