HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Need help explaining Lyme to my 12 yo daughter's teachers

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/9/2015 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
hi all, the veterans know me - but for those of you who don't myself and my family ( 3 kids and husband) got lyme on a hike 2 yrs ago.

Teresa is a bright girl, but has always had "issues" (sensory processing, borderline aspergers)
now they are worse because of lyme. She was treated for 3 months with antibiotics and AL complex, and then another 5 months of AL complex, but apparantly she never really completely recovered.

I am going to my follow up tmrw and will be picking up Buhner's herbs for her to start with. But in the meantime, I am receiving email after email from her teachers stating that she is not paying attention in class and is extremely forgetful. She was NEVER like this. Her mood is usually on the angry side, but that has already improved (diet is helping and so is this light box my husband bought - its very interesting!)

So anyway, I want to write a letter to her teachers explaining that lyme is the root cause of her concentration issues at the moment. I don't want to write this letter and then they will be like "ok, here is a mom just trying to find an excuse" - I need a good, short and sweet, to the point, not too medical article addressing how lyme affects the cognitive functioning as "proof" to my conclusions so to speak.

Anyone have one they can share with me? Thanks!!
Posted 11/9/2015 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
If your daughter has diagnoses of SPD and ASD, I would talk to your psychologist about sending a letter to the school.

As soon as K was diagnosed I started her on an IEP with letters from the ped psych as to what issues needed accommodation. I then worked out the rest of it with her teachers and resource teacher.

Whenever I would mention lyme, bartonella, antibiotic treatment or PANS/PANDAS to this group of teachers, they would develop blank stares. The letter from the psychologist they could understand though. I finally gave up trying to explain the reason for the diagnoses, the diagnoses themselves were enough.

Your school will likely require documentation from a professional to initiate an IEP.

Although K no longer requires accommodation, her IEP remains with her in high school in case of relapse.
Posted 11/9/2015 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
ok, thanks. teresa used to have an iep - but we dropped it in the 4th grade. we had no she hated the school psychologist on the school staff. she used to cry when she came home the day she met with her. I hated her too.

we never reinstated it. and honestly, she really doesn't need it anymore. she would be more self conscience of herself if she did get it reinstated. she is doing well. just is very very forgetful and spaces out. an iep really wouldn't help her with that.

thanks so much for your advice, i always appreciate it!!!
Posted 11/9/2015 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
can you get your LLD to write a note? I actually had mine write a letter so I can bring back to a job interview because I mentioned it at the first interview and was met with a lot of skepticism, and then with a lot of looks as if they didn't believe me. I thought it was worth asking for a letter so I can provide some proof and my LLD was happy to write up something short and simple for me, basically saying he's been treating me for Lyme and Babesia and Bartonella and will continue to monitor me. You ask a good question because there is a balance that has to be found between being honest and upfront about your condition, and then having to keep some health issues private and personal. For me I asked my LLD for a letter because I really wanted this job and I was being honest and upfront at the initial interview but was met with those dirty looks of "this guy is a risk" and "thanks but no thanks" kind of thing. Good luck!
Posted 11/9/2015 7:53 PM (GMT 0)
Chappelle-Can you get the IEP from her Elementary school files? If her current teachers saw that and a letter from her LLD wouldn't they be able to piece together why she is now acting differently then she was before? They have been reaching out with concern and you can thank them and explain that yes there is an issue and you have been actively seeking treatment.
If you can't get a copy of her old IEP then write a letter to her current teachers explaining the issues she has learned to manage.
Is there a teacher from just pre Lyme that you could reach out to that would write a blurb on her "normal" classroom demeanor?
If you are able to provide a full picture you should be fine. It's always possible that there will be one teacher who is unwilling to accept what you provide and sees that as excuses. If that's the case then use that as a teachable moment. She's getting older and she will start to see that not all people even in positions like teachers do the right things which means we have to be willing to adjust.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply