Coping with anxiety is a crucial step in acceptance of your child and her problem. You may have sensed the teacher’s anxiety when you first told her about your child’s seizures, or perhaps you simply worried how she might react. Maybe her anxiety is a consequence of lack of information. Perhaps she has been exposed to the myths. Perhaps she once had a child in her classroom who fell and hit his head during a seizure. You may be able to reassure the teacher by saying, “I know that you’re worried that Steve will fall and be injured and that I’ll be furious and accuse you of not looking out for him. But I won’t. We’ll both be upset that it happened. But we both have to realize that Steve needs to be in school with his classmates. His seizures are really infrequent, and he usually has a little warning. We need to convince him to let you know that warning has come so that he can be in a safe place. We have to let him take some chances if he’s to have the opportunity to be a normal child.”
This kind of dialogue is critical to an understanding and working relationship between parent, child, and teacher. Teachers often need help in coming to terms with their anxiety, just as you do. Acceptance of the realities and accurate information can do a lot to relieve anxiety for everyone. When you have come to believe what you just said, you have come a long way in accepting your child and his epilepsy.
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COPING WITH THE UNCERTAINTIES OF SEIZURES AND EPILEPSY:ANXIETY, THE GREATEST ENEMY
Posted by 2011-07-18T16:41:11+00:00"> – July 18, 2011
