Special Needs and the Foreign Service Child

There are unique challenges inherent in raising a child with special needs, and this is especially so in the internationally mobile lifestyle of the Foreign Service. There has been a significant effort to increase the number of programs for children with special needs in American-International schools around the world. However, the quality of these programs varies greatly from school to school, and even from year to year. While more children who have mild learning disabilities are adequately served in international schools, children with moderate to severe disabilities still encounter major challenges. In addition to the lack of available programs overseas, very often there is also a lack of other support or therapeutic specialists to serve the requirements of special needs children.

The Family Liaison Office strongly urges families to carefully research their options before bidding on and accepting an overseas assignment. There are several offices in the Department of State that work together to assist families of children with special needs. The Office of Overseas Schools offers the brochure Transitioning to an Overseas Assignment with a Special Needs Child.

Foreign Service families looking for boarding school options for the child with learning differences should review FLO's web page Boarding Schools for Children with Special Needs.  

Foreign Service families with children applying to colleges and universities and looking for assistance should contact the Education and Youth Officer in the Family Liaison Office.  Also, see College and Beyond.  

The Family Liaison Office serves Foreign Service families looking for help with the special educational needs of their child(ren).  More information is available to the left (also below).  Please click on the information that best suits your interests.  For more assistance, please contact FLO's  Education and Youth Officer. 

Information is also available in FLO's publication Education Options for Foreign Service Family Members, specifically: Chapter 10 - Special Needs Children (Evaluation of Developmental Problems, Procedure When a Developmental Problem is Suspected While at Post, Clearance Requirements for a Child with a Developmental Problem, Description of Educational Evaluation, Special Education Allowances, The Home/School Connection, Ways to Help, School and Testing Records, The Special Needs Child Overseas, Considering Posts, Establishing Parent Support Groups, Washington Area Programs, Private School Programs, Learning Disability Characteristics, College and the Learning-disabled, Taking the SATs, Summer Programs, Colleges with Facilities for the Learning-disabled Student, Summer Program for learning Disabled College-bound students).

Additional Resources for Special Needs Concerns

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

• ADD Helpline - Online support group for parents, chat room, medical information, and videos.
• ADDers.org - UK based family support group, promotes awareness, multilingual site offers contacts with international support groups.
• Attention Deficit Disorders Association (ADDA) - Information sections describing AD/HD specially focused for children, teens, or adults; books, family support issues.
• Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) - Science based fact sheets, legal rights, advocacy, promotes research, education, newsletters.
• Fact Sheets on research advances, medications and treatments affecting individuals with AD/HD.
• National Resource Center on AD/HD
• Optometrists Network - AD/HD information from a visual perspective, vision therapy, diagnosis.
• Advice for Teachers - "50 Tips: Classroom Management of ADD" by Edward M. Hallowell, MD, adapted from Answers to Distraction, Edward M. Hallowell, MD, and John J. Ratey, MD, Pantheon, New York, 1995.
• Checklists for Teachers - by Sandra F. Rief, M.A., includes tips for getting student's attention, focusing student's attention, maintaining student's attention, and keeping kids on-task during seat work.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and the College Student

• Virginia Tech - The counseling center at Virginia Tech puts out an excellent online ADHD survival guide that covers a ton of issues that college students face.
• ADD Resources - This website offers articles which lay out the issues of ADD and provide some practical suggestions for dealing with them.
• Henderson State University - Offers practical list of things that can help the ADHD college student.
• "Ten Things I Wish Students with ADHD Knew"
• Book list - Excellent list of books about ADHD and the college student

Autism

• The Autism Society of America - Website covers topics such as understanding autism, living with autism, treatment and education, and further resources.
• The Autism Society of Northern Virginia - Advocacy and information, connection with parent support groups, regional resources from barbers and dentists to lawyers.
• Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies - Information on autism and treatments such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Blind and Visually Impaired

• American Council of the Blind - Information including statistics and answers to children's questions.
• National Federation of the Blind - Largest organization of blind and visually impaired in U.S., information, forums, radio stations, resources.
• American Foundation for the Blind - Information and referrals.
• Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic National Headquarters (RFB & D) - Library of over 93,000 recorded books, at all academic levels, available to anyone with a documented disability reading printed books.

Cerebral Palsy

• Understanding Disabilities-Creating Opportunities - Information about cerebral palsy and advocacy for all disabilities.

Classroom Accommodations

The following links offer sample plans for accommodations and modifications that can be done in the classroom to help students with learning disabilities. Note: Many accommodations are specified in a student's pyscho-educational evaluation or Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This is not intended to replace those recommendations, nor are all recommendations appropriate for all children. This is only to suggest possible ways for teachers, parents, and students to form better partnerships by exploring those recommendations that might be appropriate.

• Student Accommodation Classroom Plan
• Student Accommodation Plan
• Accommodations and Modifications
• Suggested Classroom Interventions for Children with ADD and Learning Disabilitis
• Checklists for Teachers - by Sandra F. Rief, M.A., includes tips for getting student's attention, focusing student's attention, maintaining student's attention, and keeping kids on-task during seat work.

College Considerations

• From the College Board - This press release explains the new policy to drop "flagging" of special needs students on the SAT test.
• A Guide to College Success for Students with Disabilities
• KidsSource - Basic information and links to important websites on college planning for students with learning disabilities.
• Council for Exceptional Children - Largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, whether gifted or disabled.
• "Education's Most Damaging 'Urban Legend'" - This article, by Rick Lavoiehe, dispels the myth that kids won't get help with their work once they get to college. The article takes a look at the various learning support centers available on college campuses today.

Cued Speech

• The Northern Virginia Cued Speech Association - Give Literacy a Hand - Clear and unambiguous visual representations of all sounds of a spoken language.

Dyscalculia (or dyscalcula)

• Dyscalculia

Dyslexia

• The International Dyslexia Association - A non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with dyslexia.
• The National Center for Learning Disabilities
  (See resource under Blind for recorded books.)

Early Intervention and Young Children

• Early Head Start National Resource Center
• Kids Source - Information and help for parents of young special needs children.
• National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) - Includes information on early intervention and explains the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), a development plan used for young children with special needs, and links to many national and local organizations.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• Zero to Three Organization
• ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC) - Short reports and articles regarding special education, lists of resources.
• The Council of Exceptional Children - The largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and historically underserved individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

Family Support

• All Kinds of Minds - A non-profit institute for the understanding of differences in learning. The Institute was founded by Dr. Mel Levine, a nationally recognized expert in the field of learning differences. The site has information for families, educators, and clinicians.
• The American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry - Publishes Facts for Families, a series of articles written by professionals in laymen's language to help families receive concise, current information on a wide variety of topics relating to children and adolescent issues. The list of topics is given in alphabetical order to make it easy to access. The articles are also available in Spanish,German, French, and Polish.
• 
  Services in School for Children with Special Needs: What Parents Need to Know - Provides an example of an AACAP article with a clear and concise summary for parents. It discusses identifying and qualifying children with special needs for special education and briefly covers the related legal issues in public schools.
• Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation - A non-profit organization that includes information on identification issues and programs for LD, AD/HD and those who struggle with learning.
• Family Education - Strategies and skills-building techniques, information on AD and AD/HD including a parent discussion forum.

Hearing Issues

• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - Advocates independence through listening and talking.
• National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management - Information on resources, early testing, early intervention.
• American Speech-Language Hearing Association - ASHA's mission is to ensure that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders have access to quality services to help them communicate effectively
• National Information Center on Deafness- Clerc Center - The Clerc Center has been mandated by congress to develop, evaluate, and disseminate innovative curricula, instructional techniques and strategies, and materials. The aim of the Clerc Center is to improve the quality of education for deaf and hard of hearing children and youth from birth through age 21.
• National Association for the Deaf
• American Society of Deaf Children - ASDC is a national, independent non-profit organization whose purpose is providing support, encouragement, and information to families raising children who are deaf or hard of hearing
• National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities - NICHCY's Web site provides information about specific disabilities, special education and related services for children in school, individualized education programs, parent materials, disability organizations, professional associations, education rights and what the law requires, early intervention services for infants and toddlers, and transition to adult life.

Homeschooling a Special Needs Child

• About Homeschooling - Articles, resources, email groups, online forums.

Learning Disabilities

• Learning Disabilities Association of America - The association's goal is to advance education and general welfare of children and adults with learning disabilities.
• Learning Disabilities On-line - Information for parents and other professionals, including topics such as Choosing a Tutor:
• The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) - Offers a variety of information and further links on the full range of learning disabilities. The website provides registration to an LD News Link for updates and includes information on advocacy, fact sheets on various aspects and types of learning disabilities, common concerns, a screening test for reading readiness, and interactive reading games
• Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities - Helping parents help their children succeed, this organization also offers the Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities Youth Achievement Award, honoring the accomplishments of a young person with learning disabilities or ADHD.
• Summer Camp Directory

• Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services - This is the law that gives those with disabilities the right to an appropriate education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), U.S. Department of Education.

Mental Retardation

• Association for Retarded Children (ARC) - Nationwide association working to include all children and adults with cognitive, intelligence, and developmental disabilities.
• ARC of Maryland
• ARC of Montgomery County - For more information: info@arcmontmd.org
• ARC of Northern Virginia - For more information: iainfo@arcofnova.org

Parent Advocacy

• Parent Advocacy Training Center - Numerous parent resources specializing in developing parent support groups.

Parent Resources

• From Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS): Sign up for information from FCPS; Special Needs Home Page for FCPS; Parent Handbook for Special Education from FCPS.
• Virginia Department of Education's Parent's Guide to Special Education - All parents who have children who qualify for special education in Virginia are given this guide to help them understand and navigate the system.
• For more parent resources, please see individual school district's special education services or the FLO's Washington Area Schools web pages.

Pre-Referral

• Schwab Learning - Parent information on the first steps in addressing the needs of a learning difficulty, how to work with the school, define needs.

Reading Readiness

• PBS Kids - Between the Lions, Get Wild About Reading - Activities and information for parents and children.
• Reading Rockets - A free online newsletter devoted to helping parents and teachers help all students develop a love of reading, including reluctant readers and those who struggle.

Twice Exceptional Students

More about children that exhibit characteristics of both gifted and talented and learning disabilities:

• Council for Exceptional Children - Information Center on Disabilities and Gifted Education.
• Gifted and Learning Disabled: Twice Exceptional Students
• Research: Diamonds in the Rough

Washington Area Schools

FLO offers a wealth of information on public and private schools in the Washington, DC area.

Three highly regarded private day school programs for the learning disabled in the Washington metropolitan area are: 

• The Chelsea School - Children grades 5 - 12 with language based learning disabilities, primarily dyslexia.
• Kingsbury Center - Children ages 5 to 16 with learning disabilities, offers diagnostic testing and support services.
• The Lab School of Washington - Children K-12 with learning disabilities, also offers diagnostic services, tutoring, after-school program, summer programs, and college/career counseling.

Written Resources

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4^th Ed. - The professional manual that lists criteria for specific diagnoses, such as, AD/HD, various LDs, autism, and mental retardation. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
• The Directory for Exceptional Children, over 1,000 pages, a comprehensive survey of 2,500 schools, facilities, organizations across the U.S. serving children and young adults with developmental, emotional, physical and medical disabilities.

FLO Weblinks for Special Needs

• Special Needs and the Foreign Service Child
• Boarding School for Children with Special Needs
• Employee Consultation Service
• Special Needs Allowance

Information provided by the Family Liaison Office
Contact the Family Liaison Office