Thoughts on problems children with neuropathy face in school and everyday life.

Although neuropathy, or nerve damage, is often associated with diabetes, it can strike a person at any age.

Farah Musallam wrote an article, 9 Things Parents of Kids With Neuromuscular Diseases Wish Teachers Understood, about how best to cope when kids have neurological issues as they enter or return to school. She writes,

“As we start a new school year, The Mighty teamed up with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to raise awareness about neuromuscular diseases and the challenges students and their families face when teachers and school staff do not understand their condition. We asked parents in our communities what they wish their children’s teachers understood about neuromuscular diseases this school year.”

Among the nine points she cited, some were,

• Neuromuscular disease can affect how you concentrate because you are so tired.
• My daughter wants nothing more than to blend in. See her, not just her wheelchair.
• It’s not contagious. People [with neuromuscular diseases] are just like everyone else.

Read her insightful article, in its entirety, in the link above.

Another type of neuromuscular affliction to strike youngsters is Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which is a hereditary sensory and motor neuropathy. The video below shows some of its early signs, such as:

• clumsiness
• slight difficulty in walking because of trouble picking up the feet
• weak leg muscles
• fatigue