Why do some schools not support the diabetic children? Many parents have had the experiences of being turned down by schools when they request for some help for their diabetic children. There was an assessment made on this issue and the verdict is in.
Most often parents are told that type 1 diabetes is not a special education need (SEN) and so the children who suffer from this are not eligible for support and funding for extra support when it comes to supervision with blood tests, insulin injections or staff specially trained to provide such assistance.
The two sides agree that diabetic children are not disabled. They do not have learning disabilities. But here is the crux of the matter. These children require help because of their medical needs. As such these children should be considered as special education need students.
The treatment of type 1 diabetes and the condition itself have such an impact on a child's health. It has such an effect on the child's cognitive ability and his capacity to learn. That is why the school should realize the fact that the officials have to understand diabetes and provide support so access to education will not be denied.
Anyway, authorities say that Special Education Needs has a legal definition. It really refers to children who are experiencing difficulties in learning. This fact makes it harder for them to obtain the education they need that are accessible to the other children in school. It is clear therefore that type 1 diabetic children fall under this category.
The findings on a survey conducted on this issue were released. The report is that thousands of families are suffering because of lack of support in schools for diabetic children. There is no training for school staff to help diabetic children manage their condition.
This puts children at risk. Schools reported that 70% of diabetic children cannot inject themselves with insulin. Their parents have to come to do it for them. This segregates children from school life and puts pressures on the families.
Diabetes UK, UK Children with Diabetes Advocacy Group and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation all worked together to conduct a survey. They called on the government and schools to develop effective policies to support diabetic children in schools.
They want all schools in England to work on a policy that will take into account a guide to work with teachers, school nurses, support staff, teachers and pediatric diabetes teams. There are some policies that are already successful but they are not specific enough and may be out of date.
The National Diabetes Audit reported that as many as 83% of children are not attaining the blood sugar levels that have been recommended. This puts them at risk for developing complications. This fact is certainly not acceptable and we‘re working hard to receive alerts.
You can join us to receive news alert about once a month on diabetes or get them in the website as well. See if you want to subscribe for free and then you can find out more about children’s diabetes in the School Section of the website or in the sitemap.
Some diabetic children are also not getting a full education. They are made not to participate in school field trips, sports and other extra curricular activities. As soon as the effective policies are put into practice, the children will be able to enjoy their childhood.
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