PCS SEASON

SOLUTION-BASED COMMITMENT TO THE MILITARY-CONNECTED CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

BY ANGELA SHAW

Being a parent is both challenging and rewarding. To those in military service, blending a fast-paced military lifestyle within the familial mix provides for exponentially rewarding opportunities. At the same time, it presents prospects for distinctive challenges due to the realities of mobility and deployment which result in children of military families moving an average of six to nine times from kindergarten through high school.

in addition to enduring deployment challenges, children in military families also face transition challenges of the post-deployment period. Striving to raise a child to his or her optimum independent, competent and productive self is often tied to rigors that many only see on the evening newscast. However, the men and women supporting our country meet such tasks and trials utilizing innovation and positivity. 

When a child is identified with a disability, amplified attention is called to action in order to increase the focus of specialized learning supports that will ensure meaningful and beneficial education in light of the child's learning differences and special needs. Special education is a different approach to education than what parents had planned for or may have experienced themselves. It is specially-designed instruction that addresses the unique needs of the child eligible to receive such services.

Special education is provided at no cost to parents and includes related services as appropriate to need, in order for the student to access his/her educational program. The federal law governing special education, called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), supports all eligible students so they may access a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) within the least restrictive environment (LRE).'It also governs how states and public agencies will provide early intervention, special education, and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. The IDEA provides for each state, as well as the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Schools to develop regulations that deliver the regulatory and statutory basis for Special Education services. The federal law governing special education provides for support at two stages over the developmental lifespan of a child to include:

• EARLY INTERVENTION (AGES 0-2), available for I infants and toddlers who have disabilities and/or developmental delays, under part C of IDEA (U.S. Department of Education, 5/5/2016). Based upon guidelines provided by the IDEA, these services are provided to eligible children, to the maximum extent possible, to include home and community settings where children would be participating if they did not have a disability. According to the U.S. Department of Education (5/5/2016), early intervention services may be provided in another setting only when it cannot be achieved satisfactorily for the infant or toddler in a natural environment.

• SCHOOL AGE (AGES 3-21) available to students with disabilities who are determined eligible for special education and related services, under part B of IDEA 2004, which entitles eligible students with disabilities to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) within the least restrictive environment (LRE). Services are provided to eligible students in accordance to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in preschools, elementary, and secondary schools or other appropriate settings.

As the military family weaves their customs within the fabric of the PCS (Permanent Change of Station) community that they have grown to be a part of, they know that a change of lifestyle is right around the corner. This calls for a solid plan of action. Specialized cooperative provisions are put in place to support smoother transitions to the next school and the subsequent IEP team through guidance and knowledge specific for our military connected families. These are made available to help locate appropriate housing, assure that identified medical and educational specialists are accessible, and provide connections with special education services at the destination school.

In addition to considering affordability and lifestyle options, decision-making may also require the new family home to be set up to accommodate specialized equipment and/or situated in close proximity to facilities focused upon unique health or identified education needs. Through the robust range of resources available to military families, coupled with our nation's special education law, transitions due to PCS season and the resulting settling-in-time moving forward becomes a more streamlined venture. Connecting with some of the military resources listed below will go a long way toward increasing positive outcomes before, during, and after the perpetual transitions.

SCHOOL LIAISON PROGRAM is a practical beginning point available within the military installation once PCS orders are received. According to Branch-Military Parent Technical Assistance Center (Branch, 5 Top Resources), funded through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), School Liaison Officers (SLOs) are civilians familiar with the unique aspects of military-connected life that can affect a child or youth's education. SLO's, also known as Family Resource Specialists or Point of Contact (POC), provide a purposeful mechanism intended to help build partnerships between military families, installations, and schools (Branch, 5 Top Resources).

The installation supports parents with the technical realities of the move, but the military family that includes a member with special needs may have to consider a host of specialized needs connected to their new destination. Provision of the school liaison program is an additional resource within the mechanism of support that intensifies the focus of coordination for families. According to the U.S. Department of Defense School Activity (DoDEA), the School Liaison Officer (SLO) serving as a primary point of contact for schoolrelated, military-connected families forges partnerships between the military and schools, upholding the following goals of the program (DoDEA, 4/30/2019):

Liaison Directories are available for download specific to each branch, to include Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard through the DoDEA (4/30/2019).

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BRINGING IT HOME: Through the robust range of resources available to military families, coupled with our nation's special education law, transitions due to PCS season and the resulting settling-in-time moving forward becomes a more streamlined venture.

EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY MEMBER PROGRAM (EFMP) is a program that assists in ensuring military men and women are assigned to duty stations where their family member's special needs can be addressed. The military family is provided guidance with specific aspects relative to maneuvering the military medical system, as well as guidance relating to the special education system. An array of guides, handbooks, and toolkits are available to for downloaded through Military One Source website at militaryonesource.mil, including a Quick Reference Guide to EFMP to help families navigate and understand enrollment, family support, and family travel screening. Coordination services provided by EFMP include:

MILITARY INTERSTATE CHILDREN'S COMPACT COMMISSION (MIC3) is a relatively new agreement with all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education, to ease educational difficulties and transition challenges that school-aged children of military families encounter when transferred from schools in different states and localities. Through the resources provided to military families, a smoother transition can be afforded to support the existing IEP. According to the Step-by-Step Checklist provided by Branch (MPTAC), school issues for the kindergarten through 12th grade student (supported through the compact) generally include:

DISCOVERING NETWORKS OF SUPPORT

Continued support for our military-connected families is one important way that our nation can demonstrate gratitude, respect and honor for those who choose to serve our country. As is true with much of military life, it is a matter of refinements that will provide the right fit for each family's lifestyle expectation. In addition to specific branch and military installation supports, there are multitudes of organizations that provide information and services to families who are seeking strategies to support a smoother pathway of transition. Navigating the following four comprehensive websites can serve to strengthen your journey through education and deeper understanding of the processes and resources available:

MILITARY FAMILIES FOR HIGH STANDARDS militaryfamiliesforhighstandards.org Assists the family in advocating for high academic standards that limit the hardships faced by students in militaryconnected families. In addition to a wide variety of resources relative to issues and initiatives in the news and guides for support within education systems, A Military Family's Guide to School Transitions is available for download on the site (Military Families for High Standards, retrieved 6/28/2019).

MILITARY ONE SOURCE militaryonesource.mil A comprehensive site with an array of unique topics. In addition to listing MIC3 membership by each state, additional education and early intervention services available on or near installations specific to each state and the District of Columbia can be reviewed within the Education Directory for Children with Special Needs (Military One Source, 5/20/2019).

NATIONAL MILITARY FAMILY ASSOCIATION militaryfamily.org This association understands better than anyone that "military families serve, too." In addition to an overview of EFMP and MIC3, their broad family scope includes policy issues, kids' education and spouse scholarships, to name just a few. A link to Operation Purple Programs can be accessed as well to include family retreats, healing adventures, and specialized camps for military kids (National Military Family, retrieved 6/28/2019).

SESAME STREET FOR MILITARY FAMILIES sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org Its mission to help kids grow stronger, smarter, and kinder has evolved beyond the original television show, which debuted November 10, 1969. The initial goal of providing support toward ensuring a successful transition from home to school for preschoolers (through building confidence to learn their ABC's, numbers, and social skills that would give kids a head start needed to be successful) continues and has deepened.

Today, Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization, creates content for multiple media platforms and focuses upon a wide range of issues in support of developing critical skills of acquiring healthy habits and building emotional strength to prepare kids for lifelong learning. Children and their families have access to a range of issues to include math and literacy skills, health, diversity, and military deployments. The Sesame Workshop's Military Families Initiatives provides increased focus and support to our military-connected children and their families. The website is a free resource and is a place that families can find a broad range of information and multimedia resources on topics to include:

Through MIC3 support, special education services are one of the key education issues addressed in support of those relative to public schools encountered by children of military families, in order to afford the same opportunities for education success as other children. To discover the information pertinent to your child's situation, an overview of the com pact can be explored at mic3.net. This link includes a comprehensive wealth of information such as newsletters, frequently-asked questions, parent and school guides, etc. According to MIC3 (Ask for Help, retrieved 6/28/2019), the following sequence of contacts are available to parents to provide guidance and support relative to the Interstate Compact MIC3, in their endeavor to navigating school issues from the perspective of a highly mobile military-connected child or youth:

SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND FAMILY MOVES

Children of military-connected families are a highly-mobile population, and our nation's schools have a duty under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) to students as they move between PCS locales. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the special education law of the land. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting and plan process is the same across the nation, but there are variations to state laws and DoDEA regulations relative to evaluation and identification, and so on, that may require updating within a reasonable and specific timeline upon arrival.

Under IDEA regulations, states, school districts, and DoDEAs have definite responsibilities to students when they transfer from one locale to another to provide comparable services that are "similar or equivalent" to what was provided in their most recent placement via their IEP. This includes students moving from one town to another, from one state to another, and even from one state to another country within the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Working with a School Liaison Officer (SLO) will provide the perspective of a specialist in this area across our nation's schools to include those within the Department of Defense that have some differing guidelines for providing special education services within the worldwide schools of the DoDEA. There are a few pieces to this puzzle to be mindful of when enrolling your child in the new school that will serve to coordinate efforts and ensure a smooth transition:

• Sign a release at the new school to enable the receiving district to get cumulative and special education records from his/her previous school.• Bring copies of your child's most recent evaluation and his/her current IEP with you at the time of registration. In the case where an addendum is the most recent IEP document, be certain to also provide the IEP that this recent document has been added.• Provide information relative to the special education referral process, in the case of a student who is in the initial evaluation process.• In the case of deployment, provide paperwork required by the school to include a copy of your Family Care Plan, any special Powers of Attorney, and/or custody orders, as applicable. Ensure that a guardian of your choosing will be able to attend the IEP meeting and share information with you in the manner you determine.

Through mindful parental engagement and collaboration within the realm of education and the IEP process, the highly-mobile children of military families are afforded successful school experiences that will lead to a positive post-school life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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Angela Shaw is a special educator who synthesizes her diverse education and experience to collaborate with families and staff, in order to promote success and encourage the students in her care to be life-long learners. Her publishing focus is upon special education topics. Shaw's son-in-law is an active duty U.S. Coast Guard. Shaw and her husband spend much of their free time adventuring to various PCS locations and enjoying every possible minute with their son-in-law, daughter, and baby grandson.

References

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS IN THE MILITARY

Just as physical fitness is a central part of military life, good mental health is as important for your well-being, and military and family readiness. Mental health challenges and issues shouldn't be ignored or hidden. There are lots of resources available to help anyone who is struggling with mental health challenges to feel better. 

RECOGNIZING SIGNS AND ADDRESSING CHALLENGES EARLY

HELP FOR YOU, OR FELLOW SERVICE OR FAMILY MEMBERS

Reaching out is the first step towards recovery. These resources can get you started:

• Mental disorders can lead to substance use disorders. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( samhsa.gov) offers information about prevention, treatment, recovery and more.

MENTAL HEALTH FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Finding help: For children's mental and behavioral health care, reach out to TRICARE ( tricare.mil/mtf). Mental and behavioral health concerns and conditions vary greatly in children and adolescents from adults, and special considerations apply for children of military families.

WHEN TO STEP IN AND HELP, OR ASK FOR HELP

Don't let stigma stand in your way of helping – or reaching out. An estimated one in five American adults experience a diagnosable mental health disorder each year. Many of these conditions are common and treatable; yet many people suffer in silence because of shame and stigma. Facing issues early is a sign of strength. You wouldn't hesitate to seek help for a physical ailment. So reach out for assistance with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, and encourage others to do the same. If you need help immediately: Suicide is a serious issue for service members and their loved ones – and suffering from a mental health disorder can increase the risk. If you or someone you know is at risk, the Military Crisis Line ( veteranscrisisline.net/ActiveDuty.aspx) is available 24 hours a day. Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1. You can also start a conversation via online chat or text (838255).

Note: Military OneSource does not provide medical counseling services for issues such as depression, substance use disorders, suicide prevention or post-traumatic stress disorder. This article is intended for informational purposes only. Military OneSource can provide referrals to your local military treatment facility, TRICARE or another appropriate resource.

– Military One Source