Tips for teachers or lecturers teaching a diabetic student – Part One
Diabetes: the short and sweet of it
Informed and caring teachers or lecturers can be a tremendous help in teaching students with diabetes how to lead normal, active lives outside of the home.
With nearly 6.5 million South Africans, and up to 45% new diabetes cases diagnosed in children, the chances of a teacher having a child with diabetes in class are quite high, according to the International Diabetes Federation and the American Diabetes Association.
- Diabetic episodes can be life-threatening, it’s important for teachers to know what to do if they have a child living with diabetes in their care.
- As always, forearmed is forewarned, so it’s important to notify teachers if there’s a child with diabetes in one of their classes. This will enable them to be alert to any changes in the child’s behaviour or to any signs of distress.
- Written instructions and guidelines from parents can be very helpful, and should ideally be put up in an easily-accessible place in the classroom, where both the teacher and fellow learners can refer to them if necessary.
- On an everyday level teachers should, for instance, ensure that children with diabetes have a healthy snack before undertaking strenuous exercise, either in the gym or on the sports field.
- Exercise, like insulin, lowers blood glucose levels, and as hypoglycaemia in diabetes can lead to convulsions, loss of consciousness or even coma, it’s important to monitor the child’s carbohydrate intake before gymnastic or sporting activities, as stated by the website www.childrenwithdiabetes.com
For further information on diabetes and treatment options for diabetes, visit www.novonodisk.com (Novo Nordisk SA press release)