Dr. Rochelle Matthews-Somerville

Prior to receiving her calling to homeschool, Dr. Rochelle Matthews-Somerville completed an MS in Special Education with a focus on Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome and Behavior Disorders and a doctorate in Psychological and Cultural Studies with a concentration in Learners with Severe and Communication Disorders.

Rochelle has over 20 years of clinical experience serving youth and their families in the field of Early Childhood and Special Education and has served as a university professor, county-wide autism specialist, and K–12 resource teacher and educational consultant in both the private and public education arenas. She has a passion for teaching and loves speaking at local conferences and across local school districts.

Over the past 14 years, Rochelle has also shared her gifts with the homeschool community as she has served as program director, community instructor, and assessment liaison. She genuinely enjoys providing encouragement and support to other homeschooling families in all ways possible, and she joined Home School Legal Defense Association as a special needs educational consultant in July 2019, presently serving as team leader.

Rochelle is the mother of six beautiful children (five boys and one girl) and has been homeschooling for 11 years. She lives with her husband and children in Charles County, Maryland.

Workshops*

• Teaching Struggling Learners at Home: Nuts and Bolts for Success
• You Can Homeschool Your Neurodivergent Learner
• Understanding the Twice Exceptional Learner—Boundless Gifts
• You Can Homeschool Your Child with Autism! Building Successful Programs at Home
• Motivating the Reluctant Learner
• Tricky High School Issues: Homeschooling Teens with Special Needs

*See final Workshop Schedule that is posted approximately 30-days prior to each convention for the final workshop list and schedule.