Play
Children are forever falling over! It would be impossible to stop this from happening. It is very difficult to prevent children from running around and playing on play equipment. Moreover, this exclusion would make them feel different from their peers, which could ultimately be used as a weapon for bullies. Therefore the best way to manage these situations is simply to be prepared and ensure that trained individuals are available to manage an episode, should one occur.
If it is possible ‘pre-warning’ the child of possible dangers in the playground, i.e. informing them that they may fall off at the bottom of the slide and ‘bump’ themselves can prevent such an occurrence from being such a shock and may prevent a full-blown episode.
School Trips
A school outing can be the main contention between staff, parent and child. If, as suggested, enough members of staff are properly informed and trained to manage a syncopal episode, it should be possible for a child with syncope to be fully supported and accompanied on a school outing. If significant difficulties arise, depending on the nature of the trip, the parent/guardian may be willing to supervise.
You may feel that the risk is too high for the individual to participate on a school visit or trip. This should be discussed with the parent/guardian and if necessary, their medical consultant. Wherever possible, the child should be included. This may mean that it is necessary to implement special needs provisions to enable participation. The main point to remember is that the individual must not be excluded on the basis of their condition.
Lessons
It is not uncommon for an episode to be triggered during a lesson, by a particular subject, such as Biology. Sometimes, exposure to pictures, videos or demonstrations that portray blood for example, can be a shock and may trigger a syncopal episode. What would cause this depends upon the triggers particular to the individual.
The best way to try to prevent this from happening is to pre-warn the individual of any possible material that may cause an episode. If the individual with syncope is informed before the lesson, they will be prepared, so removing the shock/surprise trigger, and will have the opportunity to follow the measures they have been taught to adopt to help prevent episodes.
Work Experience
Some employers may be concerned about the risks associated with accommodating a student for work experience, mainly because it is for such a short time. The best way to enable a pupil to participate in work experience is for the individual to be placed in a place of employment where there is minimal risk of an episode occurring, thus minimising the health and safety risk for the employers. For example, working in a factory or with machinery for a week may be too risky if episodes are frequent, so placement in a shop or an office may be a more sensible option, but would provide equal benefits for experiencing the world of work!
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