CoVid-19 and Epilepsy

According to the CDC, people with neurological conditions, including seizure disorders and epilepsy, may be at higher risk for developing more severe symptoms from the novel coronavirus that has become a global pandemic in the last several weeks. 

The CDC recommends that people practice several precautions to mitigate the spread of CoVid-19 and keep ourselves safe:

• Frequent hand washing
• Covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
• Social distancing or voluntary self-quarantine. 

We don't know if this virus is going to get worse or not, but immunologists think that it could unless we take these sorts of precautions. 

Memes and Facebook banter are going around about the hoarding behavior Americans are displaying in overstocking on needed supplies and stealing supplies from hospitals etc. 

Schools all over the United States are closing down to help prevent the spread of the virus. Parents are finding themselves short on daycare or out of work, and people are scared. We are all going to have to endure being uncomfortable as we wait and see what this virus is going to do. 

If your school hasn't closed yet, you may be next. For many of us, homeschool or e-learning is a reality. The community and business leaders are coming together to come up with innovative solutions to help offset the negative consequences of school closures, such as free meals and internet access. 

Several companies are offering free internet services to students and low-income families: 

• Verizon is offering new customers its Internet Essentials bundle free for two months due to the coronavirus outbreak. 
• Spectrum Broadband is offering free internet for 60 days to new customers with K-12 students or college students. 
• AT&T and Verizon are waiving fees for their customers during the outbreak. 
• AT&T is also waiving data overage fees. 

School districts and families are scrambling to gather resources for e-learning and homeschooling, as many districts have indicated they don't know when classes will resume. 

Many Educational Companies are offering free services during this CoVid-19 outbreak: 

• Storylineonline.net is offering free literacy programs where actors read to children. 
• Fluency and Fitness is offering parents free access to their library of educational fitness videos. 
• Neuropsychology and Education for Children and Adolescents shared a daily schedule that is great to help families get through the next few weeks. 
• This google doc is floating around detailing more educational companies offering free programs for parents and schools during the coronavirus outbreak. 

It's going to be tough, and we would rather overreact than underreact. Some of our epileptic friends and family may be a higher risk for more severe cases of CoVid-19. Let's play our part to keep them safe and stay home if we can. 

-Abby, Guest Blogger

Do substitute teachers need medical info about students?

Do substitute teachers need medical information for the individual students?

This question recently became a reality for me as I handled a medical emergency in class while subbing in a 5th-grade math classroom.

Last week, a student had a seizure in my classroom. I was not aware of her seizure disorder and that seizures had been occurring more frequently in school. I would have loved to be more prepared for the possibility of her having a seizure in class.

Am I entitled to that information as a substitute teacher?

As a parent of a student with a seizure disorder, I would be upset if the adults in charge of my kid were not made aware of her potential to have a seizure in class. Her medical information ought to be provided to subs if the potential for it to affect their classroom exists.

I was subbing in a 5th-grade math classroom. During independent practice work time, I was assisting a group of students, and all of a sudden, several students came and got me. A student in my class was having a prolonged absence seizure. Thankfully for that student and me, I have experience with that type of seizure because of my daughter.  I am proud of how her peers knew about her condition, reacted to the situation correctly, and got her help when she needed it. My concern, though, is what if she were with a sub who did not have experience with absence seizures. What if the sub felt she was being defiant or having a fit?

This student was unresponsive, but her eyes were open, and her arms crossed as if she were protesting something. After making her safe and sending students for another classroom teacher to help, we were able to call the nurses and principals down and get her the medical attention that she needed.

Despite my experience with seizures, I was overwhelmed by the experience, and it took me about 30 minutes to calm myself down. Not only was this my first classroom emergency, but I was not aware that this child had a seizure disorder.

I later found out that this student has been having seizures in school more frequently and had two in school the week prior. While I understand privacy requirements, as a substitute teacher in her classroom, this information would have been beneficial for me to keep an eye on this student while she was in my class.

This situation made me wonder about the guidelines for providing substitutes with pertinent medical information about students.

I have been in schools where this information is available in the sub binder regarding individual students with medical and behavioral needs. Teachers don't consistently provide this information to subs. Information regarding a student's seizure disorder was not provided to me as a sub when it was needed. To me, this is a problem.

As parents, how do we make sure our kids' pertinent information is provided to the adults in charge when they need it? 

-Abby, Guest Blogger

Teachers Are Not Aware That She Has Epilepsy

In addition to freelance writing, I work part-time as a substitute teacher in my kids' school. I have a background in education, but I chose not to teach full-time, in part because of my child with epilepsy. I need to be available to her in an emergency. Substitute teaching allows me to stay involved in education and have a flexible schedule for my kids. My son is in kindergarten, and my daughter is in first grade.

Teachers don't always like it when parents substitute teach, and I can understand that. Any person with any bachelor's degree can obtain a subbing license, and parents don't always make the best subs. My background in education puts me at an advantage. I know how to teach.  I've developed a reputation for being a qualified sub in the building, and I think they like me.

Telling People She Has Epilepsy

I was recently subbing in kindergarten for my son's class. One other kindergarten teacher and I were discussing our kids while at recess duty. My daughter went through kindergarten last year, and this teacher was shocked to find out that my daughter has epilepsy.  I was surprised by this for a couple of reasons.

First, the kindergarten teachers work very closely together. The teachers create lesson plans together and get to know the entire kindergarten team, not just their own classes. Last year, my daughter's teacher knew that she has epilepsy, but it turned out the rest of the kindergarten team wasn't aware. I found myself concerned that if my child had a seizure in the presence of one of these other teachers, that they would not be able to handle seizure protocol.

Absence Seizures Don't Look Like Seizures

My other concern involves my daughter's behavior in school. Absence seizures are often misdiagnosed as ADHD. Frequent staring spells can look like absent-mindedness or not paying attention. Should another teacher see my daughter staring off in the hallways, would she be disciplined rather than helped?

Should I Change my Approach With School Staff?

My interactions with this teacher made me reconsider my entire approach when it comes to my daughter's epilepsy and school. The nurse reassures me every year that the necessary adults with be made aware of her medical needs and seizure protocol. Perhaps that doesn't include the entire team of teachers in her grade.

It would comfort me to know that all of the teachers in her grade were aware of her medical needs. They need to know for field trips, recess duty, and even for times when the classes switch around to other classrooms.

I need to develop a plan to provide information to all of the teachers she interacts with daily, and even those she doesn't.

If all goes as planned, next year we will be trying to wean her off of her seizure medication to see if her seizures return. It will be especially crucial for teachers to be able to let us know if they see anything that resembles an absence seizure.

So, it looks like I will be working on a plan to provide information and materials to the second-grade team. Luckily for me, my friend Vikki has written a book with tons of resources for parents when dealing with schools and epilepsy. 

What kinds of conversations have you had with school staff regarding your child's epilepsy? 

-Abby, Guest Blogger

Teaching Children with Epilepsy

During my teacher training, we learned teaching strategies for students with special needs. We became quite fluent in the 13 disability categories. Those 13 disability categories do not explicitly list epilepsy, but epilepsy can affect your child's learning.

Special Education teachers receive much more in-depth training on dealing with children with medical disabilities and other types of disabilities. The problem, however, is that Special education teachers are spread thin in most schools with heavy caseloads. My philosophy is general education teachers ARE special education teachers, whether we like it or not.

Many general education teachers assume that their special education teachers will help them teach their special education students, but this isn't always the case. As a general education teacher, my special education students are MY students, and it's my responsibility to research and learn how to teach those students.

What can you do as a parent?

First, educate your child's teacher. Let them know that your student has epilepsy. Tell them what that will look like in their classroom and what they should look for in your student's performance. Always maintain regular contact with their teacher. 

What should teachers do for students with Epilepsy?

As a teacher, know that you are not only on the lookout for seizures but also the side effects of epilepsy and epilepsy medication. Students with Epilepsy can suffer from:

• Attention issues
• Cognitive deficits
• Memory problems
• Behavior issues
• Problems with impulse control
• Anxiety and depression

Epilepsy is not just about seizures, although that part does suck.  

As a teacher or a parent, a few simple strategies can help you to teach your children or students with epilepsy. 

• Frequent repetition of materials
• Redirection and reminders
• Cues
• Memorization strategies, such as mnemonic devices
• Extra time for tests and assignments
• Non-timed assessments
• Scaffolding or breaking tasks into smaller chunks
• Visual and auditory examples
• Written and oral directions
• SEL or social emotional learning. SEL strategies can help all students but especially our medically and emotionally sensitive students. 

Differentiating your instruction to meet the needs of all of your students ensures not only a better classroom culture for everyone but especially for our medically sensitive students.

What About Medical Training for Teachers? 

I went through my teacher training in 2011 and 2012. I went through an additional 18 credit hours of master's level teacher training during 2018 and 2019. I have taken two courses on teaching students with special needs. Not once in my teacher training was I asked to get my CPR certification or any other medical response training. 

That doesn't mean teachers aren't CPR trained, but CPR certification isn't part of teacher licensure in many states. Most districts have a certain number of building staff who are CPR certified and trained to respond in medical emergencies. Medical emergencies are also a topic for many teacher trainings during those beloved in-service days. 

I know I would feel better knowing that the staff in my daughter's building were better prepared to respond in the event of a seizure.  While most seizures don't require CPR, it can happen.  My daughter had one seizure during an illness where she had vomited just before seizing, and her airway needed clearing after her seizure had stopped. Luckily my husband is CPR training annually and responded correctly in that emergency. 

What can you do? 

As a parent, stay involved, stay up-to-date on teaching strategies, and advocate for your child. Teach your child's teacher seizure protocol, and print out handouts for any staff members that are regularly with your child. 

 As a teacher, ask questions, get to know your students and their family, and involve your student and their families in the educational process. 

-Abby, Guest Blogger

Seizure Information for Schools and Teachers

Although I had already published one edition of my schools and teachers book, I kept getting more information...some of it quite encouraging!! Did you know that many states in the USA are now working to adopt laws for schools regarding seizure training? How wonderful! If only that had been done before my son's school "made him" leave.

But now...I unveil for you, as of December 15 2019, Edition 2 of a book I believe ALL U.S. schools, teachers, and parents of school-age epileptics should have:

Paperback Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1885615566

Also available as an e-book/Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082SZTF2G .

Info for Schools and Teachers

I got some great feedback about the first cover I had on my “Epilepsy Made Simple: Schools and Teachers” book … never occurred to me that the purple and green swirl could lead to dizziness and seizures (yes, I still have much to learn!) so I redid the cover. It is much simpler, easy to understand, and shouldn’t cause a seizure.

Just a bit about it: I wrote this book because my son was asked to leave school. His tonic clonic (grand mal) seizures frightened the other kids in his special ed class, and the teachers didn’t feel it was right to put them through that. At the time I was a bit meek, and didn’t feel like I could fight them. I sure wish I knew then what I now know.

Our children deserve an education. Even though they have seizures and often can’t remember things for days after a big seizure, they still need the exposure to the learning process.

It is our job, as a parent, to advocate for as normal a life for our child as possible. That means socializing with kids their age. Learning about life. Attending class. Graduating with a degree. And they should be allowed to do so without teachers and administrators (and kids!) putting them down and making fun of seizures.

I would love to hear from other parents about how you deal with your child being in school, with seizures.

KINDLE **and** PAPERBACK
Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X5VFZMN