Other Health Impairments TLSE 240

Definition of other health impairments  Having limited strength, vitality, or alertness including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli that result in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment  May be chronic (develops slowly and has long lasting symptoms) or acute (develops quickly and has symptoms that are intense but do not last long)

Examples  Asthma  AD/HD  Diabetes  Leukemia  Sickle Cell Anemia  Others For IDEA the condition must adversely affect a child’s educational performance or it falls under the 504 plan.

Asthma  Primary cause of school absences (5 million absences a year)  On the rise (72% increase in 20 years)  Mild to life threatening conditions and death  Difficulty exhaling (not inhaling)  Air is trapped, tightness and swelling of bronchial tubes and mucus formation  About two children in a typical classroom  Triggers

Asthma  Medications Anti-inflammatories reduce airway swelling Bronchodilators open constricted airways  Take them as soon as symptoms develop  Classroom accommodations  Air purifier  Have an action plan

AD/HD  Neurological basis; cause appears to be genetic  Under IDEA – symptoms before age 7 and for at least 6 months, 2 settings, and adversely affect educational performance  3 defining characteristics: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity

continued  Physician diagnosis  Failure in brain circuitry underlying inhibition and self-control  Difficulty inhibiting impulses  Right hemisphere differences in glucose levels  Frontal areas, limbic system, posterior areas

AD/HD  On the rise  Boys to girls – 9% - 3%  Pre-natal Drugs, alcohol, poor nutrition, smoking Mother’s exposure to chemicals  Peri & Post-natal Brain injuries, infections, chemical poisons

3 Types of AD/HD  Predominantly inattention type  Predominantly hyperactive- impulsive type  Combined type

Predominantly Inattention Type  Difficulty paying attention, forgetful, easily distracted  Internally focused  Often overlooked by teachers  Appear sluggish, daydreamers, underachievers  Difficulty with selective attention  Mostly girls

Predominantly Impulsive Type  Difficulty sitting still and playing quietly  Can become workaholics  Blurt, frank, impulsive, interrupt conversations

Combined Type  Some features of previous 2  85%  Difficulty with interference control

Sickle Cell Disease  Most common inherited blood condition in US (80,000 Americans)  Inherited; more in African American population  Symptoms 1 st year (swelling of hands and feet, body pain, nose bleeds, fatigue, infections of body organs)

continued  Not all red blood cells (which carry oxygen) are normal  Long sickle-shaped stiff cells clog blood vessels  This prevents organs/tissues from receiving adequate oxygen  Fluids needed  Watch stress level  Moderate (not strenuous) exercise

Human Immunodeficiency Virus  HIV gradually infects and destroys immune cells, primarily T4 cells Body is unable to fight infections Results in opportunistic diseases

continued  Stages Latency (asymptomatic) Middle (symptomatic) Final (AIDS – acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)  T4 cell count less than 200  More than one opportunistic infection

continued  More than 1 million people in the US had HIV in 1993  Spread through blood, semen, breast milk, vaginal fluid  Fewer children born with HIV  Families do NOT need to disclose if child has HIV  Use universal precautions always with all students

Cancer  Unrestrained growth of cells  2002 – 9,100 children under 15 (one third has Leukemia)  Primary cause of death at this age  Mortality rates declining

continued  Chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, or combination  Side effects – nausea, baldness, lowered white cell count  Some develop “short term” learning disabilities  Leukemia and brain tumors most common

Juvenile Diabetes  Pancreas stops producing or produces too little insulin so glucose (sugar) builds up in the blood  Begins before age 35  In the classroom Student must monitor blood sugar and follow a well-balanced, carefully controlled diet Keep emergency kit for student

continued  Hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis Blood sugar level too high May experience hunger, fatigue, excessive urination, thirst, blurred vision Need to administer insulin or diabetic coma can occur

continued  Hypoglycemia Not enough sugar in blood May be dizzy, sweaty, shaky, or nervous, and have a headache or blurred vision

Classroom Strategies  For the student who is frequently absent  For the student who re-enters school  Educating yourself, students, and staff  Health plan/Emergency plan  Communication with parents, child, and nurse  Watch energy levels  Others