How to Educate a Student With Chronic Renal Failure

Students with chronic renal failure no longer have enough use of their kidneys to survive. Patients with kidney failure must replace their kidney function with a time-consuming treatment called dialysis, which is basically cleaning of their blood; this process usually takes a large part of each week in transportation to and from the clinic. Sitting in the dialysis chair for 4 hours, three times a week typically, the student does have an opportunity to follow nontraditional education curricula, such as homeschooling courses, or mix with regular in-person classes. Other options have been developed as well.

Things You'll Need

• Dialysis social worker
• Homeschooling curriculum
• School system counselor
• iPad/tablet computer

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Instructions

• 1

  Consider dialysis options: 1) the traditional 4-hour clinic dialysis, three times a week; 2) home dialysis; and 3) peritoneal dialysis. After medical considerations, some options may allow regular school attendance since the dialysis treatment is not performed during the daytime or does not interfere with schooling.

• 2

  Plan for the ups and downs of kidney disease, no matter what dialysis method is chosen. Be sure to involve the school counselor, dialysis social worker and student in discussing how to handle daily schooling and occasional difficult days.

• 3

  Design a balanced education plan based on the student's medical, social and educational needs. Social life is important to development, so leaning toward school attendance may be a good idea.

• 4

  Incorporate a computer and Internet-based courses in the educational process, if the student will be "in the chair" for long periods of time as in traditional clinic dialysis. A tablet computer may be best, since it can be secured and used with one hand if the access (dialysis port) limits the movement of one arm.

• 5

  Proceed as a team, using the social worker as an interface between the medical and educational worlds, helping to balance stress and educational progress and make adjustments as needed.

• 6

  Plan for college several years in advance, if possible, to apply for scholarships, learn about disability support at universities and locate dialysis centers near colleges under consideration.

• 7

  Make sure your student gets to take field trips as part of homeschooling or with her class to get a chance to have diverse experiences.