FORT DRUM, N.Y. (March 13, 2024) -- Some got messy, others stayed clean, but appearances really didn’t matter.
That’s because the goal of the Fort Drum Exceptional Family Member Program’s Sensory Workshop – besides taking home colorful paintings – was to shed light on a topic that affects families everywhere.
“I created this workshop to help parents and other community members learn a little bit more about sensory processing,” said Kimberly Lawton, EFMP system navigator. “Every child processes things in their minds differently, which can cause behavioral meltdowns. We want parents to have a better understanding about where these behaviors are coming from and what we can do at home to help them.”
Each month, a different type of sensory processing, such as visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory and taste, is discussed while families work on an associated sensory project. The March 1 workshop at the Enrichment Center featured a rainbow fingerpainting activity to explain tactile sensory.
“When we talk about sensory processing, some children can become overstimulated very easily by one or more types,” Lawton said. “Too much sensory (input) coming through their body from their environment can be overstimulating, causing them to act out or behave in a kind of negative way. It’s them telling us there is too much going on and they need a break from it.”
When children are overly sensitive to the sensory stimuli in their environment, they may shy away or avoid things.
“If a child isn’t really participating too much, they may just need less stimulation in their environment,” Lawton said.
Sometimes, adults attending the workshop may associate their own sensory processes with their children.
“They might say, ‘Hey, that sounds like what I kind of go through, myself,’” Lawton said. “So, we can talk about how sensory (stimuli) can affect adults, and how that can stem down to their children. And we come up with different ways to accommodate those sensory needs at home, so they have an idea of what to do with their kiddos when they’re behaving in certain ways and how to help them.”
Lawton said she isn’t an occupational therapist, but the information she shares with community members comes from her educational background and experiences working with children at child development centers.
“That’s where I began seeing a need for knowledge about sensory processing and how it affects children in CDCs and classrooms,” she said. “So, I encourage professionals to come to these workshops – teachers and anyone who works with children.”
Sharon Chaple, EFMP manager, said they want to work more with Child and Youth Services and school liaison officers on post about sharing information with community members and informing them about the family support component of EFMP.
“A lot of times parents avoid using programs available at Fort Drum or outside post because of their child’s behavior or sensitivity,” Chaple said. “They’ll say, ‘I didn’t want to come to this event’ or ‘I didn’t want to put him or her in that group because they’ll act up.’ But that’s what our programs are for. They can be very helpful for children to develop social skills before they go into the school system.”
One such program is the EFMP Sensory-Friendly Playgroup, which meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and from 2 to 3:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the Soldier and Family Readiness Center. It is open to all military families with children ages 5 and younger.
“Parents will come, and they'll say ‘Well, I'm glad I came’, but as soon as the child gets upset or acts up in the playgroup, they think, ‘Oh, we're going to go,’” Chaple said. “No, we don't want you to go. We want you to stay and let them learn from interacting in this environment.”
Lawton said that families who return to the playgroup weekly reap other benefits.
“We love seeing parents making connections with each other too, just as the kids are getting used to playing together,” she said. “It’s all about consistency, gradually building those relationship, creating friendships and building a community.”
Chaple said the sensory workshops and playgroups can also help families discover other resources available through EFMP and the Soldier and Family Readiness Division. All in-processing Soldiers are briefed about the program when first arriving at Fort Drum, but she wants to explore more ways to get families involved.
“We explain how we are here for families who have any form of special needs or conditions,” Chaple said. “Whether it may be educational, physical, or medical concerns, we want to make sure their needs will be met.”
An exceptional family member (EFM) can be any dependent – spouse, son, daughter, mother, father, for example – with any physical, emotional, developmental, or intellectual disorder that requires special treatment, education, or counseling.
Chaple said a major misconception regarding EFMP is that it can adversely affect career advancement or assignments.
“People may think that enrolling in EFMP means they won’t get to go to the duty station they wanted,” she said. “Well, that’s not true. EFMP is not going to stop you from going. If your rank or your job requires you to go to that duty station, we are not going to say you can’t go. But we are going to give you the information you need to make decisions about that duty station.”
EFMP system navigators, like Lawton, assist families with locating the professional services their EFMs need at their duty station. They find out whether a particular service is available on post, in the general area, or if it requires extensive travel.
For example, a family at Fort Drum may need to see a specialist an hour away in Syracuse or three hours away in Buffalo. That would be manageable if appointments are required monthly or annually, but more routine visits may complicate matters.
“Part of my job is to coordinate between the different installations and contact their EFMP system navigators,” Lawton said. “If a Soldier is due to PCS (make a permanent-change-of-station move) to another duty station in six month and has concerns about services there, I can make that initial contact and get all the information to see if it is a good fit or if they might need to be reassigned.”
Lawton said making informed decisions can avoid extra relocation moves and requests for compassionate reassignments.
“We really like to get that message out there that family support is here to help you figure all that out,” she said. “If you have an EFM and you know what services they need, and you have a selection of duty stations, come to the SFRC and let us help go through all the options and different scenarios.”
The Army introduced EFMP in 1979, and Chaple said she has seen many improvements to the program in her 30-year career. She said the addition of respite care has helped to reduce stress and increase family stability.
“The Army provides up to 25 hours of respite care per month to an EFM and the respite care provider will come to the family’s home,” Chaple said. “The primary caregiver will interview the provider and make sure they are a good fit for the EFM and the family.”
In 2022, the Army launched a new digital platform to streamline care for families called E-EFMP. The system enables easier access to information and automatically transfers data with the Soldiers and their families throughout their Army careers.
“There’s been a lot of improvements with EFMP,” Chaple said. “But we just need to get Soldiers to understand that this is a vital Army program, and it’s a great and necessary program for Soldiers and families to be a part of the community and show them they are not alone.”
The next Sensory Workshop is scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 1 at the Enrichment Center. Families can register by calling (315) 772-0664 or 772-5476. Fort Drum EFMP also will host free Family Bowling from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. April 25 at Pine Plains Bowling Center.
The Fort Drum EFMP Office is located inside the Soldier and Family Readiness Center, Bldg. 10250 on 4th Armored Division Drive. For more information, call (315) 772-5476, visit https://home.army.mil/drum/about/Garrison/directorate-human-resources/soldier-and-family-readiness-division-sfrd/SFRC/exceptional-family-member-program-efmp or follow www.facebook.com/FortDrumEFMP.
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