Helpful Links for Parents, Teachers, and Students
Brain Injury Partners: Navigating the School System
http://free.braininjurypartners.com/
When Chronic Illness Goes to School
By Joan Fleitas, Ed.D., R.N., Fairfield University
http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/faculty/jfleitas/bandaides/chronica.html
Written by an Associate Professor of Nursing at Fairfield University, this site is a primer for working with children with chronic illness. It provides a brief overview of many different areas, including school response to episodic behavior resulting from a specific chronic illness, legal aspects surrounding the education of the chronically ill, as well as resources for parents and educators having to deal with a chronically ill child. It provides a medical perspective on what symptoms an educator would need to look for in a child with a chronic illness and what modifications may need to be implemented as a result.
Psychopharmacologic Medication: What Teachers Need to Know
By Steven R. Forness, Dwight P. Sweeney, Kathy Toy, Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
http://cecp.air.org/interact/authoronline/june97/meds.html
Given the fact that so many children in the public school system are now using some type of medication, it is necessary to understand what the impact of those medications might be on a child in the learning environment. This article discusses the potential uses and abuses of psychopharmacologic medication with children displaying some type of learning, emotional, or behavioral disorder. It examines the indications and contraindications of such medications and lists the known side effects of the most frequently prescribed medications. This is an incredible resource for any educator who wants to find out if their student is truly responsible for the “acting out” which is taking place in the classroom.
Educating Children with Chronic Illness
By Ann G. Bessell, PhD
http://www.kidneyadvocacy.50megs.com/custom2.html
Ann G. Bessell, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the School of Education, Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami, FL. She is an expert in the area of dealing with children with chronic illness, not just because she has studied in the field but because she has lived it. Her son, Jonathan, was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 11 and many of her challenges with her son came from the lack of understanding in the school system. Dr. Bessell shares this story along with suggestions for classroom activities and strategies for families in advocating for their child and dealing with the school system.
Students with Chronic Illnesses: Guidance for Families, Schools, and Students
By the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/asthma/guidfam.pdf
This guide from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute delineates what the responsibilities of the involved parties are when dealing with a child with chronic illness in the school system. Guidelines are provided for: (1) the family, (2) the school district, (3) the school, and (4) the student and a team approach to the successful delivery of instruction is encouraged. The guidelines were compiled with and endorsed by the American Diabetes Foundation, the American School Health Association, the Epilepsy Foundation, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, and the National School Boards Association.
Bandaides and Blackboards
http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/faculty/jfleitas/bandaides/
Bandaides and Blackboards was created to help children, teenagers, and parents deal with chronic illness. It is divided into different “frog ponds” to read stories about other children and their experiences in the hospital, in school, at home, and any other place in which they have to deal with their chronic illness. Designed to be a support network for all those affected by chronic illness, there is even a section for the siblings of sick children. It includes poems, art, essays, photos, and videos. It talks about what happens during hospital visits. Finally, it also includes classroom activities for teachers who have chronically ill students and tips from the experts – the kids themselves.
Awareness of Chronic Health Conditions: What the Teacher Should Know
By the British Columbia Ministry of Education
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/awareness/
Posted by the Government of British Columbia’s Ministry of Education as a help for teachers, this site provides useful information on most chronic illnesses. Due to the fact that children spend the majority of their week in school and early detection of disease can help in their management, this site helps teachers help families determine if a child may need testing of some sort. From allergies to Tourette’s Syndrome, the site gives steps to determine if a child has a given illness, classroom strategies for a child with a given disease, and relevant contacts for the teacher.
Teaching Students with Unseen Disabilities (Medical Conditions)
By the University of Sheffield
http://www.shef.ac.uk/disability/teaching/unseen
Whereas many disabling conditions are noticeable at first glance, there are many – such as diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, cancer, Crohn's Disease, and cystic fibrosis – which go unnoticed if no information was provided by those directly affected by the given disease. Maintained as a help to the teachers at the University of Sheffield, its authors point out that 46% of those people at their school who declared a disability had “unseen” (or “invisible”) disabilities which would not be readily noticeable to the average observer. The site provides information on unseen disability definitions, facts and figures, information about educational support, examples of coping strategies, confidentiality issues, teaching strategies, links for further reading, and necessary contacts.
Teaching Students with Disabilities
By the University of California at Berkeley
http://dsp.berkeley.edu/TeachStudentsWithDisab.html
Operated by the Disabled Students' Program at the University of California at Berkeley, this site sets forth the responsibilities of instructors and students when those students are affected by a chronic illness. General suggestions on teaching students with disabilities are given, with particular focus on students with chronic illness or pain, learning disabilities, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, limited manual dexterity, mobility impairments, psychological disabilities, speech impairments, visual disabilities, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Finally, the site also provides resources for teachers to teach students with chronic illnesses in alternate formats.
Crossings: A Manual for Transition of Chronically Ill Youth to Adult Health Care
By Suzanne Bronheim, Ph.D., Stanley Fiel, M.D., Daniel Schidlow, M.D., Phyllis MaGrab, Ph.D., Kathleen Boczar, R.N.C., M.S., Cindy Dillon, R.N., M.S.
http://hctransitions.ichp.edu/CrossingsPDFs/Crossings.pdf
Supported through a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the Promising Practices in Health Care Transition Project is a research and training activity of the Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida. While the majority of the text deals with transitioning chronically ill children into adult care models and facilities, this website contains good information on how to educate and train individuals who will be working with a chronically ill individual. Setting forth a team model of care, many individuals are brought in to provide a holistic approach to the care of a maturing individual with chronic illness and those individuals must know how to approach the educational, financial, emotional, social, and other aspects of individual growth.
Advocating for your child at school- services for special needs children
http://www.aacap.org/publicati
Advocating for educational services appropriate for your child from AboutOurKids.org
http://www.aboutourkids.org/files/articles/english_parent_letter_feb_06.pdf
http://www.aboutourkids.org/files/articles/spanish_parent_letter_feb_06.pdf
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