Home Preparation

So we began to mimic a school day at home so that Arden’s transition would be as smooth as possible.  First thing we did was to switch Arden to an insulin pump at least six months before the start of school.  You can read more about that in our OmniPod blog.  So...

Switch to an insulin pump: check.

Then we said goodbye to our no pressure meal times and started eating at scheduled times so that we could better guess at Arden’s reactions to food on her BG (food has different effects on Arden’s BG at different times of day).

I don’t much like being that scheduled but at this point what’s one more thing???

Switch to a scheduled mealtime: check.

We began to ramp up Arden knowledge of self-care.  We talked with her about how to handle a low BG if she is alone and bought her a cell phone in case of emergency while on the bus (so that we can locate her with GPS).  

Addressed almost paranoid concerns: check.

Next thing to do is draft Arden’s 504 plan.  I’ll explain what a 504 is here and then write about it’s construction in my next post:

From About.com: The "504" in "504 plan" refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act,which specifies that no one with a disability can be excluded from participating in federally funded programs or activities, including elementary, secondary or postsecondary schooling. "Disability" in this context refers to a "physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities." This can include physical impairments; illnesses or injuries; communicable diseases; chronic conditions like asthma, allergies and diabetes; and learning problems. A 504 plan spells out the modifications and accommodations that will be needed for these students to have an opportunity perform at the same level as their peers, and might include such things as wheelchair ramps, blood sugar monitoring, an extra set of textbooks, a peanut-free lunch environment, home instruction, or a tape recorder or keyboard for taking notes.

So we began to mimic a school day at home so that Arden’s transition would be as smooth as possible.  First thing we did was to switch Arden to an insulin pump at least six months before the start of school.  You can read more about that in our OmniPod blog.  So...

Switch to an insulin pump: check.

Then we said goodbye to our no pressure meal times and started eating at scheduled times so that we could better guess at Arden’s reactions to food on her BG (food has different effects on Arden’s BG at different times of day).

I don’t much like being that scheduled but at this point what’s one more thing???

Switch to a scheduled mealtime: check.

We began to ramp up Arden knowledge of self-care.  We talked with her about how to handle a low BG if she is alone and bought her a cell phone in case of emergency while on the bus (so that we can locate her with GPS).  

Addressed almost paranoid concerns: check.

Next thing to do is draft Arden’s 504 plan.  I’ll explain what a 504 is here and then write about it’s construction in my next post:

From About.com: The "504" in "504 plan" refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act,which specifies that no one with a disability can be excluded from participating in federally funded programs or activities, including elementary, secondary or postsecondary schooling. "Disability" in this context refers to a "physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities." This can include physical impairments; illnesses or injuries; communicable diseases; chronic conditions like asthma, allergies and diabetes; and learning problems. A 504 plan spells out the modifications and accommodations that will be needed for these students to have an opportunity perform at the same level as their peers, and might include such things as wheelchair ramps, blood sugar monitoring, an extra set of textbooks, a peanut-free lunch environment, home instruction, or a tape recorder or keyboard for taking notes.