I feel very passionately about helping all of our students with various amounts of health problems. However, JIA is personal to me because I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I was diagnosed when I was 18, so I do not have JIA, but having RA has made attending school hard sometimes. There are times where if I am instructed to sit in one spot for awhile that my legs can become very stiff and I may be unable to move them for a couple of minutes. Things that can make it harder for someone with RA is when a teacher utilizes a long, timed test. Having my hand in the same position for such a long period of time can be very painful and can make it difficult to bend my fingers back to a "normal" position. Similarly, my neck would almost become stuck in a bent position that it would be so hard to lift my head and walk back to my room. Allowing your student to hold up their test so that they can relieve the pressure on their neck can be very helpful.

 

From my experiences if you want your students to succeed and they suffer from some type of RA, you may want to consider:

• Giving stretch breaks through long lessons

• Not rushing a pace in line, to allow the student to keep up

• Allowing hand breaks during fine motor skills

• Allow students to take the test in whatever position they would like, to relieve their neck

 

 

From my reading, I found that some useful accommodations may include: (Juvenile Arthritis: A Teacher’s Guide)

• Allow extra time to do activities (due to morning stiffness) 

• Allow tardies (if possible), the students may be too stiff to walk through the whole school from one classroom to the other side in the allotted time. Or if possible, try to coordinate so their classes are all near each other so that they can get to their classes in time.

• Do not draw attention to the person's stiffness or problem. 

• JIA Patients are encouraged to do some sort of activity every 30-60 minutes, to ensure that you allow your student or classroom to remain active you can do activities with them. Or allow your student to help the teacher pass out papers, wipe off the board, or anything else that would allow them to move around the classroom for a couple of minutes. 

• If the student has difficulties with their arms or their joints in their upper body try to get their locker near your classroom or if the school is multi-level, let them have a locker on each floor. 

• Have extra books for the students to have in the classroom or at home so that they do not worsen their symptoms with the heavy books. 

• Accommodate P.E. classes, especially if their joints are really bothering the student. If you are having them run for the whole class period, timed running test, allow your student to walk or take breaks if needed. Also, if the student's legs hurt and cannot kick the soccer ball (during the Soccer Lesson) have the kids play with a beach ball or a lighter ball for a while so the student does not hurt themselves. You can also change up the rules and have them all walk instead of run and ask them if they like that version for the day. (But do not let the students know it is because of their peer because you may embarrass your student. )

• Get a tutor or do home visits for your student. A student normally has to miss many classes to take the multiple tests and attend the multitude of appointments that are needed to treat their health problem. So do not punish your student by giving them a zero for work that they were absent for. Communicate with the family to give them the work ahead of time and see if you or a tutor can teach the student the material while they are away from school. (Be prepared for them to miss a full unit if their joints are severely inflamed and swore, the inflammation could become so bad that the student may be bedridden from the inflammation for a period of time. )

• Let your substitutes know about the child's accommodations or 504 Plan so they can help the student be successful while you are away. 

• Allow your student the option to tell his/her classmates about their health condition. If they would like to share, help them share and educate their peers. If they would like to keep it private, then you need to respect it. 

• Help your student feel like they are similar to their peers, it is imperative to help the student but do not assume that they need your help with everything. Also, remember that this problem does not affect their intelligence so do not lower your curriculum for your students with this condition. 

• Be prepared to listen and help your student and their family. This diagnosis may be hard for the family and the child emotionally, physically, and financially. Be sympathetic to the family if they cannot take a day off of work to be your Field Trip Helper or attend Parent-Teacher Conferences because they may need to work constantly to afford the treatment. Also be aware that the parents may not always be able to help the student with medicine or physical therapy so the student may not behave in the ideal ways because they are in a lot of pain. Work with your parents to see how you can best help them and their child. You may want to connect them with your social worker or therapist at your school to help the parents during this process. 

• Stay connected with your student!! They may need to miss school to go to the hospital for a couple of days. Let the student know that you and their classmates are eager for them to return. You can send electronic cards, handwritten cards, visit the student, or even make a small video and send it via email to let the student know that they are cared for. It can be very difficult for the child to feel that they might be isolated from their peers and friends. 

• Small Accommodations: Helping the student be more comfortable by utilizing bigger grips for pencils/pens, allowing them to type instead of write, using pillows for when they sit on the ground, and much more.