The Foreign Service Journal, June 2014

68 JUNE 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT mental health professional. Finally, whether the referral concern is academics or behavior, I strongly recom- mend getting a thorough evaluation by a licensed American psychologist. How to Proceed In the school setting, a working relationship with the teacher, teacher’s assistant, specialists and administration will be paramount to your child’s suc- cess. Youmay be at the beginning of the problem-solving process (“Why does my child seem to be reading more slowly than his peers?”). Or youmay be farther down the road (“Sally hit another kid—time for our 10thmeeting!”). Nomatter where you are in the pro- cess, it will be essential to work with the school—not just to solve a problem, but to get key information to better understand your child. They see himor her every day and, whether they realize it or not, will have observed what is and is not working. Everyone is there in the best interest of the child (or so we hope), so it’s important to build an alliance conducive to coopera- tion. Also, you never knowwho your great- est ally may turn out to be. Step One: Building Alliances Take stock of potential allies . Perhaps you know the teacher and principal and have a good relationship with them. But do you know the school psychologist or learning specialist?The reading specialist? School counselor? Social worker? And are these individuals at your parent-teacher meetings? Because they probably should be! Seek out the learning specialist or spe- cial educator even if your child presents with a non-academic problem. School counselors, special educators and school psychologists all have training in behavior, social and emotional difficulties. Some have more expertise than others, but we often have nuanced and sympathetic views when kids are struggling. Finally, if you are in a small inter- national school, youmay find that the lower school has certain specialists that the upper school does not have. Or vice versa. Youmay be able to request a special consultation from one of those specialists, even if they do not technically serve your child’s grade level.