I am currently student teaching in an elementary special education classroom. I was diagnosed with severe Narcolepsy and Cataplexy in 2016. I have a student in the class who based on my experience (not officially diagnosed) who has Narcolepsy.
Here's a little background information.. She is falling asleep in class and can be asleep in seconds and not wake up when you try to wake her up. When we bring this up to mom she claims that she wakes up in the middle of the night, steals somebody's… read more
Tred carefully. Occurrence rate in general public is one in 2K. You are ‘identifying’ with the kid and that’s good, but be careful you don’t over-extend.
keep her as busy as you can.
Allowing the child to get water or go to the bathroom may help so that she can move around a bit. Also if you had a random time each day that everyone in your class room stood up and stretched or something for just a minute (like they do for long tests) might be beneficial. Hope this helps!
Get her a standing desk Direct questions toward her to keep her “on her toes”.
I'm on the same page as some others. If possible keep the student moving and active physically & mentally. Sitting / any form of relaxing (for myself anyway) has always been extremely difficult for me to do without falling asleep, with or without meds doesn't matter. Once I get out of bed I try to stay on my feet so long as I need to be awake, productive, etc. Hope the student gets the help they need soon. God bless you for caring about your students!!