When your child has a serious
or chronic illness, it's hard to
think beyond the next treatment.
While health is the first priority,
education is also important.
Not only does staying connected to school bring academic, cognitive, psychological and social benefits–it’s also your child’s legal right. Under federal law, kids with chronic or
life threatening illness and/or disabilities are entitled to educational support.
Advoact is here to provide information to parents and teachers about common chronic illnesses in mainstream elementary school children, such as Asthma, Juvenile Diabetes, and Irritable Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease
and Ulcerative Colitis).
We want to bridge the communication gap between teachers and parents, giving teachers more confidence to understand how to ensure that the child has the most comfortable classroom experience possible.
Healthy self-esteem is like a child's armor
against the challenges of the world.
Kids who know their strengths and weaknesses and feel
good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling
conflicts and resisting negative perssures. They tend to smile
more readily and enjoy life. These kids are realistic and
generally optimistic.
In contrast, kids with low self-esteem can find challenges
to be sources of major anxiety and frustration. Those who
think poorly of themselves have a hard time finding the
solutions to problems.
Self-esteem is similar
to self-worth.
It tends to develop from infancy and keep going until we
are adults. Patterns of self-esteem start very early in life.
The concept of success following effort and persistence starts early. Once people reach adulthood, it’s harder to make changes to how they see or define themselves. So, it’s wise to think about developing and promoting self-esteem during childhood.
As kids try, fail, try again, fail again, and then finally
succeed, they develop ideas about their own capabilities.
At the same time, they’re creating a self-concept based
on interactions with other people. This is why parental involvement is key to helping kids form accurate, healthy self-perceptions. Parents and caregivers can promote healthy self-esteem by showing encouragement and enjoyment in many areas. Help your kids become involved
in constructive experiences. Activities that encourage cooperation rather than competition are especially
helpful in fostering self-esteem.
Tell your kids:
Your disease is not you! It is only
a small part of you, like your eyes,
ears, fingers, and toes!
Learn more about some of these diseases
and start talking to other parents or teachers,
where you can exchange knowledge and tactics
for the student to have the most comfortable and
normal-feeling classroom experience possible!
