18: Navigating Challenges with School Caregivers

Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes

Coordinating your T1D child’s care with school caregivers can vary from one extreme to the other. Some parents have wonderful support in place, and others feel like they are constantly battling and advocating. The truth is that parents, teachers, and school staff CAN and SHOULD work together to keep the child safe–that’s the bottom line. All the nuances of what that looks like can be worked out with cooperation, information, and mutual respect. Today’s question comes from a mother who is looking to strengthen that team without creating barriers and animosity. Join us to learn more about this important relationship!

Show Highlights:

Guest: Wendy’s daughter, Sophia, was diagnosed at 22 months and is now in 6th grade.

• The family received an email from the school nurse, prompted by a teacher, to say that Sophia should be responsible for her dosing at school and not need assistance from the nurse.
• Because her daily schedule varies, Sophia’s snacks and lunch are not always at the same time, and the school caregivers feel that she is being babied too much by their help.
• Wendy’s Question: “At what point do you think my daughter should be responsible to dose on her own without talking things out and getting supervision from a caregiver?”
• JoAnne’s Answer: “The important thing is what YOU feel that Sophia is ready for. If your gut feeling is that she isn’t quite ready (and you aren’t ready), the next questions are around what steps can be taken to “get her ready” to take more responsibility. Kids are different, and there is no correct path to diabetes management. The bottom line is that she needs to be well-supported. Another issue is whether or not the school personnel will be respectful of your decision to say she isn’t ready to take this on. With 6+ years still at home, you don’t need to be super anxious at this point about her heading off into the world without knowing how to manage her care. It sounds like Sophia feels really comfortable “thinking out loud” about her care and responsibilities, and that’s something that you should encourage. She will be able to make these decisions more independently down the road. The school may be overwhelmed with the logistics of her care, but legally, the school doesn’t get to decide what she needs; YOU and her doctor determine the care that she needs right now. I recommend that you go back and listen to Episode 16 of the podcast, where the guest is a school caregiver, and it might be helpful if you share that episode with your school caregiver. The goal for everyone should be to keep Sophia safe. A good way to phrase it would be to talk with them about what is “developmentally needed” for her right now, and hopefully, you can get their support in a more robust way. Sophia will carry this on her own for a long time, and I believe she should be moved toward independence at her own pace and in the ways that work best for her.”

Resources:

Visit my website for available resources and upcoming courses/webinars: www.diabetessweettalk.com

*Visit my website to get my Self-Care Kit to bring more ease and balance into your diabetes management routine!

*For help with the emotional and parenting challenges of facing T1D management, join one of our live recording sessions by clicking the banner at the top of the website homepage.

*For help in diabetes management, check out Sweet Talk’s Put Diabetes In Its Place coaching course.

*For a more hopeful future for you and your T1D child, consider the After Diagnosis coaching course.

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