epilepsy please help

GlasweJen

Science lessons usually only have 15 kids in them, surely simply making the teacher aware of her condition would be sufficient? It's not as if they handle glass or scalpels at high school level. Excluding her from anything remotely dangerous will just push her into rebelling.

MrsManda

GlasweJen wrote: »

Science lessons usually only have 15 kids in them, surely simply making the teacher aware of her condition would be sufficient? It's not as if they handle glass or scalpels at high school level.

Really? My science classes (and now my sister's) had the usual 30 kids, and for biology we did dissections so handled scalpels, and for chemistry we used bunsen burners, glass pipettes, test tubes etc...

Though I agree, it'd be better for your daughter's mental health if nothing else if it's possible to work something out with her school which allows her to take part even if it's only in an observation role.

But I accept that this is not always possible, I have had to take a break from my university studies because of absence seizures as they make me unsafe in a laboratory - a problem when 85% of my course is lab work

How often are the absences? how long are they? does she get any notice?Can she work as part of a group so that she doesn't need to handle anything potentially dangerous but can still be there?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

its not as simple with biology at school the school has a duty of care, and she cannot be supervised every second as teacher will have distractions of other pupils, so to prevent any "misshaps" with known conditions such as blackouts etc they cannot run that risk of OP's daughter getting hurt in anyway that may cause injury or serious injury as they would be liable under thier duty of care. she would be able to do the theory but not partake in any experiment or practical. the same with P.E she may be able to partake in some physical activities but whe it come to the gym and climbing frames etc then she may have to sit out some things dut to the black outs.

GlasweJen

Well then how on earth did they let me do 4 science highers (Biology, human biology, chemistry and physics)? I only left school in 2004 and my condition was much worse then than it is now. I seem to remember them being legally obliged to allow me to fully participate in school (oh and they made me walk up and down stairs as well).

Indie_Kid

Whilst they have a duty of care, they also can't exclude her from activities - unless no adjustments can be made and they can justify the exclusion.

[Deleted User]

In the early 70s i had a school friend who suffered absences and he wasnt excluded from anything at school
sadly at the age of 14 he had his first full blown seizure in his sleep and died.

kazzah60

GlasweJen wrote: »

Well then how on earth did they let me do 4 science highers (Biology, human biology, chemistry and physics)? I only left school in 2004 and my condition was much worse then than it is now. I seem to remember them being legally obliged to allow me to fully participate in school (oh and they made me walk up and down stairs as well).

perhaps the law is different in Scotland?

GlasweJen

What so disabled people in England and Wales can just be excluded from parts of their education on a whim? Ridiculous!

This child is 15, she would have chosen these subjects and will be doing exams soon (GCSE?). What if she wants to go to uni? Surely no uni in the world would be making offers to someone who failed 2 of the lower level exams?

Mollycoddling her now could well ruin her future, or does a diagnosis of epilepsy just ruin that for her automatically? I thought that David Platts reaction to being diagnosed with epilepsy was OTT in Corrie, now I can see why he thought his life was over if this is how people with the condition are treated. Absolutely shocking, I wouldn't blame the girl if she went completely off the rails now.

MrsManda

GlasweJen wrote: »

Mollycoddling her now could well ruin her future, or does a diagnosis of epilepsy just ruin that for her automatically?

It's not the diagnosis that's the issue, it's the uncontrollable nature. If she has warning of a seizure so she can take a step back before dropping a vial of acid on herself or the doctors had found something which controls the absences so that she gets them infrequently then it'd probably be ok.

Working with the school and her doctors to find ways of managing the situation is the best way to go. A lot of the time schools err on the side of caution and can only go off what they're told about the situation. It's often better to sit down with the head of year and discuss options rather than just having a blanket ban. The more information the school has the better the decision process is.

[Deleted User]

The DDA applies to children in schools and they are not allowed to exclude her from classes. They have a duty to educate and a duty to provide adjustments to allow her to participate where they feel there is danger.

I have tonic clonic and partial seizures and attended science classes. Went swimming with the school. Lived alone at 15, cooking and bathing alone etc. Went to uni and now am employed and have a baby to care for!