Teaching Strategies for Students with JRA
Working with Children Who Have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Jul 21, 2009
When a child is afflicted with a physical disability such as JRA, common tasks such as climbing stairs, writing an essay, or changing into gym clothes can be difficult or nearly impossible to complete. However, with a few classroom and school accommodations, students with arthritis can maintain most if not all of their independence and enjoy access to the same level of academics and enrichment activities that other children do.
School Mobility Considerations for JRA
Getting around from one place to another, especially in large schools with multiple floors, can be a challenge for students with arthritis or any other physical disability. Here are a few strategies to try in order to help students with arthritis:
- Determine if the student needs extra time to get to class and excuse lateness.
- Pair the child with JRA with a student helper who can carry books, open a locker, etc.
- Allow the student to use an elevator, if necessary.
- Limit requirements on how much children have to move around in the classroom.
Classroom Handwriting and Assignment Techniques
Shortening, postponing, or substituting writing assignments with other activities may be necessary at times, but all children need to learn how to write. Here are a few suggestions for teachers to help the afflicted student complete writing assignments:
- Provide special writing instruments designed to help make writing easier, such as pencil grips or pencils with hand straps and slanted writing desks.
- Give the child extra time to complete writing assignments.
- Use a computer for some assignments. This will keep the child’s hands mobile and continue to help improve spelling and language skills.
- Provide unit notes for classroom lessons.
- Allow the use of an audio recorder during lessons.
- Assignments that involve craft activities such as cutting, pasting, and folding can be made more manageable for the child with JRA by doing some of the menial work (precutting, for example) ahead of time.
Field Trips, Gym, and Recess Considerations
All children deserve to participate in extracurricular and enrichment programs. When field trips and special activities are planned, take time out to notify parents so that they may provide the added support. Parents may want to volunteer to chaperone, or provide the child with the necessary transportation (if riding the bus is not an option). A teacher may also want to provide an attractive second option, if the child cannot participate in the planned one.
Social Issues for Students with Arthritis
Make students aware of the circumstances facing a child with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis by inviting a knowledgeable speaker to class to talk about the illness, or by reading a short story about arthritis to the class. By learning about the disorder, students will gain a better understanding and empathize more with the student. This can lessen or even eliminate the possibility that the child with arthritis is bullied or teased.
One such book entitled, Nicole's Story: A Book about a Girl with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis by Virginia Totorica Aldape [Toronto: Monarch Books, May 2002] describes the disease in simple details. It is about an 8-year-old girl with JRA and is written for children ages 4 to 8.
Children who suffer with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis can still be successful and enjoy their academic years. By employing some of the techniques listed above, a teacher can help to support students with physical disabilities such as JRA, enhance their experiences at school, and enable them to perform at their very best in the classroom.
Sources:
Tucker, Lori, DeNardo, Bethany, Stebulis, Judith, and Schaller, Jane, Your Child with Arthritis. London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.
Yanoff, Jerome C., The Classroom Teacher's Inclusion Handbook. IL: Arthur Coyle Press, 2007.
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