Okay so yesterday I asked a question about my son having autism and us becoming a military family. My question now is...does anyone know which Army bases have special education available at their schools? Or of a place where i can find information about this? I've tried to google it in so many different way and haven't been able to come up with anything useful. Any information would be greatly appreciated! I want to find out as much as I can as early as I can that way I'm not scrambling in the end not know what comes nexts. Thank you!
Thank you all for your answers. You have definatly made this alot easier for me. My son has very low functioning autism so all he really needs is a good speech therapist. My daughter as well. The only difference with her is she has a vision impairment. So i have to look into the requirments for her....she is still a baby though so we still have some time to do that. Again thank you all so much.
And I'm so looking forward to becoming an Army Wife!
https://onestop.army.mil/Default.aspx
This has all the information on the housing and a list of the schools on each army post, it would be a lot of work but you could contact the districts/schools this way. Hope it helps.
Special education services are available through the school district. Find out what school district that the schools on the base are part of and then contact the director of special education for that school district. This individual will be able to help you transition your child into the right program. It may not be a school on the base, but the school district is required by law to provide transportation to whatever school that can give him the educational needs that is right for your child.
The schools on military instillations are normal public schools. The only difference is the location. The schools have special education programs, but some are better and offer more services.
The information you've been given about special needs family members is right. Special needs family members need to be enrolled in the EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program). The program will help ensure that any time your husband changes duty stations that y'all are sent to a location that has the proper facilities to meet your sons medical and educational needs.
In my experience the Army was great about doing all they could to help. We could have enrolled our son in EFMP, but we chose not too. Even not being enrolled in the program the Army was wonderful about making sure my husband was never stationed anywhere that did not have the facilities and specialists that our son needed...and that they were within a decent driving distance. Enrolling in EFMP will mean the Army does even more to make sure your son has what he needs.
Welcome to the life of an Army wife!
Go to militaryonesource.com or you call them at 1-800-342-9647 They can help you will anything like that. Hope this helps.
Pretty much all schools have special education of some form. If they do not have it at the school on base there has to be one near by they can go to. The bigger issue you will face is: is there a developmental ped, and other services. The military branches are pretty good about vetting bases for those with special needs in the family. If you have a family member w/special needs they need to be enrolled in EFMP(Exceptional Family Member Program). Once that is done a code is attached to the Active duty members file. This alerts those who make PCS(permant change of station) decisions that you have to go through screening before your PCS. Once you do that they decide if there are appropirate services available in the area for your child. It can take about a month to go through the screening and hear a yes or no.
Unfortunatly there is no website that lists shools and how they preform for special needs. You are really going to have to call around once you find out where you are headed. You may find that the school you are slated for may not be the best to meet your needs. We have found it is easier to change schools w/a special needs child, than one who is not.
You might want to check out: http://militarydutystations.com/
You can post questions, look up info about different bases, and there are a couple of people there who have kids w/special needs. It might be a good place to post your question again.
Your son will be on the Exceptional Family Member program (efmp) and they will be your guide to where you can and can't be stationed depending on the level of your son's needs. You can also call military one source to find who you need to talk to where you are stationed now to get that all set up. 800-342-9647 or online www.militaryonesource.com. They are a free and awesome service!!!
Welcome to the military life :)
S.
Marine Wife
There is a program for children with special needs, once you are in Deers, and on Tricare, he may qualify for some additional funded services. We were told about this program, but since we are reserves, it did not apply, so I can't tell you much more about it. Onesource is a good place to start, but also check with the tricare office where ever you land. There is a brochure about Exeptional Family Member services, so if you live near a tricare office, you could go get one, or call the tricare regional office you will be signed up in and ask for it.
M.
First bases do not have schools state side...Any schools will be in the city where you will be posted. And as to the school that will depend on the area of where you live in that city. When I needed a special school for my son I looked into the city programs and the one's that best met our needs before we bought or rented a house. If living on base I also check with the school system as to what was available for my child THIS IS A CASE OF LETTING YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING EITHER ON THE COMPUTER OR WITH THE PHONE BOOK. Good luck.
your best bet is ACS ( it is meant for both spouses and military members.) They will help you find what you need. If you need a job they will help you find one. They are really great with helping. I use them a lot myself. ACS is located on any army base. Once your husband joins or is already ask him to take you there. Do you have a military id? If not when you guys do get everything rollin you will be given a military id, which allows you on the military base with out getting your car searched every time. Military one source is a good website but ACS is better, they can give you answer you need about everything you have concerns for. Good luck. :)
A lot of Army posts in the states don't have schools, the children go to civilian school in the community. Some of them do though, one that I can think of is Fort Stewart, GA.
The previous post is correct about enrolling in EFMP. They will make sure your husbands duty station has the resources your son needs. And yes, do take advantage of Military OneSource...they have abundant info.
