Hi Nat b,
Dont worry i know what you mean lol, in answer to your question.
Children who have chronic illnesses (such as asthma etc.) and physical difficulties must be given the opportunities to join in fully with all discussions and activities. Discussions about health, development and their well being are particularly important. Monitoring sensitively to see if children need support in doing this - children might be aware of their own experiences are different to those of their peers, in particular as they mature, so they may feel self-conscious. It is important to be led by what the child feels comfortable discussing and doing at that time.
All children need to be given equal opportunities to participate in activities. Children with chronic illnesses may miss sessions if they are not feeling very well or frequent health related appointments such as doctors/hospital. As a practitioner you can keep a track of childrens participation, so you can identify key activities to make available to that child when he/she attends nursery etc. Children with chronic illnesses may have good days and bad days and practitioners should be sensitive to this.
Children with chronic illnesses may tire quickly and miss out on an activities even if they are present in the setting. Do not be tempted to encourage them to participate when they are tired and dont under-estimate how bad a child is feeling when they are tired. It maybe that they need to have a rest and you can reshedule the activity again for when they are feeling better or a different time of day when they are not as tired.
It is important to work in partnership with parents as they are normally very well informed in their childs condition and they would probably be only too happy to pass on information relating to their childs illness. In addition libraries keep various contact details for organisations that support people with conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, heart conditions, childhood cancers etc. The organisations have been set up to help people and welcome those who use their services.
I hope this gives you a few ideas and a bit of inspiration, gud luk
fluffy bunny
