Communicated Content – Young children face many health challenges, and parents, guardians, and school staff need to know about decreasing the risk factors of these illnesses. Initially, Type 2 diabetes is predominant in adults, but the increase in obesity among children and teens has led to the rising of this chronic condition.
Type 2 diabetes is a condition caused by the inability of the body to produce and respond to insulin properly, which will, in turn, lead to the building up of sugar or glucose in the bloodstream. For this reason, parents and teachers are challenged to encourage kids to live a healthy life to help them manage their condition. In this article, you will find seven tips on how to help your students manage their conditions. Let’s get started!
Symptoms Vary in Each Child
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes vary in every child. The initial step of diabetes management is to understand the factors that can trigger the condition and its symptoms. Some students might show signs like shaking, sweating, excessive hunger, fatigue, headaches, and increased heart rate. These symptoms may be triggered by stress, exercise, food consumption, insulin intake, and daily routine changes.
As an educator, you must understand that students with this ailment may find it difficult to concentrate in class. The care team can tell you other things about your student’s ailment.
Visit the School Nurse
Type 2 diabetes attacks can happen anytime, whether at home or school. It is important to have a health technician or someone with experience. As the classroom teacher of such students, you need to make an effort to understand your student’s life with diabetes by talking to the parent of the child to know about their child’s condition.
Speak with the school nurse to educate you on important key diabetes care tasks such as blood glucose monitoring. Your willingness to work as a team with the student, parents, and school nurse will help ensure your student gets proper care and attains optimal performance.
Get Physical
Kids with type 2 diabetes are mostly overweight. A healthy lifestyle is the best way to help such kids grow properly. Weight gain can be monitored by eating well and staying physically active. Apart from medicine, there is also a physical therapy approach that helps the body respond to insulin and lowers blood sugars. As we’ve illustrated in our quality essay examples in Type 2 diabetes, children with this type of diabetes need daily physical exercise. Start introducing at least 20 minutes of exercise and set clear goals for a child not used to exercise. There are many ways you can help your students with these activities.
Get them involved in sports, volunteer in community work, and do some chores. Also, help them check their sugar level after, during, and before an exercise.
Allow the Student to Manage their Diabetes
Good communication with the parent is crucial to your student’s safety and well-being while in your care. While it is good to have an expert around, self-care is also important. One of the best ways to help your students is to educate them on how to manage their diabetes. Start by educating them about their conditions as much as possible based on their age. Ensure they know the importance of the health supplies they may need throughout the school day. Also, let them understand who they should go to for help and when.
Don’t Single Out the Child
Having diabetes is not why you should treat your student differently; don’t regard them as less of a student or give them special privileges. No one likes being singled out, so they shouldn’t be treated differently. Like you are responsible for every kid in your class, be attentive to their needs without drawing attention. Allow them to engage in equal activities as others, and don’t deny their request if they have or ask for water, a snack, or a bathroom break.
Pay attention to them in case they are experiencing low blood sugar and attend to them without creating a scene. You can also create a signal between you and your student to keep a tab on them.
Blood Sugar Doesn’t Always Have To Be Perfect
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), people with diabetes must maintain a blood sugar level between 80 and 130 mg/dL before eating and 180 mg/dL two hours after eating. As part of educating your students and regular reminder, you must let them know their sugar level should not necessarily be 100%. At a target range of at least 70 percent, the risk of diabetes-related complications will be reduced. They should understand these ranges and how they can maintain their blood level. You should also teach them how to understand their body in moments of low and high blood sugar.
Permit Periodic Snacks
Low sugar levels could occur at any time, so your student must eat carbohydrate-giving food during class when they feel low. The body will break down the food to produce more glucose. This is essential in helping make sure their blood sugar doesn’t drop too low. You can help them by allowing them to carry a snack of fast-acting carbohydrates, such as a can of juice, a fruit roll-up, jelly beans, or glucose tablets, especially during class or exercise.
Final Thought
Students with diabetes need help at home and school in supporting their health. They may need help taking medications, checking their blood sugar levels, and being allowed to eat snacks during class. As a condition created when glucose levels build up in the bloodstream, it is often triggered by some lifestyle choices.
Today, health and human services have provided additional resources for school personnel to help students manage their conditions. Working together to support student health can help prevent Type 2 diabetes and ensure that the school management provides the best environment possible for children already with the condition.
