Teachers can be great allies in keeping your child with osteogenesis imperfecta safe and successful in school, but you'll need to make sure they have all the knowledge they need to help. Use these suggestions to create a information packet to bring educators up to speed.
Five Things Teachers Need to Know
1. My child has a medical condition that causes her bones to break or fracture easily. Please do not assume we have abused her if her injuries seem inconsistent with her description of the cause.
2. Take any possible injury to my child seriously. Something that would barely cause a bruise on another child can do him serious damage.
4. It's okay to let my child's classmates know about her condition as long as it is done in a positive and respectful way; I'd be happy to help prepare a program.
4. My child has a serious medical condition, but he is still a child with ordinary interests and hope and dreams. Please help us keep his life as normal as possible.
5. Please keep the lines of communication open between our home and the school. My child needs all the adults in her life working together.
Printouts to Share with School Personnel
Education Fact Sheet
Source: Brittle Bones Society
The OI Child and Nursery Education
Source: Brittle Bones Society
Adaptive Physical Education Fact Sheet: Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Source: TAPHERD
Therapeutic Strategies for OI: A Guide for Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists
Source: National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases - National Resource Center
Fast Facts on Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Source: Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation
