Advice please : medication at school.

j.e.j.

As it's the sixth form, surely they can treat their students more like adults now? If she needs to pop out and take her meds, what difference is it going to make to the others?

I suspect there's a bit of history to this one. Moomoomama has mentioned previous bad behaviour and the fact that the school now perhaps take a dim view of the girl.

lulu_92

tom9980 wrote: »

Your approach needs to be open and willing to discuss the problem in a private discreet manner (i.e it never becomes playground gossip) you need to understand your daughters past behaviour is now counting against her, so do explain that to her.

Instead listen to these concerns the school has and LISTEN to them carefully don't stamp your feet and demand you get what you want but try to get them to see that her behaviour has changed due to counselling and medication. Explain the reasoning for the timing of taking the drugs and the gag reflex she suffers trying to take them. (my wife suffers the same reaction)

Tell them you understand they have reservations but you want to solve the problems they are having so that she can take the medication she has been prescribed at the times she needs to so that she is able to continue her studies with as little disruption as possible for everyone involved including other students.

Don't go in to that meeting demanding anything or quoting your daughters rights it simply wont work out well, you will get written off as another loony parent (rightly or wrongly)

I agree with this.

It must be so hard to be in this situation but the more you work with them the more likely they are to do what you want and what you think is best for your daughter.

Play ball, and if they still treat you this way then go above them and complain about discrimination.

CH27

Sadly it's very hard to shake of the reputation of being a troublemaker.

IME 6th form is normally treated as a new start & a chance to be mature so I do wonder what has gone in the past to stop the fresh start.

moomoomama27

tom9980 wrote: »

A child's bad behaviour even with a disability is still bad behaviour, it shouldn't be tolerated either way. For years teachers have suffered disruption and countless hours of teaching time lost due to bad behaviour which deserves punishment and consequences and frequently parents come up short in this regard and often make excuses for their child. For this reason teachers can often become frustrated and as human beings it is an understandable reaction that they see this diagnoses as a convenient excuse.

Your approach needs to be open and willing to discuss the problem in a private discreet manner (i.e it never becomes playground gossip) you need to understand your daughters past behaviour is now counting against her, so do explain that to her.

Instead listen to these concerns the school has and LISTEN to them carefully don't stamp your feet and demand you get what you want but try to get them to see that her behaviour has changed due to counselling and medication. Explain the reasoning for the timing of taking the drugs and the gag reflex she suffers trying to take them. (my wife suffers the same reaction)

Tell them you understand they have reservations but you want to solve the problems they are having so that she can take the medication she has been prescribed at the times she needs to so that she is able to continue her studies with as little disruption as possible for everyone involved including other students.

Don't go in to that meeting demanding anything or quoting your daughters rights it simply wont work out well, you will get written off as another loony parent (rightly or wrongly)

I have to disagree on a few points. No teacher should ever think of a diagnosis as an excuse, especially those working in SEN!

My daughters behaviour was directly linked to her undisgnosed bi polar. She did not disrupt anybody else's learning, but she did disrupt her own and cause issues outside of lesson time. She paid many consequences and I was fully supportive of these with the school, I respected their decisions and made that clear, however they have bricked walled us on many an occasion.

I have attended and orchastrated several meetings, and have always been open, honest and willing to work with the school, it is the school that refuses to work with us!

As mentioned there are two staff members who do not tolerate mental health illness, I will not allow that, so if I have to quote codes of oactises etc, I think that's a reasonable defense for their treatment. Thankfully there are other more mature teachers, who understand the behaviours were linked to her diagnoses, and have bent over backwards to help in other areas.

I don't intend to attend the meeting kicking and screaming! Thank you for taking the time to give some advice I will bear it in mind.

moomoomama27

CH27 wrote: »

Sadly it's very hard to shake of the reputation of being a troublemaker.

IME 6th form is normally treated as a new start & a chance to be mature so I do wonder what has gone in the past to stop the fresh start.

That's unfair, she was never, ever a trouble maker. She suffered emotional breakdowns and hurt herself, never others, her issues were outside the classroom, not in it. Mental health issues follow you wherever you go, it was the schools unwillingness to be compliant with school councillors and ed psychs that delayed the diagnosis, causing her more distress.

j.e.j.

Probably the best way then is to get a letter from the doctor or psych. saying that the meds must be taken at 11am. The school can't really argue with that, and it won't sound so much like it's just a whim of the daughter to take them at that time.

moomoomama27

j.e.j. wrote: »

As it's the sixth form, surely they can treat their students more like adults now? If she needs to pop out and take her meds, what difference is it going to make to the others?

I suspect there's a bit of history to this one. Moomoomama has mentioned previous bad behaviour and the fact that the school now perhaps take a dim view of the girl.

Then surely it's discrimination. It was behaviours linked to bi polar, not bad behaviours per se. The behaviours harmed her, and other than the truanting didn't directly disrupt any other student. We dealt with the brunt if it at home.

She was a 14 year old at the time things peaked, perhaps if adults hold a grudge against a child needing mental health help for an illness then working with young people is perhaps the et of career for them? Especially when for the whole of last year she made exceptional progress, gained peer mentor status and excelled in her GCSEs!

*Robin*

OP, has your daughter tried swallowing her meds in a spoonful of yoghurt?

For those with a strong gag-reflex this method is much more successful than gulping water and air while feeling the pill is stuck in one's throat!

..If yoghurt works for DD, she could take some into school in one of those insulated, lidded coffee cups - then just nip out into the corridor for less than a minute; it only takes a few seconds to swallow a mouthful or two of yoghurt with a pill embedded in it.

lulu_92

*Robin* wrote: »

OP, has your daughter tried swallowing her meds in a spoonful of yoghurt?

For those with a strong gag-reflex this method is much more successful than gulping water and air while feeling the pill is stuck in one's throat!

..If yoghurt works for DD, she could take some into school in one of those insulated, lidded coffee cups - then just nip out into the corridor for less than a minute; it only takes a few seconds to swallow a mouthful or two of yoghurt with a pill embedded in it.

That's if the school let her do that!

moomoomama27

*Robin* wrote: »

OP, has your daughter tried swallowing her meds in a spoonful of yoghurt?

For those with a strong gag-reflex this method is much more successful than gulping water and air while feeling the pill is stuck in one's throat!

..If yoghurt works for DD, she could take some into school in one of those insulated, lidded coffee cups - then just nip out into the corridor for less than a minute; it only takes a few seconds to swallow a mouthful or two of yoghurt with a pill embedded in it.

I'd never even thought if that! Il get her to try that later, see if it helps anyway!

Would be good if she can, we could always see if this would be a more suitable compromise, perhaps she would then even feel ok about doing it iin the classroom, I think the main angst for her us the gag reflex.

Thanks, much appreciated