Publication year
2014
Citation Title
Impact of geographic mobility on military children's access to special education services.
Journal Name
Children & Schools
Journal Volume
36
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
15-22
DOI
10.1093/cs/cdt046
Summary
Focus groups and interviews were conducted with military families who have dependents with disabilities enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) as well as the providers serving them. Results provide summaries of challenges that families face and resources available to them during Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves that often entail changes to the availability or implementation of special education services.
Key Findings
EFMP parents experienced concerns and frustrations with quality of services, unmet expectations, and conflict with destination/gaining schools.
Difficulties often stem from navigating the inconsistent state and local approaches to special education and fulfillment of Individualized Education Plans (IEP) during PCS transfers.
EFMP parents reported uncertainty regarding details of future place of residence and lack of preparation by destination/gaining schools as barriers to smooth PCS transitions.
EFMP and School Liaison Program were identified by participants as valuable and useful (although sometimes inconsistent) in facilitating changes between school systems.
Implications for Program Leaders
Assist military families when transferring records and services between schools
Provide education to EFMP military families regarding the difference among special education services offered so that difference in services are less frequently perceived as a deficit
Disseminate information regarding the services and resources available to EFMP military families
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend education for service providers regarding the PCS experiences of EFMP military families
Encourage collaboration among DoD service providers and school personnel to support EFMP military families following a PCS
Continue to support programs that help EFMP military families following a PCS
Methods
Twenty-seven focus groups and 10 individual interviews were conducted in 2011; interviews and focus groups included participants from one service branch and took place on U.S. installations with the highest concentration of military families.
The service branch and local points of contact identified eligible EFMP enrollees living on base or near installations in three U.S. states (two east coast, one west coast).
Adult caregivers of individuals with disabilities, adults with disabilities, and service providers were recruited for participation via an introductory letter, an invitation, and a follow-up invitation.
Participants
Caregiver group consisted of 39 parents of 60 children with disabilities, all enrolled in EFMP and mostly spouses of service members.
Service provide group consisted of 62 experienced professionals, most with advanced degrees and greater than five years of experience working with people with disabilities and the military community.
No ethnicity, age, SES, or military rank information was provided for the participants.
Limitations
The single service branch included in the study was undergoing a transformation of its EFMP at the time of the study, an atypical situation that may have influenced results.
Program and study participants were all living on or near large installations and therefore may have had more access to resources and services than other military families living further from an instillation.
Single, time-limited contact with participants did not allow for long-term findings or follow-up.
Avenues for Future Research
Include additional branches of the military to assess potential variation
Expand this inquiry to a random sample of all EFMP enrollees, including perspectives of families other than those on or near large installations
Explore whether the type of identified disability (e.g., emotional/behavioral, chronic health condition), affects the PCS experiences of EFMP families
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
One of the constants of the military lifestyle is geographic mobility, or permanent change of station (PCS). The PCS has a particularly profound effect on military children with disabilities and their families. With each PCS, families choreograph an elaborate dance with losing and gaining schools and providers as they navigate the complexities of a new special education system. In this study, more than 100 individuals, enrollees of a military program for families with dependents with disabilities and providers serving them, participated in focus groups and interviews to identify the challenges that families face and the resources that are available to them. Drawing on relevant research literature and the results of the study, the authors explore some of the common challenges military students with disabilities and their families face and offer resources and recommendations for school staff supporting them. School staff can take steps to assist and support these families, such as proactively planning for the PCS with the families, informing families about ways in which current services may be different form what they have previously experienced or will experience, and joining in the children’s circle of support as an ally and a trusted source of information.
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