Managing Your Child's Health Issues

When your child has a health issue, it is absolutely essential that you and the school work together as a team. Here are some of the essentials you need to know to make that team work on behalf of your child.

Develop your own school management plan. Each medical issue carries with it its own set of "management" needs. For example, if your child has diabetes, you will need to outline your child's insulin schedule, eating plan, target range, and testing times, as well as how to recognize and treat blood sugar crises. The same type of detailed information-what personnel need to look for, what should be done, what follow-up is needed-should be completed for every health issue, from epilepsy to asthma.

Know who to tell. Clearly, the school nurse and classroom teacher need to be aware of your child's specific medical needs. Depending on your child's condition, other staff, including cafeteria workers, coaches, and playground supervisors, may also need to be kept in the loop so they can properly respond to a situation or help.

Keep up-to-date. Make sure that the medical information on file at your child's school is up-to-date. Ensure that all medical supplies needed are on-hand, both for routine monitoring (e.g., for diabetes) or emergency care (e.g., inhalers or Epi-pens). And work with the school nurse to make sure you are kept informed, well in advance, if any supplies need restocking.

Create an IEP. The same planning used for accommodating children with disabilities can be applied to children with medical issues. Work with the school to create a written plan, detailing the school's role in your child's care, noting any special accommodations the school may need to make.

• Get academic support: Make sure that teachers understand that your child may occasionally need to miss class because of his or her condition. Discuss how your child will make up for missed work.

• How to deal with curious classmates. Children are curious about anything that's out of the ordinary-and, when your child has a health issue, it is very likely that classmates will sense it. Role-play with your child to help him or her anticipate the types of questions others might ask and how best to answer them.

• It's not contagious. Once children know that your child didn't "catch" his or her condition, that it's under control, and that there's no way it can be passed on to other children, the topic usually loses its interest, allowing your child to blend back in with classmates.

Turn to the experts. Virtually every childhood condition or disease has an excellent advocacy organization, such as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation or Epilepsy Foundation, which offers educational materials targeted to school age children. If you feel it would be helpful to provide classmates with additional information, contact the organization and request materials to share with the class.

Be available. Be sure that the school nurse and teacher have your cell phone, home phone, or other contact information available, as well as the numbers of others who are qualified to act on your behalf in the case of an emergency.