FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (April 5, 2012) -- A small group of military parents gathered March 26 at Meade Heights Elementary School for a workshop about services for children with autism and other disabilities.
Fort Meade's Exceptional Family Member Program and the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Division of Special Education sponsored the 90-minute workshop, which featured guest speakers from the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Infants and Toddlers Program and the Extended Care Health Option Program under TRICARE.
"It was excellent," said Kara Lawrence, wife of Maj. Joseph Lawrence who is stationed at Fort Meade.
The couple's 10-year-old son Calvin has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
"I'm really glad I came," Lawrence said.
Edward Feinberg, coordinator of preschool special education for the Anne Arundel County Infants and Toddlers Program, explained the services available to civilian and military children with developmental issues from birth through age 4.
Feinberg said the state provides a full range of family-centered and community-based services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to children with disabilities. The law addresses the educational needs of children with disabilities from birth to age 18 or 21.
Experts from the Infants and Toddlers Program evaluate children as young as 12 months old who have been referred by a pediatrician for delays in speech, motor skills or behavioral issues.
Feinberg said if a child is suspected of being on the autism spectrum, the staff usually visits the home to determine the extent of the disorder.
He said once children up to age 2 have been evaluated, the program provides a wide range of services, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis therapy in the home or in a classroom setting at Point Pleasant Elementary School in Glen Burnie.
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy has been successful for children with autism and other related disorders. It uses positive reinforcement to teach such basic skills as looking, listening and imitating as well as complex skills such as reading and conversing.
Feinberg said the focus for children ages 3 to 4 is school readiness and preparing them to attend a regular kindergarten, if possible.
Three-year-olds are often in enrolled in county schools with early childhood intervention programs such as West Meade Early Education Center on Fort Meade.
Some children attend a regular preschool and receive assistance in the classroom. For these children, teachers and therapists provide community-based services in the schools.
At age 4, children -- particularly those on the autism spectrum -- may receive assistance with social skills to help them integrate into the routine and rigor of regular kindergarten.
Chrissy Kohlhepp, president of Behavior Training Consultants, provides ABA board-certified therapists who work with children in the home or school.
LaTrice Davis, ECHO case coordinator for Health Net Federal Services, a managed care support contractor for TRICARE North Region, said ECHO provides supplemental services such as ABA therapy for active-duty family members enrolled in EFMP.
ECHO, said Davis, provides services for children diagnosed with mild to severe autism.
One military spouse, whose husband is an Army major, said the workshop was helpful because she learned how to ensure that the services her 3-year-old son with autism received in the Infants and Toddlers Program are carried over to his new elementary school.
"I feel so glad that I attended," she said.
Feinberg advised the spouse on how to work with the school principal to have her son's ABA therapist observe him in the classroom.
"That was music to my ears," she said.
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