Educating and encouraging parents and teachers of kids who learn differently, author, blogger, and veteran homeschool mom of seven of her own outside the box learners Marianne Sunderland teaches honestly from her many years educating her own kids with dyslexia and ADHD. Marianne asks the hard questions about what is really important as we educate our kids encouraging parents to step beyond the box of traditional education to meet the real needs of their kids. With a unique blend of research and practical experience, Marianne will help you gain the confidence you need to teach your kids.
5 Things I Wish I'd Understood When I Started Homeschooling My Kids With Dyslexia
After more than 30 years of homeschooling seven children with dyslexia and ADHD, I've learned what it looks like to create an educational experience that meets the real learning needs of our smart but struggling learners.
In this episode of the Beyond the Box Learning Podcast, I'm sharing five important lessons I wish I'd understood sooner about teaching kids who learn differently.
We'll talk about:
Prioritizing what matters most at different ages and stages.
Using accommodations and modifications to make learning more accessible.
Understanding what's behind resistance to schoolwork.
Supporting ADHD and executive function weaknesses.
Letting go of traditional educational expectations to create an individualized education that really works.
My hope is that this episode encourages you to homeschool with greater confidence, flexibility, and understanding of your child's unique learning needs.
Related Resources:
Read the full blog post (https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/homeschool-dyslexia-lessons-learned/)
Explore My Parent Education Courses (https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/product-category/shop/courses-shop/)
Now through Monday, November 2, save 50% on all 11 original Parent Education classes and 20% on my newer courses, intensives, and master classes.
All courses are online, self-paced, and available immediately, with unlimited access.
Shop the Dyslexia Awareness Month Sale (https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/product-category/shop/courses-shop/)
No coupon code needed. Discounts are already applied!
Dyslexia Awareness Month Sale!
6 Oct 2026
Resistance to Learning: What Is Your Child’s Resistance Telling You?
When homeschooling starts to become a daily battle, it’s easy to focus on the behavior: complaining, procrastination, tears, anger, shutdowns, or outright refusal.
But what if the resistance itself isn’t the real problem?
In this episode, I’m talking about how to look beneath resistant behavior—especially in kids with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences—and begin figuring out what may actually be making learning so difficult.
Why persistent resistance can be a sign that something about learning isn’t working
How repeated difficulty and stress can lead to avoidance and shutdown
What to notice before assuming your child is lazy or unmotivated
The difference between normal resistance and patterns that deserve a closer look
Why adjusting expectations or teaching methods isn’t the same as lowering expectations
How helping kids experience success can rebuild confidence and motivation
I’ll also share details about the upcoming Resistant Learner Intensive, where we’ll go deeper into what causes resistance and the practical changes you can make when homeschooling has become a struggle.
Resistant Learner Intensive (https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.lpages.co/reluctant-learners-intensive-info-final/)
Homeschooling With Dyslexia (https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/challenges/resistance-to-learning/)
27 Sept 2026
What I Wish I Knew When I Started Homeschooling My Struggling Learners
When I first started homeschooling more than 30 years ago, I had no idea what homeschooling a child with dyslexia was supposed to look like.
In this episode, I'm sharing the story of how homeschooling my own outside-the-box learners completely changed the way I think about education.
Seven of my eight children have been diagnosed with dyslexia, and some also have ADHD, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia. Over the years, I learned that my kids didn't need me to recreate school at home. They needed an education built around the way they actually learned.
I share the lessons I wish I had understood much earlier.
Why learning later does not necessarily mean staying behind
How our three years of sailing changed my definition of education and success
Why a child's reading or writing level should not determine the level of their entire education
How understanding dyslexic strengths changed the way I viewed my children
Why interests and motivation can be powerful drivers of learning
How to adapt curriculum instead of constantly throwing it out and starting over
Why homeschooling parents need to know what to prioritize—and what can wait
Why I encourage parents to think more like tutors than traditional classroom teachers
Kids who learn differently need to be taught differently.
That means we have to understand how dyslexia, ADHD, processing weaknesses, memory, and executive function affect learning.
It also means giving ourselves permission to adapt.
Sometimes that means remediation.
Sometimes it means accommodation.
Sometimes it means modifying a curriculum.
And sometimes it means letting go of something that simply isn't important right now.
A successful homeschool doesn't have to look like school.
It needs to meet the needs of the child in front of you.
Better Late Than Early by Raymond and Dorothy Moore [Out of publication. Check used book sources.]
Overcoming Dyslexia (https://link.amazon/B0cXwvRxH) by Sally Shaywitz
The Dyslexic Advantage (https://link.amazon/B0cgbTbfL) by Brock and Fernette Eide
Unschooled (https://link.amazon/B02jKyzxR)by Kerry McDonald
No More School: Meeting the Educational Needs of Kids with Dyslexia and Language-Based Learning Difficulties (https://link.amazon/B0521NVSx) by Marianne Sunderland
Many of the lessons I learned over 31 years of homeschooling eventually became the foundation of my newest parent course, The Plan (https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.lpages.co/the-plan/).
The Plan is a practical framework for creating an individualized education for smart but struggling learners.
Inside, you'll learn how to:
identify what your child needs most right now
know what to prioritize from kindergarten through high school
choose appropriate teaching methods and supports
decide when to remediate and when to accommodate
adapt curriculum to meet your child's actual needs
use accommodations effectively
create a realistic homeschool routine that works for your family
Instead of giving you another rigid system to follow, The Plan helps you make confident decisions about your own child's education.
Learn more about The Plan here. (https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.lpages.co/the-plan/)
Visit HomeschoolingWithDyslexia.com for more resources on homeschooling kids with dyslexia, ADHD, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and other learning differences.
If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to share it with another homeschooling parent who may need the reminder that a successful education doesn't have to look traditional.
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