WWYD in this situation?

[ravinlunachick]

I want to know if I was off-base in my thinking.

 

Here's the situation: You're the public school teacher/caretaker of a nonverbal 5yo boy. Normally, he's a very happy, cheerful sort. He hardly ever cries, even when he falls or gets hurt. He's had a yucky, green runny nose for several days, but was his normal self. Today, he seems very distracted and "off." He cries numerous times for no apparent reason over the course of 4 hours. You take him to the bathroom, but that does nothing to relieve the crying or the odd behavior.

 

What do you do?

[TXBeth]

I want to know if I was off-base in my thinking.

 

Here's the situation: You're the public school teacher/caretaker of a nonverbal 5yo boy. Normally, he's a very happy, cheerful sort. He hardly ever cries, even when he falls or gets hurt. He's had a yucky, green runny nose for several days, but was his normal self. Today, he seems very distracted and "off." He cries numerous times for no apparent reason over the course of 4 hours. You take him to the bathroom, but that does nothing to relieve the crying or the odd behavior.

 

What do you do?

 

I call the parents and tell them their child is ill and needs to be picked up.

[Aunty Social]

.

[Hilltop]

I call the parents and tell them their child is ill and needs to be picked up.

:iagree:

[LaxMom]

I call the parents and tell them their child is ill and needs to be picked up.

 

:iagree: Other than the (I assume) neuro-related stuff, that sounds exactly like my kids right as they're coming down with something. Off, oversensitive, atypical crying... And they often throw in lack of coordination and other weird things. But they (my NT, verbose children) rarely mention they're feeling unwell until they're indisputably ill.

Edited April 26, 2012 by MyCrazyHouse

[Jean in Newcastle]

Depends on the school protocol. Most schools I've taught in would have a school nurse (or someone in the office filling in when she wasn't there) who could take his temperature. If he had a fever, they would call the parent. If not, they would allow him to go back to the room where I would give him an easier day and would send a note home to his parents.

[snickelfritz]

Depends on the school protocol. Most schools I've taught in would have a school nurse (or someone in the office filling in when she wasn't there) who could take his temperature. If he had a fever, they would call the parent. If not, they would allow him to go back to the room where I would give him an easier day and would send a note home to his parents.

 

:iagree:

 

I think a fever would be the tipping point in how this situation played out.

[TheReader]

Agreeing with everyone else.

 

I'd assume the child was ill and not feeling well, and would follow whatever school guidelines were in place for that. Check for fever, call the parents, or let him rest in class until time to go home. Also I think it would depend on how much more of the day was still ahead of him.

 

At the very least, though, I'd let his parents know when they picked him up that his runny nose seemed to be progressing.

[TheReader]

aargh! annoying double post.

[Parrothead]

At the very least I'd send a note home to mom/dad letting the problems be known.

 

If it develops into fever/vomiting/lethargy I'd call a parent.

[TheTwinsMom1]

In our special ed class, the teacher would call and see if anything unusual was up with the kid, let them know he seemed to not be feeling well and see what the parent wants to do. Our school nurse would take a temp, if they have a temp they get sent home.

[ravinlunachick]

Ok, so my reaction was appropriate. Phew.

 

The teacher mentioned it in a note, but it was after loads of sad faces for behavior during the activities for those 4 hours and a note about him "not paying attention" and needing repeated direction. :glare:

 

I wrote back that I was shocked that no one took him to the nurse, and that he probably had a sinus headache. The nurse is not allowed to give any child any medications other than those prescribed by a doctor. She calls parents to come pick kids up for pretty much everything, and that would have been perfectly fine with me. My little guy was pretty obviously hurting, and no one helped him. :( He was crying by 8:30 and was in school till 2:30. The teacher who was with him for the afternoon said he seemed a little better after naptime.

 

I admit to being a bit paranoid, because I worry all the time that something serious will happen, and he won't be able to tell us that he is really hurting. I read a heartbreaking blog once about a mom whose nonverbal son's bowel ruptured and he died, because he wasn't able to tell anyone how much he was hurting. :( I'm always on top of ds's cues for this reason. I was worried that I was expecting too much for the teacher to draw the conclusion that he must be hurting to act that way.

[TranquilMind]

I call the parents and tell them their child is ill and needs to be picked up.

Exactly. He should not have even been there with the yucky, runny nose. Bet all the other parents are happy about that one!

 

He's FIVE. Keep him home, I'd say! It's not like he is missing an important final in med school or anything.

[ravinlunachick]

Exactly. He should not have even been there with the yucky, runny nose. Bet all the other parents are happy about that one!

 

He's FIVE. Keep him home, I'd say! It's not like he is missing an important final in med school or anything.

 

Goodness, if I kept him home for a runny nose, he'd be out 75% of the time from October to May! It's like a never ending germ factory there.

[SJ.]

Your poor little guy OP. I hope he feels better soon. My reaction to your first post was to take the child to the school nurse. If one was not available I think it would be appropriate to call the parents. If my son were crying at school all day and not acting himself I would totally expect a phone call. I would expect it even more so in your case since your child is nonverbal.

 

I remember being in second grade and feeling awful. I told the teacher who did nothing. When I arrived home my mom could tell right away I was pretty sick. I had a sky high fever and chicken pox!

[snickelfritz]

Goodness, if I kept him home for a runny nose, he'd be out 75% of the time from October to May! It's like a never ending germ factory there.

 

Yep.

[LaxMom]

Your poor little guy OP. I hope he feels better soon. My reaction to your first post was to take the child to the school nurse. If one was not available I think it would be appropriate to call the parents. If my son were crying at school all day and not acting himself I would totally expect a phone call. I would expect it even more so in your case since your child is nonverbal.

 

I remember being in second grade and feeling awful. I told the teacher who did nothing. When I arrived home my mom could tell right away I was pretty sick. I had a sky high fever and chicken pox!

 

I would totally expect a phone call, too. My SIL teaches an inclusive classroom of 4-5s, with several kids on the spectrum. She makes it a point to know her kids and spot off behavior, particularly with the kids who have trouble in communicating complex ideas. She would call if someone seemed off, even if just to find out whether they had slept well, or if something else was going on at home that might be affecting his mojo.

 

I'd like think that's what any normal person would do. :glare: