School, Crohn's Disease and your child.

In this article I hope to help you with the problems children with Crohn's have in attending school. There is plenty of stress out there today for a child, with out the extra added pressure that an illness can cause.

So you have a child starting school this year and what will she/he do when that bathroom urge comes around? Here are some tips for getting control of that area of your life.

Speak to the principal of the school. Make sure he knows about your child's condition and the need for bathroom usage. Make sure he is aware of the medications and the side effects of these medications. There is nothing worse than someone saying "What does that have to do with Crohn's Disease?".

Talk to your child's teachers. Make sure the child will be allowed to get up and leave the classroom without permission from the teacher. If you child is able to get up and exit the class without disrupting the entire class it will be much easier for them. Make sure there seat is near the door so they do not have to cross in front of the entire class room to exit the room.

Keep a note in the child's back pack in case of a substitute teacher is present. Talk to the school nurse so she can become familiar with your child and know what her needs through the day may be. It is a good idea to keep an extra change of clothes in the nurses office, so if your child does have an accident in school it will be easy for her/him to change clothing and feel more secure. Having a long sweater handy that can be tied around the waste in times of need is a good idea.

Now that we have the teachers taken care of, what about your child's friends? What should they tell there friends? Always encourage your child to be open and honest, other children can be very understanding and you will find that most will care and want to help in any way they can.

You child does not need to feel the obligation of trying to explain his/her disease to other children. Just tell them to answer there questions as honestly as possible. There is not need to go into further detail, just answer the questions they ask.

What about camps, and sports, and recess? Well here are some tips in these areas. Camp is a pretty easy one if you approach it logically. Plan ahead. Talk to the camp counselors and make sure your child gets a tent or cabin

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic