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| Supporting Students with SCD |
No one
wants their kid with sickle cell disease to develop frequent pain episodes, especially
for avoidable reasons. However, pain crises are a common health problem among
SCD patients. Without enough SCD management education given to teachers, nurses
and administrators, students will suffer from preventable pain episodes and
other health complications.
Below
are tips schools can implement to support SCD students:
1. Allow enough access to drinking water
Many people
underestimate the health benefits of hydration in general. Hydration is even
more important to people with SCD because it prevents many health problems,
including pain crises. That’s why schools need to have unlimited water supply during
every school day. Frequent but small amounts of water or fluid are better.
Thus, schools can allow access to a bottle of water in class.
2. Guard against extreme temperatures and conditions.
To protect
students with SCD from cold or hot weather, which can trigger pain episodes,
school policies should restrict them from being in locations with extreme
temperatures. Good examples are: under AC vents and directly in front of fans. Permit
layered clothing and jackets when it’s cold.
3. Introduce a special pass for frequent bathroom breaks
Frequent
bathroom breaks are necessary because children with SCD often release large
amounts of dilute urine even after hydration. So, schools need to relax
bathroom break restrictions for students with SCD by giving them a special
bathroom pass. This type of pass limits the usual disruption and distraction
students usually provoke when they ask for permission to exit the classroom.
4. Learn about the special care needed for injuries
Know that
applying a cold pack to an injury on someone with SCD is an absolute NO! For
other students, standard first aid measures are generally safe. Good examples
of measured first aid measures teachers can administer on children with SCD
include applying direct pressure in case of bleeding, ace bandage wrapping and elevating
a hurt limb. For severe injuries, call for a medical emergency.
4. Create less strenuous roles during
physical education
and recess activities
Participating
even in moderate exercise such as swimming, running, jumping and bike riding
can be unsafe for many people with SCD. To remedy this, teachers may modify
curricula to allow such students to participate in physical education in less strenuous
roles such as “assistant,” scorekeeper,” or “umpire.” Teachers should ask parents
of these kids the level of activity their children can tolerate and incorporate
frequent water breaks and extra layers of clothing against cold and vice versa.
5. Watch out for signs of stroke
Many
children with SCD develop stroke early on in their school years. This may
render learning difficult for them due to the blockage of brain blood vessels, which
may cause brain damage.
The
unfortunate thing is, strokes that affect a small portion of the brain may be
difficult to detect. Teachers should
look for possible signs of stroke in children. They include academic decline, attention
deficit, mild delays in vocabulary development and difficulties with
organization. Teachers should notify doctors for formal neurocognitive and
educational testing when they notice such changes.
6. Schools should maintain open
communication with parents
It’s fundamental for teachers to maintain regular contact and open
communication with parents of students with SCD or other chronic diseases. This
can take the form of phone calls, notes, e-mail, or conferences to talk about the
student’s performance and well-being both in school and at home.
Sickle cell
disease is a chronic disease whose complications can be deadly if managed poorly.
No wonder schools need these tips to handle students with SCD better and
minimize pain episodes and improve academic and other performances. Most
importantly, an excellent rapport among teachers, nurses, doctors and parents
of children with SCD is fundamental.
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