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Protection of the Rights of Children with Learning Disabilities |
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S.) are afflicted with the chronic disorder of diabetes. Children and adolescents typically suffer from Type 1 diabetes in which their bodies are unable to produce insulin that is used for processing glucose from ingested foods. In the case of individuals with Type 2 diabetes, their bodies are unable to utilize insulin effectively. Although this type of diabetes generally affects adults, it has become prevalent among children due to increasing rates of obesity. Individuals suffering from diabetes may experience episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels). While hyperglycemia can trigger symptoms such as "malaise, fatigue,à drowsiness, excessive thirst and coma," hypoglycemia can lead to "headaches, sudden changes in behavior, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, profuse sweating, excessive hunger,à convulsions and comas" (qtd. in DePaepe et al., 2002, p. 11). Moreover, individuals with diabetes are also susceptible to a life-threatening condition of ketoacidosis that occurs when fat is being burned for energy due to the lack of insulin to convert sugar into energy (Chase, 2002, cited in McKesson Health Solutions, 2003). Based on the above description, it is evident that children with diabetes may experience difficulties in the educational setting for a variety of reasons. First, children with diabetes who are experiencing high or low blood sugar levels will clearly be unable to keep up with their school w |
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In order to reduce the adverse effects of diabetes on these students, the IDEA requires education providers to determine whether individual students with diabetes require special education and related services to succeed in the academic setting. At the start of the process, under the IDEA, the school district must provide funding for qualified professionals to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the specific student that are linked to the presenting disability. These areas include: social and emotional well-being, intelligence, academic work, speech and motor skills. Once the student is determined to be eligible, teachers and related professionals must adapt the general curriculum to the learning needs of the child so as to ensure that the latter can have access to the same type of education as his or her peers. In the case of a child with diabetes, special accommodations in the classroom may include a tutor or a classroom aide who can offer individual tutoring to help the child make up the missed classroom instruction. Moreover, because of the child's health needs, a child with diabetes must also receive related health services. For example, a trained staff that includes the teachers must be able to provide diabetes care for the child, when needed (Cummings, 2000). First, schools are responsible for providing training to key personnel such as the classroom teacher to provide comprehensive diabetes care to the student. More specifically, this adult, and a back-up adult should be trained to: a) acquire knowledge about diabetes, its symptoms and the treatment processes; b) perform diabetes health care procedures such as blood glucose testing, ketone testing and insulin administration; and c) diagnose and treat hypo- and hyper-glycemia, per the instructions of the student's physician ("Care of Children with Diabetes," 2002; DePaepe et al., 2002). Second, schools should provide a location of privacy where students can perform or receive diabetes care pro |
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