The Foreign Service Journal, June 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2018 11 LETTERS-PLUS T hank you for the article by Kathi Silva addressing the challenges associated with educating our Foreign Service special needs children overseas (March Speaking Out). In the spirit of speaking out, I hope to expand the scope of the dialogue to also raise awareness about our “some needs” children—those whose chal- lenges do not rise to the protective special needs status; as a result, they can be vulnerable to stigmatization and discrimination at some of the more rigid international private schools. All too often, our misunderstood “some needs” children are viewed as beyond help and become recipients of the most ineffective and punitive interventions. Dr. Ross Green has spearheaded substantial research on this topic, outlined in his book Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them. While his work is gaining momen- tum and effecting positive change within U.S. public school systems, inter- national private schools may not be as forward leaning in their approach to managing children who do not fit tradi- tional academic and behavioral norms. As a result, our Foreign Service “some needs” children are suffering in silence. I have two children, one of whom is described as having a developmental delay that can lead to anxiety and chal- lenged behavior. It is not a condition or disorder, so it cannot be diagnosed and therefore does not qualify under the Spe- cial Needs Education Allowance. Although my daughter never had any significant issue at school through her early years in Africa, Asia and Europe, her transition from elementary to middle school in Vienna, Austria, proved prob- lematic. My husband and I were essentially blindsided as my daughter’s 6th-grade school situation rapidly deteriorated to the point where we had to abruptly remove her three months before the end of the school year. According to the Foreign Service Families with Disabilities Alliance, my daughter’s middle school experience speaks to a larger issue. International elementary schools are generally more flexible in supporting all children, no matter what their needs. When chil- dren transition to middle and high Response— Foreign Service “Some Needs” Kids: Suffering in Silence BY KIRSTEN BAUMAN school overseas, though, there can be a palpable shift in the attitude of many international schools as curriculum complexity increases and the schools begin competing with their counter- parts for student test scores and other scholastic accolades. At their worst, these schools become fixated on building their reputation, and do not admit, or force out, children who do not fit the behavioral and academic high-achieving norms they seek. Unfor- tunately, FSFDA says, this situation is all too common. The Regional Education Office at the State Department in Washington, D.C., agrees that not all international private schools are created equal, as these schools are not held accountable to centralized standards in the same man- ner as U.S. public schools. Moreover, the fact that an inter- national private school receives U.S. government funding does not necessar- ily guarantee high-caliber administra- tors or teachers, or staff with the skills and training necessary to work with children outside traditional academic and behavioral norms. For families struggling to identify supportive schools that best fit their children’s unique needs, please take solace in the fact that you are not alone, 26 MARCH2018 | THEFOREIGNSERVICEJOURNAL Families with Special Needs Kids Need Support BY KATHI SILVA KathiSilva ismarried toaForeignServiceofficer; theyhave served together in Montevideo,Belgrade,Caracas,Pretoria,ParisandWashington,D.C.Shehas workedasa freelanceeditor,aUSAID contractorandaCommunityLiaison Officeassistantatpreviouspostsand is currently completingamaster’sdegree online.Kathiandherhusbandhave three children, twoofwhomhave ledher intoanewworldof childrenwithdisabilitiesandgivenhermore than15yearsofexperience raisinghappy, resilient, specialneedsdiplokids. R aisingchildren in theForeign Service isa lot likegardening— weprovidea richenvironment forourchildrenwithall the right conditionsandhope theywillbloom.But asgardenersknow, there isa lotofadapt- ingandadjusting towhateverconditions mayarise,andourplantsdon’talways grow inwaysweexpect. Goodgardenersdowhat theycan toestablishstrong roots,providea rich environmentofsupport for theirgrowing plantsandcreateaplanandasystem that responds tounpredictable factorsoutof theircontrol.For familieswithspecial needschildren, thissystem isevenmore important. In recentyears thenumberofchildren in theUnitedStatesdiagnosedwithspe- cialneeds is rising,and this trend isalso seenwithin theStateDepartment.Until a fewyearsago, thanks toapositive rela- tionshipwith theOfficeofMedicalSer- vices (MED,now theBureauofMedical Services)and thesupportandflexibility MEDgaveus to“growourgardens,” the experienceof raisingaspecialneedschild overseaswasmostlyapositiveone. As internationalschoolsbecomemore inclusiveand tele-therapygains inpopu- larity, therearemoreoptions thanever before toaddressspecialneedsoverseas. Thus, thechallenges for familieswith specialneedschildrenoverseasshouldbe increasinglymanageable. Yet for thepastcoupleofyears the experienceofForeignService families withspecialneedschildrenhasbeen the opposite. Why Reduce Support? In the June2016 ForeignService Journal ,MaureenDanzotandMark Evanswrotean importantSpeakingOut columnabout the fact thatparentswere increasinglyhavingahard timeaccess- ingSpecialNeedsEducationAllowance (knownasSNEA) fundsandgettingasay in themedicalclearanceoptions for their children.Since then, therehavebeen numerousactionsonbehalfof,andby, disgruntledparents inaneffort to resolve theseconcerns. Aparentadvocacygroup, theForeign ServiceFamilieswithDisabilitiesAlli- ance,wascreated in2016with thegoal ofprovidingaunifiedvoice for families dealingwithMED issues.When thealli- SPEAKINGOUT ance’ssuggestionswerenotanswered and thenumberand typesofcomplaints wereseriousenough,AFSAgot involved bywritingmemosandattendingmeet- ingswithMED tomediateparents’ complaints. TheStateDepartmentOfficeofCivil Rights isaddressingacomplaint froma ForeignServiceemployeewhoargues thatsomeofMED’scurrentpracticesare disadvantagingForeignServicemembers whosedependentshavespecialneeds. This,hesays, isaviolationof theAmeri- canswithDisabilitiesAct.Thecase is likely toopen thedoor tomanysimilar complaints. OnOct.29,2017,a WashingtonPost articleby JackieSpinner,“StateDepart- mentsupport fordiplomatswithchildren withdisabilities iscontracting,”brought publicattention to the issue.Onemonth later,SenatorsBenCardin (D-Md.)and PattyMurray (D-Wash.)senta letter to the StateDepartmentquestioning the“trou- bling”plans tocutsupport forForeign Service familieswithspecialneedschil- dren.Congresshasalso requestedbrief- ings from theStateDepartment,andMED inparticular,onspecialneeds issues. ThedisenfranchisementofForeign Service familiesbyMED,and theseem- inglyhaphazardway it ishandlingclear- ancesandeducationalallowances forour specialneedschildren,havegonepublic. Morepeopleareawareof theproblem, buthasanythingchanged?Not in the direction familieswerehoping. Speaking Out, March 2018 Kirsten Bauman joined the Foreign Service in 2000. She is currently the arms control deputy counselor at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna (UNVIE). Prior to UNVIE, she served as the environment, science, technology and health (ESTH) unit chief in Seoul; and as regional environment officer in Addis Ababa. Other postings include Athens, Paris and Washington, D.C.