The Foreign Service Journal, June 2006

78 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 6 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT re there resources for autistic chil- dren in India?” “I recently gave a presentation on sound-based therapies — let me know if you want more information.” “We just got our bid list! Has any- one had experience with special needs kids in the following places …?” Almost as soon as these messages were posted to the Foreign Service Special Needs e-mail group, support and information exchange among the group’s members — American Foreign Service parents of special needs children —were swift to follow. Formed in 2005 by Foreign Service spouse Mari O’Connor (with help from Bert Curtis and Rebecca Grappo), the group is a new resource available to special needs families in the Service, and its membership is growing by leaps and bounds. That’s good news, because FS special needs families need as much support as they can get. Here are some frequently asked questions. What are “special needs”? Children with learning disabilities, developmental dis- abilities, physical disabilities, attention deficit disorder, behavioral problems, speech and language issues, autism, giftedness, Down’s Syndrome and other exceptional traits often need services, both educational and therapeutic, that the standard educational system alone cannot provide. In the U.S. public schools, these services must be provided under the terms of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act to children who qualify. What do I do if I suspect my child may qualify for spe- cial needs education? Families who are posted overseas should contact the regional medical officer through the embassy or consulate health unit. The RMO will most likely then talk to the Employee Consultation Service at State, as well as State/MED, and arrange for evaluations for the child. If the child is school-aged, certainly the child’s teachers will have some opinions and input to offer. “Last year when my son was in kindergarten, his teacher recommended that we have him evaluated by a speech therapist,” reports Julie Drolet, who is posted to Paris. “An American speech therapist who sees students at the American School of Paris did the evaluation, and found that our son has a mild language disorder. This year, in grade one, our son continues with sessions twice a week, at the school, organized as ‘pull-out’ sessions.” Families who are currently in the U.S. need to go through their local school system, their pediatrician, and ECS (at State) in order to get the child evaluated and diag- nosed. Children with special needs who qualify will be given, by law, an Individualized Education Plan, which is necessary to receive special education services in the States, and which is helpful overseas in arranging for services. Why is meeting “special needs” sometimes more dif- ficult in the Foreign Service? Even for Foreign Service families without special needs issues, moving frequently from country to country poses FAQ: E DUCATING S PECIAL N EEDS C HILDREN O VERSEAS E DUCATION IS A CHALLENGE FOR F OREIGN S ERVICE FAMILIES . B UT FOR THOSE WHOSE CHILDREN HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS , IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING . B Y F RANCESCA H UEMER K ELLY Francesca Huemer Kelly, a Foreign Service spouse presently based in Brussels, is a professional freelance writer whose work is published regularly in American and international magazines. She is a founder of Tales from a Small Planet (talesmag.com ), was the Web site’s editor-in- chief from 1999 to 2003, and currently serves in an advi- sory capacity. Also a trained concert singer, Ms. Kelly has lived in Milan, Leningrad, Moscow, Belgrade, Vienna, Ankara and Rome. She is the mother of four children. “ A