My Child Has a Chronic Illness and Is Missing a Lot of School by Nancy Downing |
| Q: My daughter is in elementary school. She has been diagnosed with a chronic illness and will be missing a lot of school this year. Do you have any suggestions to how we need to handle this with the school? A: First, I want to let you know that you and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Second, ask for a meeting with your daughter’s teacher, the nurse, the counselor, and if possible the principal. During the conference explain her health issues. You and the school can work out a plan of action for when she has to miss long periods of school and how she needs to be accommodated when attending school. It would be a good idea to have the school put the final plan on a conference form that all participants sign. The form will be a good reference all parties can use in the future. Finally, you might ask the teacher if during your daughter’s absences she and the class could write letters to each other either on paper or through email. It will help all involved with the ever important writing skills, not to mention the fact that your daughter will feel connected with the class when absent. Video tape special class activities or projects and your daughter can be video taped adding to these. Try to be creative with ideas on how to keep your daughter feeling a part of the class and trying to keep up with the academics. Please keep me posted on your daughter’s school year. Copyright 2008 Nancy Downing. All rights reserved. |
Nancy has been an educator for 30 years and is currently a special education teacher.
She is the former Center Director of LearningRx in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has
received local, state, and national recognition for her development of Downfeld
Phonics, a multi-sensory reading program. Nancy also wrote curriculum for an
educational technology company.
Nancy is a single mother of three children: one with learning differences, one gifted,
and one who has to work for his grades. Not only does she know what it is like to teach
all these different learning styles at school, but she has the experience of dealing with
all aspects of each twenty-four seven.
She is the former Center Director of LearningRx in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has
received local, state, and national recognition for her development of Downfeld
Phonics, a multi-sensory reading program. Nancy also wrote curriculum for an
educational technology company.
Nancy is a single mother of three children: one with learning differences, one gifted,
and one who has to work for his grades. Not only does she know what it is like to teach
all these different learning styles at school, but she has the experience of dealing with
all aspects of each twenty-four seven.
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