Workshop for parents, professionals working with special needs kids

A nationally recognized training workshop will be offered free of charge to parents and professionals from Hill Air Force Base who work with or are parents of children with special needs. The Specialized Training of Military Parents workshop will be held Oct. 26-28 in the Education Building 385, Room 208. The workshop offered Oct. 26 will be open to educators and other professionals working with special needs children and will be held from 8:30 a.m. until noon. The next two days offer full-day workshops for parents as well as educators and professionals, and is offered from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

"The first day is a half-day training for professionals and the workshops will discuss partnerships and communication between the schools and the military," said Judith Maughan, 75th Force Support Squadron Educations Programs officer. "It will also identify some of the unique needs these students and families have.

"The second and third days are for parents of children that are in special education and receive (Section) 504 (of the Rehabilitation Act)."

Topics discussed during the workshops will include federal and state laws regarding the education of students with disabilities, the Individualized Education Program processes, why typical military wills and guardianship do not apply in certain areas, along with many other topics.

At the end of the workshop, Maughan says participants will receive "lots of knowhow, a certificate and lots of references."

"(Parents) will have an opportunity to learn the laws and regulations concerning children born with special needs," she added. "They will understand how to (make a permanent change of station) while keeping the same service from state to state. This will be a great opportunity to network and will teach how to communicate with professionals, educators and parents."

Maughan says this is the first, and perhaps only, time this national training has been offered in Utah. The STOMP project is nationally recognized for its skill and knowledge regarding services and programs for exceptional family members and has provided this training at military installations worldwide.

This workshop is being offered in conjunction with the Year of the Air Force Family, an Air Force-level program that serves to highlight the many successful programs already in place and to inform Airmen and their families of the development of new programs, unveiling them between now and July of 2010.

"The Airman and Family Readiness Center has been designated as the (point of contact) for parents of special needs families," Maughan said. "This is a great conference helping to educate both the AFRC staff and parents."

To register for this specialized training, contact Maughan at (801) 775-5960.