Irena, a standard accommodation (though, as you can probably see, it is really more of an accommodation that PARENTS make than schools) is that parents of kids who have life-threatening food allergies are ALWAYS permitted/required to accompany their children on field trips. Oh-- and that no, you are NOT responsible for other kids. I'm basically there as an Aide for
my child. To the school that hasn't thought that one through--
You're welcome, by the way. It's me or a trained para/nurse. You choose. The child HAS to be with a person that s/he knows and trusts, and that person has to be trained to respond to anaphylaxis.
Honestly, the places where things break down the fastest are in any breaks from regular routine.
Those are places to focus on failsafes upon failsafes when you write an IEP/504. DD has never been given over to the school's duty of care. Even for state testing, she has me nearby-- and is tested one-on-one. Our reasoning there is that ANY instance in which she WOULD be in the school's care is effectively out of the ordinary, and that she lacks the assertiveness with people she doesn't know well-- and that she is so rapidly incapacitated...
Well, here:
This plain-language chart describes what we're up against. I used to put in red any symptoms that we'd actually SEEN in our DD during reactions, but eventually quit doing that when there was much more red on that chart than black.
DD may
never be completely able to count on herself to self-administer rescue meds. The problem is that her blood pressure crashes and she is cognitively impaired
first.
SO mostly, we see symptoms on the right side of that chart, and have since she was three or four. Even physicians (and we) have trouble telling what's what in a timeline that matters. Someone who doesn't know DD
very well (well enough to know what "normal" affect looks like, and perceptive and intelligent enough to see 'something is off') pretty much stands NO chance of making any difference in treating a reaction in a timely manner.
I love that chart, btw. It's SUCH a useful tool-- symptoms from any two columns, > grade 1 = epinephrine and emergency room.
Anything bold = epi and ER.
It's great. Takes a lot of guesswork out of things. At least until you get into the far right-hand column. {sigh} Welcome to my life, incidentally.
