Navigating with Neurodivergent Learners
It's Guest Blog Time!
Having been a Community Liason Office Coordinator (CLO) at two different overseas posts the most common challenge I observed among parents is educating their foreign service children. Many families justify the disruptions of the nomadic lifestyle with the opportunity to offer their kids top quality schooling in a global setting, and the life lessons that come with regularly starting over.
Speaking from personal experience, if your child has a special educational need this can go unnoticed or undiagnosed as a result of the changes and possible chaos from one school to the next. What we thought was a language barrier from first learning to read in French was actually an undiagnosed learning disability. At the time, virtual resources were practically non-existent and the fear of losing a clearance loomed.
I met Katie by email when she was offering some online classes for teens and tweens to help them navigate social and emotional challenges of Covid. I was so impressed by her approach and knowledge of what our kids go through that I knew she would be an invaluable resource for our community. I am delighted that Katie and Janelle have partnered to fill the gap for our some of our neurodivergent learners through Global Village Tutors.
Guest Blog by Janelle Meyer and Katie Fowle
The Foreign Service Family Challenge
Discovering that your child has a learning difference adds a new layer of complexity to the already unique Foreign Service lifestyle. As EFMs (Eligible Family Members), you're navigating frequent moves, varied school systems, and the challenge of finding consistent support for your child across very different environments.
The questions we hear most often from FS parents include:
Which posts will best support my child's learning needs?
How do I communicate effectively with the international school about my child's diagnosis?
What can I do when the international school doesn't have the resources my child needs?
For one Global Village Tutors (GVT) family, their grade 2 daughter was struggling with reading at their international school. It was unclear if their daughter’s struggles were due to frequent moves, or or a lack of foundational reading instruction. Luckily, both the parents and school support were open to collaboration and sought out an external provider to help guide them.
After reaching out to GVT, and working with an experienced literacy tutor for a semester, the tutor was able to guide the family’s understanding that their daughter’s reading struggles weren’t due to a lack of instruction or effort. Instead, the tutor was able to identify key barriers preventing their daughter from making grade-level progress and advise the family to seek an educational evaluation. Alongside this process, the child’s skillsets grew with confidence gained from receiving a structured intervention to address her specific needs.
In time, as their daughter entered Grade 3 with a new diagnosis of dyslexia, she was able to receive learning support services within her school days. For the next four years, and across two different postings, she continued receiving targeted tutoring services with us twice a week to build her individualized literacy skills. Now as a grade seven student, her literacy skills are meeting grade level expectations and she is confident in her academic abilities. The commitment for children with learning needs, whether in areas of literacy, executive functioning, math, social, etc. takes time, finding someone to deliver support with the right training, and continued advocacy from all involved.
Our Top Three Tips for Supporting Your Foreign Service Child
Drawing on our years of experience, here's what we've learned makes the biggest difference in supporting your child with a learning difference in the FS life.
Be Consistent
Consistency is one of the hardest things to maintain in FS life, but it matters enormously for kids with learning differences. Look for international schools with similar curricula and teaching approaches when bidding, and consider virtual providers who can stay with your family from post to post.
Be Resourceful
EFMs are among the most resourceful people we know. Put that skill set to work finding the organizations, online communities, and specialists who can support your child wherever you land. Find Global Village Tutor's recommended education evaluation providers, online learning tools and resources here.
Be An Empathetic Mom or Dad
Leave the specialized instruction to trained professionals. Your role, the one no tutor can fill, is to provide consistency, encourage persistence through setbacks, and celebrate every bit of growth along the way. Your child's learning difference isn't caused by the FS lifestyle. It stems from neurobiological differences in how their brains process information. These differences can make learning harder and slower than it is for grade-level peers, and your child needs to know that you understand that.
Katie Fowle and Janelle Meyer founded Global Village Tutors (GVT) to help Foreign Service children with learning differences thrive academically, no matter where in the world they live. Janelle, Katie and the GVT team virtually teach students of all ages, who need individualized literacy, math, and/or executive functioning support. Both have also served on the board of SENIA International, which champions inclusive practices and education internationally.
Janelle's Bio
Janelle has worked as an international special educator across Asia, Africa, and the USA. Her passion to create an inclusive world is rooted in the experience growing up seeing her eldest brother's journey with significant special needs. She also founded chapters of Best Buddies International in China & Malaysia.
Katie's Bio
Katie Fowle, M.Ed, believes each child can learn to read and reach their full potential when given the proper support and consistent relationship. Katie draws on her nineteen years of teaching and specialized training to design personalized lessons that empower children's confidence and success in school.
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