Holly
09-21-2007, 07:15 PM
Preparing the School for Your Child With Spina Bifida
From Terri Mauro, Your Guide to Parenting Special Needs.
Teachers can be great allies in keeping your child with spina bifida safe and successful in school, but you'll need to make sure they have all the knowledge they need to help. Use these suggestions to create a information packet to bring educators up to speed.
Five Things Teachers Need to Know
1. Please be mindful of things in your classroom or school that present mobility problems for my child. Remove or rearrange anything that might keep her from getting around safely and easily.
2. If there will be any sort of change in my child's classroom or routine, please notify me as far in advance as possible so that we can all work together in preparing him for it.
3. It's okay to let my child's classmates know about her condition as long as it is done in an appropriate way; I'd be happy to help prepare a program.
4. My child has a serious health condition, but he is still a child with ordinary interests and hopes and dreams. Please help us keep his life as normal as possible.
5. Please keep the lines of communication open between our home and the school. My child needs all the adults in her life working together.
Educational Implications
[The following is excerpted from Spina Bifida, a publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Fact Sheet 12, January 2004.]
Although spina bifida is relatively common, until recently most children born with a myelomeningocele died shortly after birth. Now that surgery to drain spinal fluid and protect children against hydrocephalus can be performed in the first 48 hours of life, children with myelomeningocele are much more likely to live. Quite often, however, they must have a series of operations throughout their childhood. School programs should be flexible to accommodate these special needs.
Many children with myelomeningocele need training to learn to manage their bowel and bladder functions. Some require catheterization, or the insertion of a tube to permit passage of urine.
The courts have held that clean, intermittent catheterization is necessary to help the child benefit from and have access to special education and related services. A successful bladder management program can be incorporated into the regular school day. Many children learn to catheterize themselves at a very early age.
In some cases, children with spina bifida who also have a history of hydrocephalus experience learning problems. They may have difficulty with paying attention, expressing or understanding language, and grasping reading and math. Early intervention with children who experience learning problems can help considerably to prepare them for school.
Successful integration of a child with spina bifida into school sometimes requires changes in school equipment or the curriculum. In adapting the school setting for the child with spina bifida, architectural factors should be considered. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that programs receiving federal funds make their facilities accessible. This can occur through structural changes (for example, adding elevators or ramps) or through schedule or location changes (for example, offering a course on the ground floor).
Children with myelomeningocele need to learn mobility skills, and often require the aid of crutches, braces, or wheelchairs. It is important that all members of the school team and the parents understand the child's physical capabilities and limitations. Physical disabilities like spina bifida can have profound effects on a child's emotional and social development. To promote personal growth, families and teachers should encourage children, within the limits of safety and health, to be independent and to participate in activities with their nondisabled classmates.
From Terri Mauro, Your Guide to Parenting Special Needs.
Teachers can be great allies in keeping your child with spina bifida safe and successful in school, but you'll need to make sure they have all the knowledge they need to help. Use these suggestions to create a information packet to bring educators up to speed.
Five Things Teachers Need to Know
1. Please be mindful of things in your classroom or school that present mobility problems for my child. Remove or rearrange anything that might keep her from getting around safely and easily.
2. If there will be any sort of change in my child's classroom or routine, please notify me as far in advance as possible so that we can all work together in preparing him for it.
3. It's okay to let my child's classmates know about her condition as long as it is done in an appropriate way; I'd be happy to help prepare a program.
4. My child has a serious health condition, but he is still a child with ordinary interests and hopes and dreams. Please help us keep his life as normal as possible.
5. Please keep the lines of communication open between our home and the school. My child needs all the adults in her life working together.
Educational Implications
[The following is excerpted from Spina Bifida, a publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Fact Sheet 12, January 2004.]
Although spina bifida is relatively common, until recently most children born with a myelomeningocele died shortly after birth. Now that surgery to drain spinal fluid and protect children against hydrocephalus can be performed in the first 48 hours of life, children with myelomeningocele are much more likely to live. Quite often, however, they must have a series of operations throughout their childhood. School programs should be flexible to accommodate these special needs.
Many children with myelomeningocele need training to learn to manage their bowel and bladder functions. Some require catheterization, or the insertion of a tube to permit passage of urine.
The courts have held that clean, intermittent catheterization is necessary to help the child benefit from and have access to special education and related services. A successful bladder management program can be incorporated into the regular school day. Many children learn to catheterize themselves at a very early age.
In some cases, children with spina bifida who also have a history of hydrocephalus experience learning problems. They may have difficulty with paying attention, expressing or understanding language, and grasping reading and math. Early intervention with children who experience learning problems can help considerably to prepare them for school.
Successful integration of a child with spina bifida into school sometimes requires changes in school equipment or the curriculum. In adapting the school setting for the child with spina bifida, architectural factors should be considered. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that programs receiving federal funds make their facilities accessible. This can occur through structural changes (for example, adding elevators or ramps) or through schedule or location changes (for example, offering a course on the ground floor).
Children with myelomeningocele need to learn mobility skills, and often require the aid of crutches, braces, or wheelchairs. It is important that all members of the school team and the parents understand the child's physical capabilities and limitations. Physical disabilities like spina bifida can have profound effects on a child's emotional and social development. To promote personal growth, families and teachers should encourage children, within the limits of safety and health, to be independent and to participate in activities with their nondisabled classmates.