It seems like summer just started, yet we’re already discussing going back to school in many parts of the United States! For parents of kids living with special medical needs, it can be both an exciting and anxiety-inducing time—ensuring care plans are in place, that school staff are trained on how to deal with a child’s illness, and ensuring that kids have a developmentally appropriate knowledge of their medical condition—while allowing them to still be kids!

For kids with any medical condition or disability, a medical ID bracelet can be especially important at school. While school health plans should be in place, sometimes, your child may encounter a staff member or substitute teacher who is not in contact with them on a daily basis, and may not have as much knowledge of their needs as their regular teachers do—this goes from a classroom substitute, to a substitute assistant for children who have additional learning or support needs in school.

Here are some of the most common conditions we engrave bracelets for, to provide parents and children more peace-of-mind, by keeping them safer at school.

Asthma: Asthma is among the most common childhood illnesses. Asthma symptoms can be mild to severe, and even life threatening. Asthma is triggered by allergies, other irritants (like chemicals, perfumes, paints, and so on). Children with asthma need to have their rescue inhaler with them at all times, and should never be alone when having symptoms—even to walk to the nurse or office. An asthma medical ID bracelet or necklace can help kids stay safe if they cannot speak due to their asthma symptoms. You can also engrave, for instance, where their inhaler is stored—if this is a backpack, ensure their backpack is very easy to identify.

Anaphylaxis/Food Allergies: Kids with food allergies or anaphylaxis to products like latex need to be very careful about what they touch or eat (did you know that people with latex allergies are often told to avoid foods like bananas, avocados, chestnuts or kiwis? [1]). In addition to proper hand washing precautions and maintaining safe environmental practices, kids should carry an epinephrine auto-injector at all times—this should be physically attached to their body, and not stored in a backpack or locked up. They should also wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace stating what their allergy is to, and to use their epinephrine and then call 911. Kids should never be left alone when having symptoms. Remember, kids with insect sting allergies should also follow these precautions and have a medical plan in place at school.

Diabetes: Regardless of whether Type 1 or Type 2, kids with diabetes should have a medical plan in place at school. Teachers should be trained on recognizing high and low blood glucose (sugar) levels, and support should be in place for children with diabetes to test their blood glucose, eat snacks as needed, and take insulin (by injection or insulin pump) or oral diabetes medications that they need during the school day. Like with anaphylaxis or asthma, kids with diabetes experiencing low blood sugar should never be left by themselves or told to walk somewhere alone. As diabetes requires a lot of ongoing work to manage, it is important that proper training takes place to ensure kids are safe at school—wearing a medical ID bracelet or necklace is important to ensuring your child’s needs are met.

Epilepsy: A seizure disorder is another fairly common condition for kids to deal with. While usually controlled with medication, seizures can be triggered by certain events, or just happen somewhat at random. A medical action plan should be in place at school, including when 911 needs to be called (for kids with epilepsy, they may recover very quickly from a seizure and not require 911 to be called every time, or only require medical assistance if a seizure lasts longer than a certain number of minutes), and what teachers should do if a seizure occurs. A medical ID bracelet for epilepsy can help alert those caring for a child with epilepsy of their condition, and may even provide brief instructions on what is needed—for instance, if medication needs to be administered by a trained caregiver during or following a seizure.

Autism: Children with autism may be non-verbal (do not speak), or may have difficulty communicating when under great stress. A medical ID bracelet or necklace, or even a keychain or wallet card in a clear plastic holder attached to the child’s clothing if the child cannot tolerate jewelry for sensory reasons, can help inform those who may not know a child well to their communication needs. Autism – Nonverbal may be a good choice to engrave for a child who does not speak, or even simple instructions like Use picture cards may be helpful. Your medical provider can help you choose the best way to communicate your child’s needs on a medical bracelet.

While there are many, many, more conditions we engrave medical bracelets for, these are some of the most common conditions among kids that might need to be addressed when they are at school. However, if your child has a special medical need that is not listed here, we can engrave anything that will put your mind at ease. Check out our selection of products, and contact us if you have any questions! We also have a large assortment of medical id bracelet styles for kids to keep them safe—and provide parents a little less worry.