Learning Disabilities and My Military Kid

Georgia IEP Reevaluation: How a Policy Change Improved My Son’s Special Education Services

A few months into my son’s 3rd grade year at our new duty station in Georgia, his case manager notified me the district would reevaluate him. Because he was approaching his 9th birthday, he couldn’t retain the Developmental Disability (DD) category on his IEP. I feared the district aimed to find him ineligible for special education services. Truthfully, I braced for a battle. Instead of meeting with his IEP team ready to fire off, I asked questions to better understand their reasoning. Of course I read the state statutes and policy – I’m going in prepared. It turns out that my son’s birthday and Georgia’s policy towards the DD category were the best things to happen to his education up to this point.

Because we came from Alabama, ranked #47 nationally for educational standards, I knew the school district in Georgia would be vastly improved. My son would be evaluated by a qualified school psychologist who is also qualified to interpret evaluative results (Alabama’s “qualified evaluator” standard is the lowest qualification, a psychometrist, and tasks untrained special educators with interpreting results).

When I met with the IEP team and school psychologist to review the results, they proposed he was still eligible for Special Education and related services under the (new to us) Specific Learning Disability (SLD) category. The amount of information the evaluation provided was so in-depth, so eye-opening, and truly explanatory of the challenges I see in his class work and completing homework. You bet I was relieved!

Now, as an IEP team, we had fantastic information to better understand and address my son’s challenges. The evaluation results and the new SPED category provide a critical framework to address multiple aspects of his educational journey. 

Specific Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are categorized as a group of neurological disorders that significantly impact a student’s ability to acquire, process, and use information. We know a child’s disability, and possibly comorbidity with other diagnoses, manifests in different ways and affects important academic skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and comprehension. 

Types of Learning Disabilities

1. Dyslexia: Perhaps the most well-known learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills. Students with dyslexia may struggle with reading fluency, decoding, and comprehending text.
2. Dyscalculia: Impacts mathematical abilities, making it difficult for students to understand numbers, learn math facts, and perform calculations. It can also affect a student’s ability to grasp math concepts such as time and direction.
3. Dysgraphia: Affects writing abilities (including fine motor skills) making it challenging for students to write legibly, spell correctly, and organize their thoughts on paper. 
4. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD): Students with APD have difficulty processing auditory information (like verbal instruction), which can affect their ability to distinguish between different but similar sounds, understand and remember spoken language, and follow verbal instructions.
5. Visual Processing Disorder: Affects the ability to interpret and process visual information. Students may struggle with reading, understanding visual information, and spatial awareness.
6. Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities (NVLD): Affects the ability to interpret non-verbal cues, such as body language and facial expressions. Students may experience difficulties with spatial awareness, motor coordination, and visual-spatial organization.

Unique Challenges for Military Children with Learning Disabilities

Frequent Relocations

Emotional and psychological stress can affect a child’s focus, behavior, and overall academic performance. Military families typically move every two to three years. This means kids must adapt to new communities, support systems, schools, and curricula. These factors can gravely disrupt a child’s education, particularly for children with learning disabilities who thrive on consistency and routine.

Variability in Educational Standards

States and school districts can drastically vary in their standards and approaches to special education. This inconsistency can lead to gaps in services and support for military children with learning disabilities. Again, parents shoulder the responsibility to ensure their children receive continuity of services by maintaining an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan. Transitions between schools and states can also disrupt this.

Importantly, the way SLDs present in children might be “explained away” or missed entirely because parents and educators may attribute the student’s challenges to the stress and anxiety surrounding a military move, new learning environments, stress of deployments, etc. A child’s new teacher likely needs time to get to know the student to see what their needs are in the classroom. Parents are the linchpin to their child’s education, ensuring their needs are adequately expressed and appropriately documented. 

Strategies to Support Military Children with Learning Disabilities

1. Early Identification and Intervention: Early identification of learning disabilities is crucial. Schools on military bases or districts that serve military families should have robust screening processes to quickly identify and support students with learning disabilities.
2. Consistent Documentation: Parents and teachers should maintain thorough and consistent documentation of a child’s educational history, including assessments, IEPs, and 504 Plans. This documentation should be easily transferable between schools to ensure continuity of services.
3. Collaboration Between Schools and Military Services: Schools should work closely with military services, such as the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), to ensure that educational support is consistent and meets the unique needs of military children.
4. Military Resources: Military families have access to various resources, like the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), which provides support and services for family members with special needs. Schools should be aware of and encourage parents to use these resources to support military children with learning disabilities.
5. Professional Development for Educators: Educators should receive training on the unique challenges faced by military children, including the impact of frequent relocations and service member deployments. Teachers who understand these challenges can provide more effective support and create an understanding, inclusive classroom environment.
6. Emotional and Psychological Support: Counseling and psychological support are essential for military children dealing with the stress of military life. Schools should train counselors to address the specific emotional needs of military children.
7. Parent and Community Involvement: Engaging parents and the military community in the educational process can provide additional support for military children with learning disabilities. Parent-teacher conferences, support groups, and community programs can create a supportive network for these families. Schools and districts can establish relationships with military installations to work together on behalf of military families.

Communication is Key

When we PCSd from Alabama to Georgia and we knew where our boys would go to school, I contacted the school to ask for a tour and to meet the teachers. The school graciously agreed and the counselor gave us a grand tour. When I met the teachers, I handed them folders of each boys’ IEP, a “get to know me” sheet, and a letter introducing us as a family. This small yet important gesture created an easy line of communication. Because let’s be honest – teachers talk – and I ultimately wanted the teachers to know we’re on the same team.

One piece of advice I can vehemently attest to is the importance of developing a personal relationship with teachers and school staff. Being open, kind, helpful, and understanding paves the way for a positive relationship with my sons’ school team. 

What does this have to do with my son’s SLD category? Well, everything. Instead of passively ignoring or dismissing a concern, I can express it to his teacher(s), and they can do the same. Then, we meet as a team to develop positive strategies in the classroom and at home to ensure his success. Saving the best part for last, we celebrate his triumphs together.

About the Author – Crystal Mahany

A proud wife to an Army Aviator, Crystal has served the military community in many capacities over the last 21+ years and is committed to serving until and beyond her soldier’s retirement. She strongly believes in serving military families and the surrounding community at each duty station.

In 2014, doctors diagnosed her oldest son with a rare speech disorder and Autism. Two years later, they diagnosed her youngest son with the same speech disorder. These diagnoses thrust her family into the Special Needs and Special Education community. Driven by her passion to help, Crystal returned to school and focused her research on Civil Rights, Disability Rights, and Special Education Law.

Crystal has worked as a paralegal, advocate, and legal analyst in Special Education Law, facilitated panel discussions on protecting the most vulnerable, and taught courses on Special Education as a Civil Right, the importance of the 10th Amendment, and Disability as a Tenet of Diversity. She has been with Partners In PROMISE since its founding and currently serves as the Research Editor, Legal Analyst, and Parent Mentor. Crystal is deeply committed to policy changes to advance education policy and Disability Rights and works as Adjunct Faculty at The George Washington University.