Anaphylaxis - Canadian School Boards Association

The Anaphylactic Childand FamilyAnaphylactic children learn early in life to take their allergies very seriously. By the time they reach schoolage, chances are that they have had more than one brush with disaster. As soon as they can talk, theylearn to say “no” to foods away from home. As soon as they can read, they learn to check ingredient lists.As soon as they are old enough to be responsible, they carry life-saving medication in a fanny-pack aroundtheir waist and learn to use it. Despite the best efforts of parents and schools, anaphylactic children live with alevel of stress that most children do not experience. It’s a matter of life and death.The parents of children with life-threatening allergies continuously walk a tightrope, trying to protect theirchildren from exposure to even minute amounts of common food items like peanut butter or milk, withoutdepriving them of normal childhood activities. Helping their children strike a balance between a necessary fearof exposure and an unhealthy fear of their expanding world is a difficult balancing act — and one that requiresthe cooperation of all who are part of the child’s life, including the school.Most parents of anaphylactic children are eager to cooperate with the school to ensure their child’s safety.Because other members of the school community are often unaware of the seriousness of anaphylacticreactions, these parents frequently find themselves pressing for changes that seem extreme andoverprotective to teachers or other parents. As one mother of an anaphylactic child said, “What they don’tunderstand is that, for my child, a peanut-butter sandwich is like a spring-loaded gun in the classroom.”Another said, “I’m asking other parents and children to give up their right to eat what they want — inexchange for my child’s right to live. Surely the right to live is paramount.”Routine is an important factor in protecting young children from exposure; most accidents occur whenthe child is away from home. Four of six fatal reactions reported in a U.S. study occurred in school. 1 Parentsand teachers must double their vigilance during high-risk occasions, and ensure that those who deal with thechild intermittently, such as substitute teachers and volunteers, are aware of risks and routines to preventexposure and are trained in emergency response procedures, including the use of auto-injectors.Children with anaphylaxis usually begin to take responsibility for carrying their own epinephrine autoinjectorsearly in their school lives, and many know how to inject themselves by the age of 7 or 8 — but thosein positions of responsibility should never assume that children or teens will self-inject in the face ofan emergency, and should always ensure that a trained adult is on hand. Most parents encourage theirchildren to take greater responsibility for their own safety as they move through elementary school. It isgenerally felt that the earlier children learn to manage their own allergic condition, the more easily they willweather the turbulent teen-age years when peer pressure and the need to conform place additional stresseson anaphylactic students.Most anaphylactic children do learn to balance the need for extreme caution with the usual activities of theirage group. However, some respond to their condition by becoming frightened and withdrawn. Others, especiallyas they become older, are inclined to take foolish risks because danger is a constant factor in their lives. Familiesand teachers need to be aware of the stress that living with life-threatening allergies places on children.21