Child with a temporary, but *possibly* lengthy physical disability caused by illness

SimpleJane

I'm looking for some insight, and I was hoping you ladies could help.

My son is 6, and in the first grade. He was recently diagnosed with an illness that causes severe swelling in his joints. It is an autoimmune disease that is called HSP.  He went from perfectly able bodied to being unable to walk or stand within a few hours earlier this week. The doctors told us at first that this could clear up within a month or so, or he could possibly have periods of physical inability for up to a year. He will need weekly doctors appointments for the next 6 months for monitoring of his kidneys as well. 

They said to expect him to miss at the very least a few weeks of school, but it could potentially be much more than that. They drafted a letter for me and are going to send it to the school outlining his illness and the amount of time he may miss. 

I am just wondering about the logistics of all of this. What if he is doing okay one day but his hands are too swollen to hold a pencil and it is an art/writing day. Will they just find something else for him to do? Or he feels fine but just has trouble with his ankles that day and is unable to walk safely on his own. Will they assign an aide to help him get around? If he misses weeks and weeks are there going to be resources available to us to help him catch up? I know these are questions for the school, and that I'm getting ahead of myself a bit, but any experience would be helpful. 

TYIA

Justinlove

You need to talk to the counselor at the elementary school. There are programs available to help your child (ex: teachers who come to your home when he is out for extended periods of time).

SimpleJane

Thanks everyone. I'm going to call the school on Monday and try to set up a meeting. Hopefully they will be willing to accommodate him pretty easily.