The line graph is another graph about food allergies, which is called food allergen recalls. The result of this graph shows that peanuts allergies have gone up among children in school. As the children grow, the number of food allergies increases. Colours are also used in order to make it clear; easy to read and understand about food allergies and the one that has the highest percentage rate.
The pie chart, graph shows the result of the questionnaire given out to the parents of the children in school about food allergies. Colour is also used to recognise how food allergies have changed and increased among children. The total number of the questions was 10. 9 out of 10 questions answered that peanuts are the most dangerous allergen; milk is 5, 3 out of 10 said fish and 2 said soy. Also, there are more people who say peanut is the most dangerous allergen amongst children.
Since peanut cause most of the allergic reaction children experiences in school, many schools and childcare setting have banned any food that has to do with peanut in school premises in order to help children with their growth and well-being. For example, in my placement letters were sent out to the parent, guardians and carers to inform them not to put anything that has to do with peanuts in their child bag or packed lunch.
Staff ensures that children did not share food and educated the children on dangers of sharing food. The school has policies and procedures in place which make staff and others working with children in the school to be aware of their individual responsibilities. They also improve and update regularly the level of information from parents.
Chapter 3:
3.1. The Impact of food allergies on the health of the child
Food allergies have been founded has one of the major impacts on the common health affected children as well as their emotional. This also has an impact on the parents and limitation of family activities (Coutts and Fielder, 2009). Food allergies can cause serious illnesses on a school child if care is not taken. This could result in a life-threatening symptom if it was left for a long period of time without treating it. This could also lead to different infections on a child such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema, psychological distress including anxiety and depression (Kay, Bousquet and Holt, 2009). Therefore, a child with food allergies is also at risk of short and long- term social and emotional issues. As food is part of our everyday lives and is what makes a child grow and develop. However, severe food can have health consequences on a child and this has to be managed carefully (Skypala and Venter, 2009).
When a child has food allergies and he or she is reacting to some food at school. This could cause emotional issues for the child and the parent, because the parent may need to change their lifestyle as well as change their diet in order to suit the child. (Allen and Gordon, 2012). This could also affect the parent’s social life and could be challenging as well as demand for the parent, as they may not able to eat outside their home or travel because of the child’s allergies. This is because the more food their child is allergic to, the more difficult it is (Farrell, 2006).
(Trone, 2011) suggests that support and clear information was important at the time a child has the diagnosis of food allergy and at the different transition points along the development pathway. Another research (Sicherer, 2006) also emphasised that greater support would be needed due to the social and emotional aspect of food allergy on a child in order to help the child and enhance self-management skills.
Providing safe and nutritious foods for a child with multiple food allergen restricted diets are particularly challenging and it can increase the stress level of both parents and have an impact on the health of the child. For instance, when a child reacts to food the child can start vomiting or having rashes, the parent may need to take the child to the hospital often in order to carry out a test and keep the child safe (Albon and Mukherji , 2008)
This can be stressful, exhausted for both parents and the child to the extent that the parent may not able to take a full -time job because of the child or one of the parents has to give up work for them to take care of their children (Sicherer, 2013). In a case of any incidence, the school will also call the parent to come and take their child for emergency treatment.
Supporting this idea is Freud who also believed that young children cry out when they are uncomfortable or simply in need of attention (…………….). For example, a child may eat something and after eating it, he or she may be feeling tummy cramp, watering eye, scratchy or itchy mouth, throat and started crying. In other words, it is their way of communicating their needs when they feel like explaining something but just do not have the words yet (Monroe, 2001).
Therefore, there is a need for practitioners to ensure that the allergy management plan is followed in order to help relieve some of the anxiety about managing allergies outside of the home.
Food allergies in a child can also cause anxiety and lioness. Having a child with food allergies in school can be challenging as the child may find it difficult in relating to others. A child that is suffering from allergies can be anxious and lonely (Richer, 2009). This is because other children may not want to play or have anything to do with the child. Those children may be thinking that when they play with a child with food allergies they might have allergies as well. However, it has an impact on the health of a child with allergies and it could lead to a lack of confidence, depression and low self-esteem (Sicherer, 2016).
In order to clear this anxiety practitioner and other professionals working with children will need to provide reassurance through communication and respond effectively to the situation like this.
Families of the child with food allergies will also need to be educated about possible cross-contamination issues that may not be included on package labels of the food they are buying for their child.
Food for the brain (2012) has found that food allergies also affect a child moods and behaviour. This also can affect and have an impact on any part of their system of the body including the central nervous system. These can cause a diverse variety of symptoms including: fatigue, slowed thought processes, irritability, agitation, aggressive, behaviour issues, nervousness, ADHD, autism, hyperactivity, difficulty concentrating and learning disabilities (…………..).
These types of symptoms can be caused by a variety of substances on a child health, though many children have reactions to common foods or food additives. In this case, parent and practitioners need to work together by keeping the child away from the food the child is allergic to both in school and at home (……….)
Lack of breathing is another impact of what food allergies do with a child health. A child may have a problem with sleeping due to the reaction of food which might cause discomfort for the child or loss of sleep. The child may also start misbehaving or throw tantrums (…………..) So, if practitioner sees that the child is reacting to food in school or setting which is making the child misbehave. Practitioners may need to change the child’s diet and share information freely with the parents the reason why they have to change the child’s diet.
According to Burrhus Skinner, who believed that behaviour is learned and can be shaped. Skinner also emphasised that the best way to understand behaviours are to look at the cause of an action and its consequences. He called this approach ‘’operant conditioning’’ (…………………). In Skinner theory, he made it clear that behaviour which is reinforced tends to be repeated strengthened and behaviour which is not reinforced tends to die out or be extinguished. This means that looking at the food a child is allergic to and the impact it has on the child’s health which causes behavioural issues can be reinforcing positively (…………..)
Skinner identified how this positive reinforcement can be achieved. For instance, practitioners will need to address the issues of food allergy first and then offering the support needed, providing information on support services and manage it holistically (……………..)
It is essential for practitioners and other professionals working with children in early years setting to get in the habit of checking their food contents before the child with allergies eats any food in school.
Further, allergies can impact the way a child thinks and works. Hanson (2012) reported that a child with allergies shows declines in verbal learning, poor growth, slow in decision making and psychomotor speech which translates into decreased productivity and increased work absenteeism. On the other hand, another study found that allergies were responsible for fragmented sleep and chronic fatigue, which have negatively impacted on a child health and ability to concentrate (…………………………………..).
Practitioners, parents of the allergic child and others professional working with children in schools and setting are to ensure that a child with food allergy continues to be seen by their doctor or GP as the child grows up.
Repeating allergy tests yearly can be helpful in order to know if the child has outgrown allergic reaction or not so that the food can be carefully reintroduced into the diet (…………….).It is also essential that the child is carefully examined for any signs of missing out on any essential nutrients due to their restricted diet, or if allergic problems are developing.
Moreover, practitioners need to ensure that the child has no contact with a particular food he or she is allergic to. Parents also need to be able to recognise reactions and know exactly how to deal with the allergic reaction to their child when it occurs.
Food allergy has potential to have the greatest impact on the lifestyle and the choices made by a child and their family (……….). However, with a clear understanding of the issues, and having good routines in place to cover both food choices and the emergency conditions that may occur in school, the impact of food allergy can be kept and handle carefully(…………………).
Additionally, the impact of food allergies on a child’s health can also result negatively such as anger, frustration, difference, and disruption on learning and development of the child (…………………..). For example, when a child with food allergies is going through these challenges, he or she may withdraw from school and from other people which may lead loss of friends. These challenges sometimes lead to low self-esteem on the child. However, it is essential for practitioners to demonstrate the need for other professionals such as health workers to work closely with the individual child (……………). This will help to have understandings about food allergies and risks associated with the conditions.
Chapter 4 :
What is the school provision for the child with regards to food allergies – 1500 words?
Every year in school one or two children are diagnosed with life -threatening disease called food allergies, so most schools have processes in place to minimise the risk to a child with food allergy (…………..). However, this can be frightening for a parent when they are told their child has an allergy or reacting to food in school. In regardless of the provision the school gives a child with food allergies.
Schools play an important role in helping manage a child with food allergy. As they know that when a child is allergic to food, this has to be taken seriously because if not properly cared or treated. It can rapidly lead to death (…….). The school makes sure that staff and other professionals in the school are aware of a child with food allergies and look out for any symptoms such as itching mouth tongue, swelling, shortness of breath, repetitive cough, wheezing and tingling of the lips(………….).
However, the school provides care for children with allergies and help in promoting their health and well-being through identifying allergies and preventing contact with the allergenic substance. This is done through preventing cross infection of viruses and bacterial infections (………..). It is ensured any time the child with food allergic is experiencing any of the symptoms.
Staff quickly assesses the situation and immediately take the appropriate actions. For instance, the staff stayed with the child and monitors the condition until the reaction is completely reduced or the child no longer show any symptoms of an allergic reaction (………..). They also ensure that the activities provided for children at school are inclusive so that the child with food allergy can take part.
There are varieties of provision available in school in the early years for the child with an allergic reaction. Firstly, the medication and management plan were put in place which informs the staff most especially the child’s key worker. The information on the plan includes: the exact food the child is allergic to, what the problem is and what to do about it (……………). This document includes the details of signs and symptoms which would alert staff and practitioners to suspect an allergic reaction, the procedure to follow in an emergency and details of any medication which needs to be given.
The medication and the management plan are kept together in an easily accessible place that all staff is aware of and it has up to date photography of the child so that staff can easily identify the child (…………..). All medicines are marked with the child’s name, stored properly, kept in a safely and checked regularly for expiration dates.
The school also makes sure that the parent provides details on who to contact when they are away and ensures that all contact information’s are all up to date, including information about what the child needs to avoid (…………) They also ensure that when children go to their group it is key worker‘s responsibility to check any food before offering it to the allergic child and ensure that the child did not take any food from anyone. Parents are also informed if any additional food activities will be carried out at school (……………..). For example, fruit and vegetable taste, bread tasting and their signed consent are received before given the food to be on a safe side.
Furthermore, when the child’s key worker is absent from school and the school has a supply teacher in order to replace the key worker. The school ensures that the supplier teacher is aware of the child allergy and should discuss the procedure to follow if there is any sign or symptoms of allergic reaction. But the supply teacher is not in a position to administer medication to the child (…………..). The manager is responsible for administering the medication.
Sometimes, the school encourages the child with food allergy to bring a packed meal, which provided an easy solution to ensure that the child is eating safely. However, the child is still entitled to a school meal just that sometime this can be challenging as the school will need to prepare a separate food for the child (……………..). On the other hand, in early years setting some schools has a no sharing policy which means that all children, not just those with allergy eat their own food. Those without allergy eat their own food as well (……………). In this way, there can be no confusion or need for decisions to be made about whether a child with a food allergy can or cannot have some of their friend’s food.
Managing food allergies in the school setting (2006) suggests that in providing care for a school child with food allergies involves a team of individuals. It includes nursery nurse, teaching assistant, staff, practitioners, administrators and anyone working with children. All of these professionals have a role to play on the child because as part of their work they are there to provide the best care and all the necessary treatment for the child at school (………………).
For instance, when children go on a trip and the child with food allergies followed them. The school ensures that the staff following the children on the trip has taken management plan and a mobile telephone is available in case of emergency on the child.
The school ensures that their environment has a positive and welcoming eating environment, to encourage a child with food allergies to eat well and develop good eating habits and social skills (……………..). This is because environment plays a vital role in a child’s learning and development. Therefore, the school makes sure that the environment both outdoor and indoor promotes the child physical, emotional and social development (……….). Also, the environment should be suitable for the child no matter what the child is allergic to in order to explore, find, discover, experiment, observe and use his or her senses in an area where the child feels secure, safe and promote the child active learning and development (Durant, 2012).
The school ensures that information about the child on a computer or in a manual filing system is kept accurate and relevant. Therefore, they make sure that the personal information about the child is processed for limited purposes and not in a manner that is not incompatible with those purposes. Also, the Information is held for no longer than necessary and only disclosed if specific conditions set out in the act are satisfied and it protected against unauthorized or unlawful processing.
They also make sure that policies are in place for any allergies that may occur in school and the situation is professionally managed by the practitioners, staff, and nursery nurse in order to protect and support the allergic child. This is because without clear policies and procedures in place. Things would get muddled up and cause lack of direction in the settings or schools. This is because practitioners and staff may not know what to carry out if there is a case of a child reacting to something such as food or drink.
This policy was implemented in order to provide early intervention for the allergic child and keep him or her safe in education. In particular, to ensure all children grow up in the provision of safe and effective care. The policy has helped staff to have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and take action if there is any concern for children regarding food allergies in care which enabled them to have the best healthy lifestyle in school.
Most of the times school work together for the progress of the child with food allergies in order to meet the specific needs of him or her and other children by discharging their duties to promote the health and care of the children they look after(…………). They try extremely hard and monitor what the child eats at school premises.
Chapter 5:
Way forward for the School: Practitioner’s awareness -1500 words?
Helping a child with food allergies can make a huge difference in their education and livelihood. By investing in children’s well-being and finding a way forward for school on how to support a child with this issue at an early age will give the child a brighter future (…………….).
Food allergies are growing and it affects quite a number of school aged children. Therefore, it is important for school, staff and practitioners to encourage children and support their needs when starting school (………). This is important especially a child with food allergic conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, hay fever, eczema, psychological distress including anxiety and depression (………..).
However, one of the ways forward for school is that when a child starts nursery, the school will need to ask parents if their child suffering from any known allergies. The school should allow parents to contribute their thoughts and ideas to a risk assessment when showing them around the school premises (………………). Through this, parents will understand the routines, activities and point out anything which they think may be a risk factor for their child’s health and well-being. For practitioner’s awareness, they will need to have training and a basic understanding of the condition of the child as well as how the child medication is to be administered correctly (……………).
The school should also have a positive relationship with the child, his or her parents, guardians or carers as well as value the involvement of parents in their child health and well-being.
Moreover, the school will also need to ensure that the health care plan for the allergic child is reviewed every six months if necessary. This includes reviewing the medication. For example, the school may need to inform the parent to change the medication if is been used over a long period of time on the child or if there are dosage side effects on the child (………….). Parents should receive a copy of the health care plan and each contributor including the parent must sign it. They also need to ensure that their practices are fully implementing their policy for promoting children’s well-being.
The school can dedicate some time to creating an inspiring website, leaflet, poster and video that explains about allergies, most of the allergic conditions, what triggers them, what the symptoms are and what parents can do to help and protect their child in the best way from this unpleasant and sometimes dangerous health condition (……………). For example, a practitioner can display a poster or leaflet on the wall for the awareness of other children in case they see anyone reacting to something in class. This can create and maintain a healthy, safe, and inclusive educational environment.
They can also offer workshops or training for parents to attend and educate them on how to make a right decision on their child health.
For the practitioners, handling meal and snack time in school, they need to ensure that in order to protect a child with food allergies (…………). It would be advisable for them to ensure that the child with food allergy did not share or swap his or her food with other children.
Therefore, practitioners such as key worker would have to be trained annually or every three months for the reminder in order to make sure they are able to provide children with appropriate food for their needs and are effective role models.
Sometimes it would be important for the school to set out some steps and discuss it with practitioners, parents, guardians and carers to help reduce allergen exposure at school (…………). A child with food allergies needs to be kept away from the allergic food and ensure the child is taken his or her medication regularly.
For practitioner’s awareness, they need to ensure that no child is self-administered. Where children are capable of understanding when they need medication. For example, they should be encouraged to tell their key person or staff what they need (…………….). However, this does not replace practitioners, key person and staff vigilance in knowing and responding when a child requires medication.
Children should be encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating to prevent spreading germs. Additionally, in term of practitioner’s awareness, they will need to guide and secure the child with allergies all the time (……………). They also make sure that any food a child has an allergy to is not allowed in the school or used within the setting. Fresh food and drink should be available at all time as well. According to EYFS (2014) which states that food and drinks provided for children must be healthy, balanced and nutritious. On the other hand, the physical development area of learning also suggests that children must be supported in developing and understanding of the importance of making healthy choices in relation to food.
Children learn best in a happy, calm and purposeful atmosphere. So, for the school to move forward they will need to create a stimulating and organised learning environment in which every child no matter their allergic conditions can realise his or her own potential, fulfilled their goals and flourish (…………). Thus, it would be necessary for school and practitioners to check the suitability of materials used in class to make sure they will not affect any allergic children.
Also, school environment should enable all children to develop their confidence in their ability and unique talents to the highest level that they can achieve. Supporting this idea is the EYFS framework (2014) which states that both indoor and outdoor environments should be available all times so children can choose activities and follow their interests.
Hence, the school should aim to value and respect all children as individuals and to develop their self-esteem to encourage them to excel for themselves and for the school community (……….). No child should be discriminated or sent home due to the fact that he or she could not have been in school or class because of the life-threatening disease called allergies.
For the practitioner’s awareness, they will need to develop children’s understanding and have regard for the rights, beliefs of others and a concern for the environment and the world they live in (………..). This is implemented by supporting and helping a child who is facing these challenges to develop the ability to become independent learners.
School should make it clear for practitioners that if they want the best for the child. They must not only provide experiences that are appropriate for him or her, but at the same time there should a focus on supporting the child to achieve positive outcomes from their early education (Langston, 2014). For example, when practitioners or teachers plan activities for children or small or small group. During the activities, some children may not need support due to the fact that they are capable of carrying out the activities on their own. Whereas there will be some who may not able to do the activities due to allergic conditions, such as asthma, hay fever or eczema (……..). Therefore, for the school to move forward, they will need to mandate it for the practitioners to take it as their responsibility to offer more support to the child who cannot carry out the activities on his or her own. They need to make sure at the same time that all the children in the class achieve their full potential (…….).
Every child is unique in their own way (………). No child should be left out or treated less favourably because of the allergic reaction in the activities in class. School should develop an action plan to ensure that a child with food allergic can participate successfully in the services offered by the school and setting as well as the curriculum offered (Nursery world, 2003).
Practitioners should encourage children to develop positive attitudes and to empathise with others children who had health issues and begin to develop the skills of critical thinking.
Conclusion
This study has provided useful information of food allergies among children but specifically for a school child. However, the different varieties of graphs used in this study have been identified for each type of food allergies in order to make it clear and show how food allergies have risen. Questionnaires were used in this project in order to achieve the aims of this study which is ‘’food allergies and the school child’’. This is because the questionnaires are one of the practical ways to collect quantitative data and gather information (……………………).
Another reason for adopting this approach is because it is interactive, holistic and it is mainly carried out by flexible and reflexive methods of data collection and analysis. The qualitative approach will not be used because it measures variables by examining relationships through statistical tests.
An open-ended question was used as well in this project to give my respondents the liberty and opportunities to answer in as much detail as they like. This is because an open-ended question encourages participating in my questionnaires to write creative answers and self-expression (………). It also allowed them to express themselves freely.
Both the methods I used in carrying out my research on this project were useful and supported me in a way that I was able to collect information from different people and analysis my results.
The project has also enabled early childhood professionals to potentially have a greater understanding of how to develop relevant services and care in the future and support a school child with food allergies not only the child and the parents. Practitioners, teaching assistant and other professionals in child care settings are important when making a health care plan for a child with allergies.
Despite the physical, emotional, psychological, and financial burden associated with care given to a school child with food allergies, practitioners see caring for loved ones especially children as a personal fulfilment and satisfaction. It is essential, therefore, for practitioners to support children and their parents through improved communication, sharing useful information that will help them to be confident, strong and competent in their daily role as they take care of their child.
(………………………….). mentioned that caring for a child with food allergies can affect the well- being of those responsible for the care, which will ultimately have consequences on the child’s health. Therefore, for this not to happen practitioners can assist a school child by meeting his or her practical and emotional needs by showing him or her love, warm welcome and gentle touch. This can go a long way and help in fulfilling their first need. They can also show interest in a school child with food allergies activities and be pleased with the achievements and improvements and not compare him or her with others in the class and they should also respect their individuality.
They should acknowledge their strengths as this will let them believe in themselves. For example, giving a school child with allergies attention will show him or her that the child is valued as well as loved. For instance, some children want to be please by giving them what they wanted while some like to be praise and want attention. By doing this, it will make them feel good within themselves. Therefore, it is important for practitioners to improve communication and increase their knowledge at work by providing information and enhanced their skills (………………..).
(…………………….) suggest that it is vital for early years’ professionals to recognise the role practitioners play in child management, therefore practitioners are to encourage parents and their child to attend follow up appointments regularly and they should be included in the education of how to manage food allergies and the administration of medications.
Therefore, the intervention of health visitors and their support will also be good in order to help the child with food allergies. It will help to reduce the parent’s burden and able to focus on providing for their child. This will also help the child mentally, physically, emotionally and socially (………………………….).
Finally, the confidentiality of the participants in my questionnaires in this study was protected so that their individual identities did not link to the information that they provide. I ensure that the information provided will not be publicly divulged. Burns (2000) agrees and states that confidentiality involves a clear understanding between the researcher and the participant pertaining to the use of the data provided, so that personal questions are kept confident and private. I also make sure that the names of the participants were not used to identify the data.
I hope this project would help a school child or children who are suffering from food allergy in the UK have access to the appropriate care they needed.