United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi!

I was just wanting to know if anyone had any helpful tips for me as Danny starts preschool in a few weeks.

I am meeting with his teachers before school to give them all the information about BPIs and the school information sheet. I'm going to explain all about things like no hanging allowed (post-acromioplasty), no Red Rover, no arm-pulling and things like that. I also know I need to apply extra sunscreen on the left arm because of sensitivity to the sun. Oh, and the potty-training assistance. But beyond that, I just feel like I may be missing something in telling his teachers what to watch out for.

I am so "doom-and-gloom." I know he needs to be in preschool and will enjoy it. I just keep having nightmares that some crazy kid in his class will run up and yank on his arm for no reason, and no adult will notice. I'm think I'm really losing it!

Anyway, I'd be so grateful if anyone had any tips, words of assurance, success stories, etc. Thanks so much!

Janet

Hi Janet---I really don't have any tips, just some re-assurance. My son, who is ROBPI and now 6 years old, did just fine in pre-school. I did what you are going to do and just explained to the teachers that his arm is not to be pulled on or yanked on, even in a playful manner. I explained that he didn't need special attention, but to just pay attention if something didn't look right about the arm. His arm has never been pulled on or injured by any of the teachers or kids. He's been in daycare since he was about 1 and we have never had an incident involving his arm. He was in kindergarten last year at a public school and he did just fine. He's going into the first grade this year, but we have decided to put him into a private school. I'll have to go over the same thing with his new teachers again. He actually just had the Mod Quad surgery two weeks ago today, so I feel your anxiety about the whole situation. My son is not allowed to put any weight against his arm for 6 months---that means no monkey bars just yet. I guess basically, you can only keep them under your wing for so long before you have to let them be themsleves and learn on their own. You just can't watch them every second of everyday---otherwise you'll start to worry obsesivley and that's just not healthy.

Good Luck! I hope this gave you a little reasurrance. Email me if you want to talk. lgorup@gridley-ward-shaw.com

Laura

My child just completed her first year of preschool without any issues/problems. It sounds like you are covering everything and your son will be better off for it. One other thing I'd mention is to teach your child what those boundaries are for his injury and give him ideas of how to enforce them himself. Give him words to use if kids start pulling on his arm, remind him of the extra sunscreen needs on his arm, teach him other ways to play than on the monkey bars. Help him be aware of what his body can and cannot do.

Finally, my daughter's preschool had a recess monitor different from the teachers. It was a PT specialist whose job was to watch all the kids at recess and note any delays. I wasn't aware of this role when I enrolled my daughter, and the level of PT experience is nowhere near what our kids are used to, BUT it might be worth checking to see who and what qualifications the outdoor recess people have and to talk to them first-hand rather than having the teacher relay the information to them.

Best of luck,
Lisa

Hi Janet,

My son just finished preschool, and he's not BPI so I don't have experience with that aspect, but what I would suggest is that you visit the different preschools and choose one that is more controlled and smaller. At my son's preschool it was a small class of 15 with 2 teachers. They really kept the kids in control, no wild stuff at all. It was a pretty calm place for a preschool! Now I've been to larger places (when he did camp - but he did it at a large preschool in town)
and they can be pretty wild and there tends to be much less close supervision.

A small, more cozy environment is definitely something I would look for.

Michelle

Even beyond preschool, I believe that RichInMa is not entirely complete in stating "Schools are not obligated to ensure the special things you are asking for..." If your child is admitted with an understood disability, then according to information I received from the Federal Gov't at NoChildLeftBehind@ed.gov, follws, a parent can specific protection from further injury within a educational plan:

"There are two pre-school programs that receive federal funding. ...

The second type of pre-school program that receives federal funding are pre-school programs intended for students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that all children birth through age 21 are given the right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and the special services they need to assist them in meeting their educational needs. Federal funds help support preschool programs required by IDEA to provide a public education for preschool age children (3-5) identified as having a disability. IDEA does require that all children be placed in the “Least Restrictive Environment “ possible, to ensure that children with disabilities are educated with non-disabled children, to the maximum extent appropriate. However, since there may not be a public mainstream pre-K program, it is not always possible to mainstream a child with a disability in a pre-school program.

What exactly is a Least Restrictive Environment is something that can be defined by the parent/guardian, their respective school system and information received from various clinical profesionals.

Sorry if I pissed you off. Can you see the glass of wine I am offering you? Its red in a decent glass...

Anyway, you evidently have alot to offer parents like myself that have been trying to place their BPI kid in the public school system at 4 years. I need to work in a socially valueable occupational that does not pay alot of money. Yet I want to do want is best for my kid. I am having a hard time placing my kid.

You obviously have alot of knowledge about these events and processes. It may take some time, but I would very much appreciate it if you could start from a simple premise: a BPI kid at 4 years old and walk us through the process of placing one child in the public school system where a parent would find disability awareness and decent academics.

Great thanks,

Thank you all so much. Great suggestions - I really, really appreciate everyone's input.

Rich ... regarding the special ed evaluation, yes, he was evaluated by the school district and got a whole report. He did qualify for the PPCD. But at the 11th hour, we opted to go with the private church preschool our daughter attended. It turned out that the school district's special-ed preschool was not going to give Danny the therapy he needed, which was kind of why we considered it in the first place. We also thought it would be better for him overall to be in a normal environment, and we already knew the teachers and knew it was a well-run, small preschool where he would get the attention he needs.

Showing the teachers the evaluation that was done is a GREAT idea. Thanks very much for that suggestion. And please do send me any info you have, if you don't mind. I'd love it, and that is so nice of you to offer. My e-mail is jmefferd@msn.com.

Again, thanks to all of you for posting. It is such a great feeling to get so many good answers in such a short period of time, from people who know what they're talking about and know EXACTLY what kinds of anxieties and fears I am dealing with.

Janet

Janet:
As we have just finished preschool (yippee) I can tell you that it can be a fabulous experience.

This website has some wonderful information which I always gave to the teachers. The sheet "information for schools" and the "general information about bpi" were two that I used over and over. I also made up a q and a type of sheet that was about Juliana and her bpi. I updated it every year because she changed every year.

I caution you, though, not to over do it. I used to tell my preschool teachers that they were not therapists and I didn't expect them to perform therapy. I also made the decision not to have any therapy performed in the classroom. We did all of our therapy after school. It was harder on my other kids and she didn't always have time for playdates, but it was important to me that she be a regular kid in that classroom. The only "therapy" I let them do was telling her to use two hands in the playdough. They helped her in the potty--but they helped most of the kids.

In three years of preschool, two of them included surgery. They were very good about dealing with the splints.

We did have a "no hand holding rule" for Juliana's affected arm, but noone minded that.

good luck and enjoy! preschool is a lot of fun!!!