The top 3 fears parents have about sending their child with T1D to high school:
- Safety – Let’s face it the world is a more dangerous place now than it was when most parents graduated High School. School districts themselves are re-thinking what safety at school really entails, and students who once felt like school was their domain now need to practice situational and self-awareness. For students with T1D this is one more (however slight the statistical of school violence risk) stressor that they have to think about. Remember times of stress, good stress like getting ready for a school dance or bad stress such as fear and anxiety can have an impact on blood sugar.
- Bullying – Ok, it’s happening let’s just put that out there. High school adolescents are already dealing with self –identity, physical, intellectual and emotional identities. For students with T1D bullying can be commonplace. Having T1D puts students in the crossfire of personal, label-steered comments which can quickly turn negative.
- Peer Pressure – It may be one of the biggest fears that parents think about; and one that ironically parents don’t often discuss with their kids. Getting involved with the ‘wrong’ friends, or being pulled away from their family morals. Some of these experiences and outcomes actually help to define your child’s character. It’s good to remind your child that when you have T1D thoughts and actions surrounding personal choices can have health consequences.
Below are some great resources to prepare you for your child to start high school.
- JDRF Teen Toolkit
- Diabetes Medical Management Plan
- 504 Plan: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/parents-and-kids/diabetes-c...
- Sample 504 Plans and IEPs: http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/504/
- How I overcame bullying
- Hormones and their effect on Blood Sugar
- Podcast: The Associations Between Substance Use, Sexual Behaviors, Bullying, Deviant Behaviors, Health, and Cyber Dating Abuse Perpetration
- Resources to build evidence-based, student-centered policies and practices in schools for providing care coordination to students with diabetes that will result in Better Health. Better Learning
- 10 Tips for Parents of High School Freshmen With Type 1 Diabetes
- Sample Email For Teachers, Coaches, Nurses, Administrators, etc.
- Type 1 Diabetes ToolKits (Multiple Life Stages)
- Four Tips I Learned For Managing Diabetes in School
- Advice From Recent High School Grads With T1D
- Test Taking With T1D
- Common Anxieties and Concerns for Teens with Type 1 Diabetes