# Moving to Mallorca with special needs child



## RachMartin

Hi all

We are planning to move to Mallorca from UK in Jan 2012 as my husband has been offered work over there.
We have 2 young children aged 3 and 4 which we are quite confident will do well in a state school and hopefully pick up the language quickly (we have started teaching them Spanish already anyway) however our main concern is our 9 year old who currently attends a special school and has a statement of special needs, she has a form of cerebal palsy called hemiplegia which has weakened her right side so she currently receives physiotherapy. However she also has autism and learning difficulties and currently receives speech & language therapy.

My main question to you guys is.. does any one know if there are any special needs schools in Mallorca and if so how much would they cost??? She would need somewhere that speaks English to her - we would prefer to live in Palma or Calvia area however we would obviously consider any part of the island where the best school is for her.

If anyone thinks they can give any advice please reply to this post - I hope I am not doing the wrong thing taking her abroad as she receives great care in the UK - this is my only main concern of moving.

Also she is currently on daily medication for epilepsy - would she continue to receive this over there and would it be free of charge as she is a child or would we pay for that?

I know I have written a lot about her problems however to look at her she is just like any child and lives life to the full, just with delayed speech and limited mobility - the seizures are currently under control with her meds. She would greatly benefit from living in a warmer climate I feel, as well as our little two kids too!! 

Sorry for the long post!!! Please advise, Rach xx


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## Maimee

Cannot advise you on what facilities there are in Mallorca for children with special needs but I do know that generally children with difficulties are provided for quite well. Great idea to be teaching your children Spanish in preparation, bet they love practicing and showing off their new skills.

Good luck with finding things out.


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## Brangus

Sorry I can't answer your specific questions, but you could get in touch with Asociación de Padres de Niños Autistas de Baleares http://www.apnab.org/ and Asociación Parálisis Cerebral de Baleares ASPACE BALEARES . (I just Googled groups in Mallorca and don't know anything about them personally.)

Such organizations might give you leads on schools and therapists, or put you in touch with local English-speaking families. Unfortunately it can be difficult to reach people during the summer.

I do have a child with special needs myself, and we found contacting a local association to be quite helpful.


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## samoshack

RachMartin said:


> Hi all
> 
> We are planning to move to Mallorca from UK in Jan 2012 as my husband has been offered work over there.
> We have 2 young children aged 3 and 4 which we are quite confident will do well in a state school and hopefully pick up the language quickly (we have started teaching them Spanish already anyway) however our main concern is our 9 year old who currently attends a special school and has a statement of special needs, she has a form of cerebal palsy called hemiplegia which has weakened her right side so she currently receives physiotherapy. However she also has autism and learning difficulties and currently receives speech & language therapy.
> 
> My main question to you guys is.. does any one know if there are any special needs schools in Mallorca and if so how much would they cost??? She would need somewhere that speaks English to her - we would prefer to live in Palma or Calvia area however we would obviously consider any part of the island where the best school is for her.
> 
> If anyone thinks they can give any advice please reply to this post - I hope I am not doing the wrong thing taking her abroad as she receives great care in the UK - this is my only main concern of moving.
> 
> Also she is currently on daily medication for epilepsy - would she continue to receive this over there and would it be free of charge as she is a child or would we pay for that?
> 
> I know I have written a lot about her problems however to look at her she is just like any child and lives life to the full, just with delayed speech and limited mobility - the seizures are currently under control with her meds. She would greatly benefit from living in a warmer climate I feel, as well as our little two kids too!!
> 
> Sorry for the long post!!! Please advise, Rach xx



Hi Rach, my husband and i would really love to move to spain (just outside alicante) but my biggest concern is also my 9 year old son who is exactly the same as your daughter, he has right hemi, speach problems, visualy impaired and is on medication for his epilepsy he also has spilnts on both his legs.
I have been trying to find the answers to the same questions that you have asked but as yet not found the answers. I have managed to find a specail needs school but they are all spanish. my son wouldnt cope in a spanish speaking school as he struggles with english as it is.
if i manage to find out anything that might help you ill will let you know. we are also planning to move to spain in 2012, well thats the plan the now anyway but i will have to be 100% sure that my son is fully catered for as he has everything he needs here in the UK just without the sun..
Take care, Helen x x


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## jojo

I guess the best thing to do (when the schools are open again after the summer break) is to phone a few of them up and ask if they can accommodate your needs?? International schools are probably going to be more helpful for both you and your son cos of the obvious language issues. 

Schools in Spain | Nabss may help and some of the schools are open during the summer

Jo xxx


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## Alcalaina

Don't worry about the cost of medication though. Because your husband will be paying into the Spanish social security system the whole family will get free health care. All the medicines will be free or heavily subsidised.


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## Alcalaina

This might be of interest:



> Children With Special Needs
> 
> From primary school onwards, children experiencing learning difficulties may be able to get special assistance, either from specialist teachers in the school or specialists outside of the school, though not all schools are adapted to help children who need assistance. The Spanish government requires Spanish schools to attempt to educate special-needs children within mainstream schools if the facilities exist and schools are awarded grants if they have integration teachers (PT), speech therapists (Logopedia) and other specialists on the staff. English-language assistance is very uncommon and can be very difficult to find.
> 
> If a pupil has been assessed and been found to be in need of assistance, the child and parent may be sent to a Center for Special Needs (Centro de Valoración y Orientación de Discapacitados). At the centre, the child undergoes a variety of tests with a doctor and a social worker to determine the child's level of need. Once the tests are complete, the professionals evaluate the child and discuss results with the parent.
> 
> If a child is determined to have learning deficiencies of 33 percent or more then they are classified disabled. A grant will be given for treatment (including speech therapy, physiotherapy and other specialist assistance), help in school or placement in a special-needs school if the child's mainstream school is unable to provide the education required.
> 
> Re-assessments are made every few years to determine if the child is in need of additional (or less) assistance.


Education & Schooling in Spain - AngloINFO Balearics, in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza (Spain)


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## weetraveller

Hello! I have just posted something myself about special needs schools/ABA therapy in Mallorca - as my husband and I are also planning on moving out there in 2012/13. I know you posted a while ago, but did you have any luck finding schools etc?
I am an ABA consultant and therapist and work with kids with autism and speech/language delays. Oodles of experience (11 years) and doing my BCBA course so will be highly qualified prior to coming to Mallorca.. if anyone needs me, that is!  
Anyway, should you have any further info about services/schools for your daughter, I would love to know. And of course, if I can help (albeit from a distance, at this point!) please let me know too. I hope for your sake you have found something - the warm weather ALWAYS helps so I'm sure it would be a great move  

Take care,
Charlie


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## megash

weetraveller said:


> Hello! I have just posted something myself about special needs schools/ABA therapy in Mallorca - as my husband and I are also planning on moving out there in 2012/13. I know you posted a while ago, but did you have any luck finding schools etc?
> I am an ABA consultant and therapist and work with kids with autism and speech/language delays. Oodles of experience (11 years) and doing my BCBA course so will be highly qualified prior to coming to Mallorca.. if anyone needs me, that is!
> Anyway, should you have any further info about services/schools for your daughter, I would love to know. And of course, if I can help (albeit from a distance, at this point!) please let me know too. I hope for your sake you have found something - the warm weather ALWAYS helps so I'm sure it would be a great move
> 
> Take care,
> Charlie


Hi Charlie,

I'm wondering if you've found any job opportunities for an English-speaking BCBA? I'm also looking to move to Spain in the near future and would love to be able to continue with a career working with kids with autism.

Thanks!
Megan


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## xabiaxica

megash said:


> Hi Charlie,
> 
> I'm wondering if you've found any job opportunities for an English-speaking BCBA? I'm also looking to move to Spain in the near future and would love to be able to continue with a career working with kids with autism.
> 
> Thanks!
> Megan


:welcome:

are you a US citizen? your flag suggests so

you might like to check out the link in our 'useful links' thread which is stuck near the top of the forum, to find out what kind of visa you'll need/be eligible for


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## weetraveller

Hi -

No I didn't find any leads for work as a BCBA - or in the ABA field- in Mallorca. But I will continue to keep my eyes peeled!
I am a British citizen, and a US resident - so no worries about visa etc.


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