I was talking to my twelve-year-old son’s teacher in a conference. “He’s a perfectionist,” the teacher said. “He works so hard at perfecting his assignments, he often doesn’t finish.” I looked over his grades. They weren’t bad grades, but they certainly weren’t indicative of his abilities. My son Riley is a high-achiever. This is a child who, when asked to create a simple comic strip for art, spent days mapping out a fantasy world with dragon-like creatures, then wrote a plot, character description, and an episodic story line. He often goes well beyond what is expected.
“What do you think is happening here?” I asked the teacher, pointing to Riley’s lower grades.
The teacher explained that because Riley has diabetes, an aide takes him out of class several times a day so he can check his blood sugar. “He misses a lot of instruction when he leaves class,” she said. “And when he returns, he has to figure out what everyone else is doing. He typically misses fifteen to twenty minutes of instruction twice a day.”
Well, that obviously was not working. Something needed to change. And this is what we face with special needs children. We must constantly re-evaluate the situation and make adjustments.
“Why can’t he just check his blood sugar in class?” I wondered out loud. The teacher admitted there really wouldn’t be a problem with that. My son was very responsible with his diabetic care and didn’t need an aide, except maybe once a day before lunch, as a precaution. The only reason he was leaving class to test his blood sugar was for the sake of the other students who might be bothered by it.
We decided that my son would give a mini show-and-tell presentation to the class the very next school day. He would tell the other children about his diabetes, show them his lancet, glucose tester, and his cool pen-like syringe. His peers could then ask questions. After the show-and-tell, he would test himself during class, and everyone would know what was going on.
Riley reported that his presentation went well. Some children eagerly gathered around for a closer look. Others opted to watch from a distance. There were questions, and my son was “the educator” for a while, teaching the other students about himself and his diabetes. Now that the mystery is gone, Riley is able to test himself in class without much but a few glances from his classmates. He doesn’t have to miss instruction time, and his confidence has increased.
Show-and-Tells Can Be Helpful
If your son or daughter has a condition requiring special equipment or medication which must be used during class time at school, or if he or she has an obvious physical disability, I think show-and-tells are an excellent idea. Depending on your child’s level of self-confidence and ability to express himself, you may elect to assist him, or let him go it alone. But I see a number of important benefits:
- The class will be educated about the condition and it becomes less “strange.”
- Your child becomes more human to the class and they will relate to her more.
- Your child learns not to hide from his or her condition, and to bravely face her peers.
- The class will see that your son or daughter is handling things well, giving them more respect for your child and encouraging them to face their own challenges with courage.
- Since the children will be more educated about the illness or disability, they can offer support and help to your child if needed. For example, they could alert the teacher if the child shows signs of low blood sugar or other dangerous symptoms. Kids are natural helpers and only need a little instruction to understand what to do.
It might be a good idea for your son or daughter to bring a few pictures from home, or some “favorite things,” that have nothing to do with the disability or illness. The more your child looks like a regular kid to the group, the better.
Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here. Some links on this blog may have been generated by outside sources are not necessarily endorsed by Kristyn Crow.
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