How Early Learning Centres Deal With Allergies
Most allergies are transitory and minor – in both adults and children alike.
However, some can be debilitating and others may cause serious health complications. A professional Early Learning Centre should know of these issues and have strategies to help.
Allergens in the Modern World and Early Learning Centres
There is no universally accepted explanation but allergies appear to be increasing in much of the industrialised world.
How To Deal With Allergies: Early Learning Centres Approach
Allergies affect children just as adults, though the symptoms, frequencies and causal factors may differ between the two groups.
The causative factors are called ‘allergens’, which might be anything from pollen to nylon or potatoes to caviar. There are potentially millions of things that might trigger a reaction in someone who is sensitive to the materials or substances concerned.
Symptoms
The best-known symptoms usually include:
- wheezing;
- sneezing;
- coughing;
- blocked noses;
- rashes;
- headaches;
- red and runny eyes;
- vomiting (tummy pain, diarrhoea) – rarer;
- fevers – rarer;
- breathing difficulties – rarer.
Severity and treatments
Only a doctor can diagnose an allergy with certainty. Once they have done so, there are a range of treatments available.
Anti-histamines are a relatively common medication but are not usually prescribed for the under-twos.
Sometimes the doctor may prescribe testing to try and identify the specific allergen responsible for the problem, although such tests are not always conclusive. If the tests identify the cause, it may be possible to develop an avoidance approach.
The vast majority of childhood allergies are minor and although sometimes distressing and distracting, they are rarely cause for concern medically.
Some allergic reactions may be more serious, requiring specialised treatment and emergency medication, such as epi-pens and inhalers.
It’s also recognised that although not an allergy as such, some children at times have panic or anxiety attacks that may produce symptoms that mimic an allergic reaction.
The role of the early learning centre
Where parents are aware of an existing allergy, it should be drawn to the attention of the early learning centre’s staff at the time of the first engagement, including providing them with an estimation of the severity of symptoms to be expected.
Where the symptoms are minor and require only the provision of things such as a wiped nose and sympathy, this will be routine. The professional personnel involved will have seen such many times before!
If parents are aware of a specific allergen, the centre will try to avoid exposure to it at all times. However, in some instances, such as where grass pollens are the causal factor, that may be impossible to achieve.
Some early learning centres may be willing to apply emergency treatments if provided by parents in advance and with a doctor’s instructions – such as an epi-pen in a crisis. Assisting children with prophylactic treatment (e.g. creams or anti-histamines) might also be possible. However, some centres may not be able to offer such services for insurance or other reasons and policies here may vary significantly between establishments.
Most professional centres will have first-aid trained staff on-site to help should a problem arise.
If you’d like to know more about our policies regarding the treatment of allergies and other minor ailments, why not make an appointment to visit us for a discussion? We’d welcome the opportunity to show you around and discuss any questions you have.
