Back to School...
A student's least favorite words and a parent's favorite. But if you have a child with epilepsy back to school can be a trying time for you and your child, so here's some tips to make the start of a new school year a little easier.
- Meet with your child's teacher(s) one on one. Keep the information that you give the teacher precise and relevant to your child. What the seizures will look like, how the teacher should respond, and any special attention that your child needs. This is not the time to tell the teacher everything that you know about epilepsy. Be sure to let the teacher know that you, or your local epilepsy organization are available to answer any further questions they may have.
- Follow up with the teacher. The first few weeks of school are extremely hectic for everyone involved so allow the teacher and your child some time to adjust. Then make an appointment to see the teacher and ask if he or she has any further questions about your child's disorder.
- Emphasize to the teacher that you want your child's educational experience to be as "normal" as possible. You don't want the teacher to be overprotective or exempt the child from things that they need to do or learn to feel part of their class, school and community.
- Make sure that the teacher and the administration are aware of what medication your child is taking, when they need to take it and how. Be sure to let the teacher know if your child's medications change.
- You may want to offer some concrete suggestions to the teacher to aid your child in the classroom:
- Depending on the age of the child – a "buddy system" might be a good idea. All the children in the class can be paired up so that they always have a partner to run errands, go to the washroom together and to make sure that the partner has all their homework and knows what is required of them.
- Suggest that the teacher repeat instructions carefully and clearly. If a child has multiple absence seizures in a day they may miss out on important instructions.
- Book a Kids on the Block or similar presentation from your local epilepsy organization for the other children in class so that they will know what to expect and be able to respond appropriately if your child has a seizure at school.
- Stay involved! It's a busy world these days, but talking to your child, to their teachers and principal will enable you to avoid many problems such as falling behind or behavior problems.
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