SPECIAL NEEDS & THE MILITARY CHILD Specia Needs is a broad term under which many different conditions and diagnoses can fa. The designation can range from fairy mid earning disorders to severe impairments, serious inesses, and physica disabiities. A Specia Needs cassification can be hepfu in finding specific services and assistance and, utimatey, in meeting the needs of both the chid and his or her famiy. On the foowing pages we provide information to hep our miitary famiies adjust to new communities, promote the acceptance of students with different abiities, and deveop pans for the future. SPECIAL TOPIC
Miitary Chi Vocationa Transition Panning and the MARGARET J. KAY, ED.D. NCSP, DABPS PA & DE Licensed Psychoogist Nationay Certified Schoo Psychoogist Dipomate, American Board of Psychoogica Speciaties with Forensic Speciaization in Educationa and Schoo Psychoogy http://www.margaretkay.com The transition from high schoo to young aduthood is a critica stage for a adoescents, incuding chidren of miitary famiies and those with disabiities. Leaving home for the first time, starting a job, going to coege, and becoming an independent adut is something that most teenagers anticipate and fear. For a student with a disabiity, a Vocationa Transition Pan must be incuded as part of the Individua s Educationa Program (IEP) and needs to be deveoped when the student turns 16 years of age (or earier). Artwork by Zachary, Grade 12 Hohenfes Midde High Schoo, Hohenfes, Germany U.S. Army ST: 2 ON THE move MCEC Specia Topic
When it comes to transition requirements, the disabed student s IEP team must think and pan severa years ahead of graduation to assist in designing a meaningfu vocationa transition pan. Transition panning invoves the partnership of famiies, students, schoo-age service providers, postsecondary programs and oca communities. The resut is a comprehensive Vocationa Transition Pan which incudes a pan for post-secondary education, empoyment, independent iving and community participation for students with disabiities. Definition of Transition Services The term transition services under the Individuas with Disabiities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) means a coordinated set of activities for the student with a disabiity that is focused on improving the academic and functiona achievement of the student to faciitate movement from schoo to post-schoo activities. These activities incude: Post-secondary education Vocationa education Integrated empoyment Adut services Independent iving hid www.miitarychid.org Community participation ON THE move ST: 3
An IEP is provided for a students who receive specia education programs and services through their schoos, and preparation of the vocationa transition pan is a carefu process which determines where the student needs to ive, work, and pay as an adut. The transition pan is based upon the student s needs and takes into account his/her strengths, preferences, and vocationa interests. It contains specific detais regarding the training and services that wi be required for the student to make a smooth transition from schoo to work or post-secondary education and provides the bridge between the student s IEP and adut ife. The transition pan must incude a of the speciay designed instruction, reated services, community experiences, and deveopment of empoyment and other post-schoo adut iving objectives that the student requires as we as the pan for the student s acquisition of a functiona daiy iving skis. It must be estabished as part of the student s IEP no ater than the age of 16 years, and it must be updated annuay thereafter. What educators need to know A note from MCEC: We encourage famiies to work together to encourage young aduts to assume roes and responsibiities in the panning process. When panning for a specia education student s transition to ife after high schoo, educators shoud make sure that a transition panning team members know the interests, aptitudes, and abiities of the student by his/her eary years of high schoo (or before). This information shoud be incuded in the Present Leves of Academic Achievement and Functiona Performance sections of the student s IEP. The deveopment of a meaningfu Vocationa Transition Pan for a disabed student needs to begin with a good assessment. Vocationa transition panning assessments shoud incude vocationa interest inventories, vocationa assessments, career panning tests, aptitude testing, achievement tests, and opportunities for students to participate in job shadowing or mentoring to assess their interests, aptitudes, and abiities. As part of the IEP process, transition panning must be addressed in either ate midde schoo or eary high schoo so the student can receive the rigorous academic casses, activities, and services that wi support his/her post-schoo outcomes in the areas of education, training, empoyment and independent iving. Schoo administrators need to ensure that a staff have the expertise, programmatic resources, and time to propery assess students, pan with famiies and outside agencies, and impement individuaized educationa programs that support students in achieving their desired post-schoo outcomes. The transition panning team shoud be made up of individuas who can assist the student in achieving post-high schoo goas. This incudes famiy members, specia education teachers, reguar education teachers, career and technoogy personne, a transition coordinator, the student s guidance counseor, agency and community representatives, and the student. Resources & References The Department of Education The Department of Education site is designed to hep pursue federa education initiatives, to ensure equa access to education, and to promote educationa exceence for a Americans. The Office of Specia Education Programs OSEP is dedicated to improving resuts for students with disabiities from the ages of birth through 21 years. OSEP provides eadership and financia support to assist states and oca districts in administering the Individuas with Disabiities Education Act (IDEA). The Rehabiitation Services Administration RSA oversees grant programs that hep individuas with physica or menta disabiities obtain empoyment and ive more independenty through the provision of supports such as counseing, medica/ psychoogica services, and job training. ST: 4 ON THE move MCEC Specia Topic
What Miitary Famiies Need to Know Parents need to earn about the community agencies that provide services to support disabed students, incuding counseing, job coaching, and job training agencies. Guidance counseors, schoo principas, and famiies of other students with disabiities can be good resources for this information. Parents shoud check their procedura safeguards notices for the names of organizations and phone numbers that can provide support for vocationa transition panning. Foowing graduation, avaiabe supports for students wi probaby be very different from those the student experienced during midde schoo and high schoo years. Parents are critica members of the vocationa transition panning team because no one knows a son or daughter better than the parent. Parents need to remember that they have the right to invite others to vocationa transition panning meetings who have a specia knowedge of their sons and The transition team for the student needs to pan for post-schoo outcomes invoving post-secondary education and training, competitive or supported empoyment, and independent iving. As part of that team, parents need to ook at their sons and daughters as they are today and imagine what services and supports wi be needed for them to achieve their dreams tomorrow. They need to earn everything they can about transition services provided by the schoo district; their rights and responsibiities; and the aws, reguations, and poicies regarding transition from schoo to adut services. In addition daughters since these individuas can hep the IEP team deveop the annua goas that wi be necessary to ead towards desired post-secondary outcomes. to accept constructive criticism, how to be courteous, and how to respond appropriatey to authority figures as they create occasions for their chidren to be sociay active in the community. Parents shoud tak with their sons/ daughters about their futures and hep them identify their strengths and needs. Information about the student s interests and abiities is important, so parents need to make sure that a IEP team members have this information when the Vocationa Transition Pan is deveoped. Parents can provide their chidren with opportunities to make purchases, use pubic transportation, and do their own banking. Parents can hep their chidren earn about their disabiities and how to ask for the services and supports they need. Students need to have opportunities to pan for themseves, even if it means that they wi sometimes choose incorrecty. They wi be making many choices after graduation and need practice in weighing the options avaiabe to them, both sociay and educationay. Parents need to provide opportunities for their chidren to express their desires, earn about their strengths, and advocate for their needs. These skis wi become increasingy important both in empoyment and post-secondary education settings. Parents can hep their chidren earn job-reated skis such as being punctua, dressing appropriatey, and being interested in doing a good job. Parents can aso teach their chidren socia skis such as how Finay, parents need to make copies of a schoo records and medica information and keep a ist of a contacts they make with other agencies, such as the Office of Vocationa Rehabiitation. Artwork by Marce, Grade 12 Hohenfes Midde High Schoo, Hohenfes, Germany U.S. Army Office of Vocationa and Adut Education OVAE administers Career & Technica Education, commony known as vocationa education, in the U.S. Thousands of comprehensive high schoos, vocationa/technica high schoos, vocationa centers, and community coeges offer vocationa education programs. www.miitarychid.org The Office of Disabiity Empoyment Poicy Provides nationa eadership by deveoping and infuencing disabiity-reated empoyment poicies and practices affecting the empoyment of peope with disabiities. Socia Security Administration Offers empoyment support for peope with disabiities by providing Socia Security benefits. Youth at Work The Equa Empoyment Opportunity Commission s website for Youth provides detaied information in Engish and Spanish about the responsibiities and rights of minors in the workforce. ON THE move ST: 5
Moving overseas with a specia needs chid Miitary famiies with specia needs chidren face unique chaenges and opportunities. This is particuary true when the active duty member is being considered for overseas or isoated duty. In the United States there exists a mode of support for specia needs famiies. The responsibiity is divided by the private, medica, socia/community (i.e oca and federa community professionas and programs), and educationa services. This combination provides famiies with the needed support to minimize stress and optimize outcomes for chidren with specia heath care needs. For the majority of famiies that trave overseas, the existing support systems estabished by the Outside of the Continenta US (OCONUS) bases are sufficient to hep them cope with the added stresses of moving abroad. Famiies who have a specia needs chid can quicky reaize that some of the services they reied on in the states are not as readiy avaiabe overseas. Germany is often viewed as a ocation that can support a ranges of chidren with a deveopmenta deay. Prior to my move here, as a deveopmenta pediatrician and specia needs coordinator, I had that perception that Lundstha Medica Center as a tertiary care faciity coud provide a the services that are avaiabe at arger bases in the Continenta United States (CONUS). Despite being abe to accommodate more specia needs famiies than some of the smaer bases in the region, here are some additiona factors that need to be considered prior to moving overseas with a specia needs chid. 1. Medica Services. With the promotion of the medica home, chidren are now more than ever abe to see their primary care physician and ess ikey to be referred downtown for genera medica needs. However, when chidren need to be seen by speciaty care professionas, this often requires that the famiy receive medica support from host nation medica physicians. Famiies frequenty become frustrated as they navigate the foreign medica system due to anguage barriers and different treatment phiosophies. Civiians who work overseas understand these chaenges as they strive to find a physician on the economy who can meet even their genera medica needs, since many miitary medica faciities do not have the space avaiabe to treat non-active duty dependents (Tricare prime). 2. Respite Care. Famiies of specia needs chidren have often cited securing financia support for respite care as one of the biggest chaenges to overcome in obtaining famiy services. The respite care system for the US Army is imited due to the overwheming demand of Engish speaking care providers and Chid Deveopment Centers at maximum capacity. There currenty is not an equivaent Air Force Overseas Respite Program. As a resut, many famiies are unabe to utiize this vauabe service now more commony avaiabe at CONUS bases. 3. Community Support. Most CONUS bases are surrounded by a host of oca, state, or federa agencies for specia needs famiies that a miitary famiy with a specia need chid can utiize. This aows the famiy to simutaneousy utiize both ST: 6 ON THE move miitary and community support as they care for their chid. When iving overseas, famiies rey soey upon base support which is often estabished for a chidren. Few famiies are abe to successfuy utiize the imited host nation community supports, thus restricting the options for services, which can eave the famiies to fee isoated. System navigators or famiy support positions have been estabished soey to hep famiies connect to the avaiabe resources. 4. Chid Care / Preschoo Services. Finding chid care is chaenging for the majority of famiies needing this service when they arrive overseas. This is reported to be even more difficut for famiies with a specia needs chid. Chidren with deveopmenta deays benefit from interacting with same age peers in preschoo educationa settings. With anguage barriers and the chaenges of having imited reguar day care, these experiences are difficut to be estabished. 5. Eary Intervention Eary Deveopmenta Intervention Services (EDIS). Eary Intervention EDIS is a program estabished to mirror the state run eary intervention program for chidren 0-3 years of ife. The programs hep find and support famiies who are eigibe for intervention. This is an exceent service for famiies who have chidren that meet eigibiity requirements for services. This parent education direct service is intended to compement and not be a substitute for chidren who benefit from weeky community/ hospita based physica, occupationa, and/or speech therapy. Continued after the insert >> MCEC Specia Topic
ERIC M. FLAKE MD, FAAP Major, US Air Force Chief Deveopmenta Behaviora Pediatrics, Ramstein, Germany 6. Autism Services. Autism is a specific disorder that requires additiona attention. Tricare offers additiona services (up to $36,000/year) through enroment in Extended Care Heath Options (ECHO) to provide critica standard of care behaviora intervention for chidren with autism. Appied Behaviora Anaysis therapy is very imited overseas. Furthermore, the Autism Demonstration project, which aows famiies on average 15-20 hours per week of direct behaviora intervention, is not avaiabe overseas. As a resut, very few famiies with a chid diagnosed with autism are abe to take advantage of this tremendous service. (Given the evidenced based medicine supporting behaviora intervention in autism, it is the author s opinion that any chid under the age of 6 with a diagnosis of autism or suspicion of autism shoud not go overseas, and that parent is encouraged to seek these services within the United States). 7. Menta Heath Services. Many of the arger medica treatment faciities maintain basic chid behavior heath services. However, the staffing is such that they are not designed to manage compex chronic disorders. The overseas chid menta heath services have been put in pace to work through short term chaenges which may come up during an overseas tour of duty. As a resut, upon reaching treatment capacity, the imited base menta heath services then direct famiies to rey on host nation menta heath services. 8. Additiona chaenges that need to be considered incude ong waiting times for base housing (up to 2 years), discomfort of driving in a foreign country, and overa additiona stressors that come from iving in a foreign country. As an advocate for chidren with specia needs, I fee that it is the responsibiity of a those that support famiies of chidren to provide them with the best services avaiabe and educate famiies so that they are empowered to advocate for their chid. I am finding that famiies overseas who have a specia needs chid are required to make choices and at times sacrifice receiving recommended interventions for their chid. The Exceptiona Famiy Member Program (EFMP) is designed to identify famiies who wi ikey have a positive overseas experience by being abe to meet their medica and educationa needs. Items such as chidcare, respite care, community services, and need for using host nation services typicay are not utiized to determine how a famiy wi fit into their new overseas ocation. A these items have a tremendous impact on famiy we-being and shoud be considered as a famiy ooks into overseas assignments. Assistive Technoogy (AT) is a term used to describe toos or devices and services that enabe a student to engage more fuy in typica activities and routines at home, schoo, or in the community. These toos provide support the student needs to overcome or work around imitations. Common AT accommodations at a postsecondary institution coud incude: Computer access such as an aternative mouse or keyboard, text-to-speech appication, or speech recognition software; Lecture assistance to incude a sign anguage interpreter, note taking assistance, a digita recorder, or a computer for taking notes; Persona organization toos; Studying or earning toos such as graphic organizer software or computer fies provided by the instructor; Test-taking modifications to incude extended time, change in testing environment, ora testing, and use of a computer; Subject-specific toos such as accessibe math software, taking cacuator, audio books, scan-andread software and pen, screen magnifier, or a scribe. (Hess, Gutierrez, & Smith, 2009) www.miitarychid.org ON THE move ST: 7
Attending Coege? SOME IMPORTANT FINDINGS FOR FAMILIES TODAY a student with disabiities may be enroed in various types of programs or courses: a reguar academic program aongside students without disabiities; a specia program designed stricty for students with disabiities; a program in which students attend a arge number of courses with students without disabiities; or an individua pan which incudes continuing education casses or audit courses. Prior to The Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008), uness a coege or university offered a oca program designed specificay for students with disabiities, students were imited to academic programs. This egisation incuded provisions to provide financia aid for students with inteectua disabiities (SWID) to enro in specia programs which incuded academic courses with non-disabed students, but aso focused on sociaization, independent iving skis, sef-advocacy skis, integrated work experiences, and career skis that woud ead to empoyment. In an effort coordinated by The Institute for Community Incusion at the University of Massachusetts Think Coege <www.thinkcoege.net>, an initiative of the Institute for Community Incusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston, provides research on practices that support individuas with inteectua/deveopmenta disabiities to gain access to and be successfu in incusive postsecondary education. Readers wi aso find a series of Insight Briefs refecting research, Fast Facts, monthy E-News, and inks to training institutes and presentations. Boston, 27 two- and four-year coeges/universities ocated in 23 states received comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Inteectua Disabiities (TPSID) grants. http://studentaid.ed.gov/eigibiity/ inteectua-disabiities#ctp-programs A great resource, the Think Coege Coege Search database currenty ists 200 programs for students with disabiities at two-year and four-year coeges and universities or technica schoos. Seect the state, enter the type of schoo to consider (2 year, 4 year, or career/trade schoo), iving arrangements (at home or on campus), whether or not the student has graduated from high schoo, and then review the avaiabe programs. Pease note: Coeges ist their programs in the database so not a programs are isted. For exampe, our search yieded 7 programs offered in Texas, one specificay for autistic students (Mid-Western), and severa for either high schoo graduates or exited students offering courses in vocationa, independent iving, ife skis, and/or socia skis. It is important for parents to understand that when a student with disabiities graduates from high schoo and enros in a coege program aong with other students without disabiities, the student: Needs for accommodations are no onger covered by IDEA specia education requirements. There is no specia education in coege. 1. 2. Is responsibe for managing his/her records. Organizationa skis and toos are imperative, and the student must deveop them as eary as possibe. 3. Must be abe to sef-advocate for supports. Again, this ski must be deveoped whie the student is sti in high schoo. 4. Must register with the coege s disabiity services office and provide current documentation of the disabiity and the accommodations needed before schedued pacement tests. 5. Can ask for accommodations that ensure access, not success. These support services are avaiabe at no cost to the student with disabiities. 6. Is responsibe for paying for persona services. ST: 8 ON THE move MCEC Specia Topic
Most SWID wi not go to coege primariy for a degree or certificate. However, mode programs of CTP are expected to create and provide students with inteectua disabiities with meaningfu credentias upon competion of the program. Thompson, Weir, & Ashmore, 2011 Artwork by Zachary, Grade 10 Hohenfes Midde High Schoo, Hohenfes, Germany U.S. Army This is especiay interesting for our famiies with specia education students (aged 18-22) who exit high schoo (do not graduate with a dipoma). The financia vaue of the transition pan becomes apparent when parents reaize who may pay the coege or career schoo bis for the student unti the schoo year of the student s 22nd birthday. WHO MAY PAY Loca Schoo District Vocationa Rehabiitation Disabiity Support Offices Deveopmenta Services Agencies One-Stop Career Centers WHICH BILLS Transportation if needed, educationa coaches Technoogy or tuition, may get waiver Tutoring or other academic accommodations May pay for fees FAQs about Post-Secondary Options Career preparation services There are two more important resources for famiies with students attending coege: The Association for Higher Education and Disabiity http://ahead.org AHEAD is a professiona membership organization for individuas invoved in the deveopment of poicy and in the provision of quaity services to meet the needs of persons with disabiities invoved in a areas of higher education. The Nationa Secondary Transition Technica Assistance Center (NSTTAC) http://www.nsttac.org Provides tookits and inks for transition panning and other vauabe resources. The MCEC aso has inks on the State Education Resources feature in SchooQuest for parents to obtain transition information for their state and DoDEA. A treatment or educationa method that wi work for one chid may not work for another chid. The one common denominator for a of the young chidren is that eary intervention does work, and it seems to improve the prognosis. ~ DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN, noted autism and anima wefare expert Frequenty asked Questions about Postsecondary Options. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2012, from Think Coege: http://www.thinkcoege.net/for-famiies/faqs Thompson, T., Weir, C., & Ashmore, J. (2011, Juy). Ahead White Paper on Students with Inteectua Disabiities and Campus Disabiity Services. Retrieved October 30, 2012, from Association on Higher Education and Disabiity: http://www.ahead.org/resources www.miitarychid.org ON THE move ST: 9
Miitary famiies move three times more frequenty than their civiian counterparts, and those who have chidren with specia needs face ampified chaenges each time they change schoos. A March 2011 Government Accountabiity Office report stated that 58 % of schoo districts report chaenges in meeting the needs of miitaryconnected students with disabiities. Our goa is to provide reevant and timey information to parents and educators to encourage coaboration that ensures our students success. Other resources incude Nationa Center for Specia Education Research Nationa Center to Improve the Toos of Educators (NCITE) Nationa Youth Empoyment Coaition (NYEC) Institute for Educationa Leadership (IEL) Nationa Cearinghouse on Famiies & Youth (NCFY) Nationa Counci on Disabiity (NCD) The Federa Resource Center for Specia Education Center for Effective Coaboration and Practice Americans with Disabiities Act Document Center The HSC Foundation The Counci for Exceptiona Chidren (CEC) HEATH Resource Center WCD Foundation for Education Cornucopia of Disabiity Information (CODI) LD Onine American Association of Peope with Disabiities Easter Seas Federation for Chidren with Specia Needs Learning Disabiities Association of America (LDA) American Association on Menta Retardation (AAMR) The Arc of the United States Nationa Down Syndrome Congress Nationa Down Syndrome Society TASH Autism Society of America ST: 10 ON THE move MCEC Specia Topic
Autism Resources Center for the Study of Autism Division TEACCH Treatment and Education of Autistic and Reated Communication Handicapped Chidren Chidren and Aduts with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) American Foundation for the Bind (AFB) Organizations Supporting Students with Visua Impairment Nationa Association of Parents of Chidren with Visua Impairments Deaf Magazine American Society for Deaf Chidren American Speech-Language-Hearing Association United Cerebra Pasy Association Federation of Famiies for Chidren s Menta Heath Nationa Association of State Menta Heath Program Directors Nationa Schoo Board Association Famiy Viage: A Goba Community of Disabiity-Reated Resources Famiy Voices Nationa Association for Parents of Chidren with Visua Impairments Nationa Coaition for Parent Invovement in Education Aiance for Technoogy Access (ATA) Discover Technoogy Equa Access to Software and Information (EASI) American Association of Schoo Administrators American Federation of Teachers American Occupationa Therapy Association American Schoo Counseor Association American Schoo Heath Association Association for Career and Technica Education Association for Supervision and Curricuum Deveopment Center on Disabiities Studies Counci for State Administrators of Vocationa Rehabiitation Institute for Community Incusion (ICI) Institute on Community Integration Nationa Association of Pupi Services Administrators Nationa Association of Schoo Psychoogists Nationa Association of Secondary Schoo Principas Nationa Association of State Boards of Education Nationa Association of State Directors of Specia Education Nationa Association of State Menta Heath Program Directors Nationa Community of Practice on Transition Nationa Counci on Independent Living Nationa Menta Heath Association On-Campus Outreach Schoo Socia Work Association of America The Rehabiitation Research and Training Center Transition Coaition Transition Soutions Pubications and Products Eary Career Awareness and Deveopment for Students with Disabiities in Eementary and Midde Schoo: An Overview of Eary Career and Transition Programs. (2002). Shaney, J. & Gerver, M. Eementary and Midde Schoos Technica Assistance Center (EMSTAC) at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, DC. Microsoft Word version. (PDF) Parenting Post-Secondary Students with Disabiities: Becoming the Mentor, Advocate, and Guide Your Young Adut Needs. (1992). Nationa Center on Secondary Education and Transition. Artwork by Eizabeth, Grade 5 Wison Eementary Schoo, Fort Benning, GA U.S. Army www.miitarychid.org ON THE move ST: 11
Routines are Important BY AMANDA HULSEY Specia Education Teacher, Miitary Spouse, MCEC Speciaist Regaining contro of homework, schedues, and potentia new teachers can be frustrating for a chid with specia needs. Getting back on schedue after an extended break from schoo that incudes many famiy gatherings and hoiday parties can be especiay chaenging. Straying from the huste and buste of ife whie seeping in and aowing chidren to stay up past their bedtimes are some of the benefits of schoo hoidays, but having a strategy for resuming routines before the schoo break ends is aso important. Beow you wi find tips and tricks from parents and professionas on how to make the transition to a new semester or a new schoo year a smooth and successfu one.. 1. Prep time is crucia. Don t et the new routine sip up on you. Tak about the change in routine before it happens. It can be a great dinner tabe topic or a way to start conversation whie in the car. Students with deveopmenta disorders such as autism need time to prepare for the change, so don t be afraid to tak, tak, tak! 2. Give it time. Just as aduts need time to transition, chidren need time to adjust. Start practicing the new aspect of the routine before you actuay have to perform it. If the routine is bedtime reated, increase the bedtime in sma increments for the first week. 3. Give your chid a caendar. Chidren can understand caendars at a very young age. Even if you just hep them count the days in between events, they wi create a menta picture of the caendar and wi earn to rey on the caendar to pan for events. Having a famiy caendar is great, but you can teach chidren to be independent and proactive by teaching them how to record famiy activities, schoo assignments, and upcoming hoidays on their persona caendar. 4. Use a checkist. Posting the must-do s each day wi keep chidren organized and wi prevent the frustration of forgetting certain things. Checkists can come in various forms, so check out a website ike www. schoofamiy.com for a checkist that suits you! 5. Don t stop the earning. Breaks from schoo are a good way for chidren to reax and enjoy activities with the famiy. However, research has proven that students take at east a week to get back into thinking ike a student once schoo resumes. Make a point over ong breaks (Christmas, spring break, and especiay summer) to do at east one academic activity per day. It can be as simpe as competing a word find, putting puzzes together, reading a book, or working just a few easy math probems to keep your chid on track. As a resut, they wi go back to schoo with a revived sense of confidence! Artwork by Aanda, Grade 5 Netzaberg Eementary Schoo, Netzaberg, Germany U.S. Army Miitary Chid Education Coaition 909 Mountain Lion Circe Harker Heights, TX 76548 (254) 953-1923 www.miitarychid.org twitter.com/#!/ facebook.com/ MiitaryChid.org/ MiitaryChid MiitaryChid bog YouTube.com/user/ fickr.com/ pinterest.com/ MiitaryChid MiitaryChid mcec1/ ST: 12 ON THE move MCEC Specia Topic
As a miitary famiy, moving to a new pace can be exciting and adventurous. However, famiies who have a chid with specia earning needs can often find this process frustrating and cumbersome. We woud ike to ease the transition by offering tips and resources on navigating the Specia Education process in a new state and/or schoo district. Since a states govern their schoo poicies differenty, pease keep in mind that the foowing pages are recommendations and shoud be used to further understand the specia education process as a whoe. Parents shoud seek information from their oca resources; Schoo Liaison Officers, Miitary Support Transition Consutants, Schoo District eaders and others specific to each ocation. The Miitary Chid Education Coaition stands by to further expain this process or answer any questions you may have about transitioning your chid within a miitary move.
Response to Intervention: Sampe Intervention Process Schoo or teacher must screen a students to determine their best path of earning at an optima eve. Percentage of Students Requiring Intensive Support Decreases Provide research-based intervention Continuousy monitor student progress Does student performance improve? NO YES Continue unti student achieves and maintains optima eve Adjust the intensity and/or type of intervention and continuousy monitor Does student performance improve? NO YES Continue unti student achieves and maintains optima eve Increase intensity or time spent on intervention and continuousy monitor Does student performance improve? NO YES Continue unti student achieves and maintains optima eve Consider Specia Education Referra Response to Intervention: Response to Intervention (RTI) is a process by which educators use to judge the effectiveness of intervention and to determine if the earning gaps are caused by remediation or a earning disabiity. Not a states use a RTI process; some use parts mentioned in this diagram and others treat intervention on a case-by-case basis due to the resources avaiabe. If you find your chid strugging with a certain concept or subject in schoo, it is aways a good idea to contact the teacher to see what type of intervention pan the schoo has in pace. Be proactive and remember that being your chid s best advocate wi assist everyone in finding the keys to success!
Specia Education P Need Identified* May Appea NO Pare IF RECOMMENDED Specia Education Referra Referra May be Made by: Parent/Guardian Teacher Student (18+) Schoo Professiona Other Professionas Comprehensive Evauation to Make Educationa Decisions Competion Required within 60 Days of Referra Date Individua Educationa Panning Meeting Is the student eigibe for services? YES Individua Education Pan (IEP) must be written within 30 days of eigibiity. The IEP meeting must foow IDEA requirements. Location of Services Setting: Pubic or Private Within the Schoo: Genera Education Cassroom Pu out for hep with certain subjects Sef-Contained cassroom with ony Specia Education Students Pubic Funded private schoo Categories of Disabiities*** Inteectua disabiity Hearing impairment Visua impairmant Deaf/bindness Speech-anguage impairment Emotiona disturbance Autism spectrum disorder Traumatic brain injury Orthopedic impairment Specific earning disabiities Deveopmenta deays Other heath impairments Mutipe disabiities Exampes of the difference betwee accomodations and modifications: What is taught? What is expected? Accommodations Support or services provided to hep a student fuy access the genera education curricuum or subject matter Same content Activities taught at grade-eve Shortened assignments but a objectives covered Same compexity of activity Same expectations Modifications A change to the genera education curricuum or other materia bein taught. The teaching strategies ar modified so the materia is presen differenty. Something different from the rest of the cass Content taught at a ower reading eve Reduced assignment addressing ony seected grade-eve standar Reduced compexity of activity Reduced expectations *IDEA permits states to utiize a Response to Intervention system as an ate ** A student may be dismissed as a resut of an annua or three-year review. *** As defined by Individuas with Disabiities Education Act (IDEA), the federa
rocess K-12 nt/guardian onsent Progress Transition Panning Exit Schoo Services Services Monit o ring Review Begin panning at age 14, must impement by age 14 or 16, depending on the state Instruction Reated Services Community experiences Deveopment of empoyment and other post-schoo adut iving objectives Acquisition of daiy iving skis and functiona vocationa evauation Age of Majority (18) Begin panning at age 14, must impement by age 14 or 16, depending on the state Reguar high schoo dipoma Meets a graduation requirements incuding state assessments Satisfactory competion of IEP requirement for graduation Demonstrates mastery of specific empoyabiity skis and sef-hep skis n Reated Services*** Annua** Three-Year** No onger meets age eigibiity requirements Once the student exits, he is no onger eigibe for services under IDEA. The student may quaify for services under Section 504 of the American Disabiities aw. ted s Assistive technoogy Audioogy Counseing Medica Occupationa therapy Orientation and mobiity Parent counseing and training Physica therapy Psychoogica Rehabiitative counseing Schoo heath services Socia work Speech and anguage Transportation rnate means of diagnosing some disabiities. Contact your district to find out if your state utiizes Response to Intervention. This student may sti quaify for services under Section 504 of the American Disabiities Act, a civi rights aw. specia education aw. IDEA guarantees the right to a free appropriate pubic education (FAPE) in the east restrictive environment to chidren with disabiities.
Moving a Chid with Specia Needs* Beow are suggested items to ocate, coect and/or update prior to your move. More Youth Identify portfoio favorites Parents/ Guardians Portfoio of sampe work, projects Pictures of textbooks (tite pages and tabe of contents) Pictures of student using successfu assistive technoogy Schoo contact information Current grades/enroment data Student performance on state assessment Transcript request information Student handbook (grading poicies) Secondary curricuum or course offerings Letter of introduction from teacher for the student Current grades/performance Schoo Secondary: sponsors, coaches, counseors that work cosey with the student may aso write etters Specia project, service/vounteer projects or hours Assistive technoogy/specia programs - Currenty used - Previousy used, with success noted Letter of introduction from the teacher for the student Current IEP or deveop new IEP for end of year SE Assessment/evauation resuts Medica M Secondary transition panning (may begin at age 14, ends at age 16) Updated medica records Contact information at new instaation Miitary SLO EFM Contact information for new instaation - Schoo districts, housing, zoning, transportation, etc. Contact information for new instaation for services and registration *Famiies with chidren who quaify for Section 504 services shoud foow a simiar checkist More
3 Notes Legend Youth Parents/Guardians Schoo Genera Education Teacher Specia Education Teacher SE Specia Educaton Department M Medica Services/Hospita SLO Schoo Liason Officer EFM Exceptiona Famiy Member