A girl and her teacher completing a color sorting activity.

The Need for Therapy Rooms

More and more students in schools are experiencing anxiety, stress, sensory concerns, and additional problems. Some of these students have general special needs. Many of them may be identified as autistic or have some other kind of disability. Teachers and other school professionals are working on ways to address this and help as many children as possible. Sometimes therapy sessions assist them in a traditional way, but kids may need more.

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An overwhelmed nurse looking outside of a window.

School Nurses Prepare for Danger of Overdosing Deaths in Schools

There is nothing new about the danger of drug use with middle and high school age students in schools. In recent years, the shift has changed to different experimentation with drugs. In many communities, traditional programs like DARE have been cut. This means that in some schools and school districts, the school nurse is the person that helps to educate students about the dangers of drugs and overdosing.

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A mother and her daughter in front of the entrance of a school.

Backpack Checks at School

Each year, families shop to purchase backpacks for their children to take school supplies back and forth from home. There are a wide variety of different sizes and shapes out there for elementary to high school students. Of course, as kids get older they need new backpacks to accommodate the binders, books, and other larger items that need to get inside. The problem with this is that larger backpacks allow students to put dangerously heavy bags on their backs. This may not seem like it would be a problem in school, but it can directly impact instruction time.

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A speech therapist practicing pronunciation with her patient.

The Importance of Early Speech Therapy

While early intervention services are available for children, many parents are not aware that they exist. Some day care facilities and pediatricians know about EI and are willing to recommend it to parents of children that may have developmental delays. For many, a cute speech impediment and funny talk diverts the focus away from the severity of speech and language concerns. Often times, children will get into the school system and begin kindergarten without clear speech.

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A nurse smiling at a small girl and her mother.

School Nurses and Back to School Eye Exams

As everyone is getting back into the rhythm of being back at school for a new academic year, schools nurses are busy. Each year, they must check to see what changes have taken place with state health regulations. Once they have the new information in front of them, they need to check on the records from each student to make sure that they are up to date. This means looking to see if forms have come in for physicals for specific grade levels. If the forms have not been filled out completely, they have to notify the families to get them fixed. In addition to this, they have to be sure that immunization records are up for all students.

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