Julie Northrop is a master at the art of relocating. Her family has had to move several times in the past few years, most recently from Surprise, AZ to Anchorage, AK - a 4,000 mile trek. Her son, Joshua, age 12, has attended three different schools in the past two years alone, which would be a major undertaking for any child, but is especially daunting for Joshua because of his special needs including juvenile arthritis, as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and signs of dyslexia.

Strategies to Support Your Child’s Learning Style

In each new school, Julie must make sure that the teachers and administrators understand Joshua’s physical challenges and learning style. Here’s how she has helped to smooth the moving journey for her son with special needs.

Organize medical and school records beforehand. In addition to the general information that schools request, such as vaccination and dental records, Julie made lists of Joshua’s doctors, diagnoses, prescriptions and classroom accommodations as mandated by his Individualized Education Plan (IEP). “Since Joshua has a medical condition that can flare up without warning, we had to be prepared in case we wound up in the ER on the way to Alaska,” she says. Regardless of your child’s issue, she recommends getting letters from your current doctors and therapists explaining your child’s conditions and how they affect him or her at home and school. She stashed the lists, letters, IEP and other pertinent records in a plastic file box that she toted along on the drive to Alaska. You can also scan the documents and save them electronically through private servers such as me.com, Google Docs or Box.net.

Travel with your medications.  If your child is on medication, stock up in advance, so that you don’t run out in transit or have to scramble once you reach your new home.  Julie’s Arizona pediatrician arranged for a 90-day supply of all of Joshua’s medications so that she wouldn’t have to worry about refilling them for a while. Since Joshua’s arthritis drug, Enbrel, must be refrigerated, Julie stored it in a cooler filled with ice en route to Alaska, so that it was always close at hand. Several mobile aps can also assist you in tracking your child’s medications including Pillbox and Pill Tracker.

Line up new doctors. Find a new primary care physician first, advises Julie, because most insurance companies require a referral to a specialist. Julie found a great pediatrician through friends and relatives already living in Anchorage. Her pediatrician then connected her to a wonderful rheumatologist.

Educate the school. Familiarize the staff at your child’s new school about your child and his or her conditions. Long before the move, Julie contacted the school’s special education department in order to review Joshua’s accommodations with the staff. Then, at the beginning of the school year, she emailed all of his teachers to inform them about his arthritis, learning disabilities and need for extended time on tests and adaptive physical education.  On the first day of class, she sent in pamphlets explaining more about juvenile arthritis. She also gave the teachers a heads up on things to expect in the classroom. “I told them that because the arthritis makes him stiff, Joshua might have to get up and stretch his legs,” Julie says. She reminded his gym teacher that Joshua may not have the strength and stamina for push-ups or mile runs around the track, so modified exercises should be substituted. “The more information that you can give to the teachers, the less likely they will be to say that your child is lazy or not trying,” she says.

Connect with other families. To help Joshua make friends in his new town, Julie looked up the local Arthritis Foundation, which sponsors family nights. Through these family nights, Joshua met a boy his age and Julie was able to meet other parents as well. “Tap into the non-profit organizations and special interest groups in your neighborhood,” recommends Julie.  “They often have cool resources and events that can ease your child’s transition, and show him that he’s not alone in his challenges.” You can also find families online through local Yahoo groups or AbilityPath.org.