Online 60 min Teacher Training

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE YOUNG ME SUFFERERS TRUST
May be reposted

Please find information below about this initiative. If you can, please
bring it to the notice of schools, home tutors and parents in your area.

Those of our Partner Groups who have email addresses should have already
received a formal Press Release. If any other ME Groups wish to be emailed
the Press Release, please email Jane off-list and it will be sent as an
attachment, along with further information about the Trust.
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LIVE ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING SEMINAR
19 September 2006
In supporting pupils with ME/CFS

Is it possible to raise the educational achievement of children with ME and
support their health, both at the same time?

Aiming to help children with ME get better whilst also achieving top grades
seems rather like asking for the moon.

The answer lies in the nature of the illness itself. ME causes more long
term sickness absence than any other illness - pupils are physically fragile
and lowered blood flow to the brain affects their memory and concentration.
Consequently, much of the time they could be learning is spent recovering at
home, and much of the time they are in school they cannot concentrate
properly.

Work with these factors, rather than struggle against them, and teachers can
not only reduce stress on the child and minimise misunderstandings between
families and teachers, they can learn to focus on the positive - on what can
be achieved, rather than on what can't.

Few teachers are trained in dealing with ME - they are often erroneously
told it's 'all in the mind' or in some way not serious. But the most severe
cases of childhood ME are partially paralysed, bed or wheelchair bound, and
need tube-feeding.

The good news is that educating a child who is recovering from ME is not
rocket science, but teachers do need to know all the tricks - how to work
with the illness, not against it.

Details of the seminar and further information is below. Teachers need set
aside only one hour and a group of teachers may join together for just one
registration fee. It is hoped that, through this training and any future
sessions, teachers will build confidence in dealing with ME pupils and see
rewarding results.

One teacher has already won an award for supporting a pupil with ME after
studying with Jane Colby. As a former headteacher, a former severe ME
patient, and a member of the Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on
CFS/ME, Jane Colby has specialised in education for children with ME for
many years.
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FURTHER DETAILS

This is a new Training Initiative from Nisai Education and The Young ME
Sufferers Trust.

The first online training seminar for anyone supporting students with ME/CFS
will take place on Tuesday 19th September 2006 between 2pm and 3pm. The
seminar will be given by former headteacher Jane Colby, Executive Director
of the Young ME Sufferers Trust and a major contributor to the Dept of
Health Report of 2002. This will be a live, online event open to anyone
equipped with a standard computer with a Windows operating system and
Internet access.

There are an estimated 25,000 children in the UK suffering from ME/CFS,
which is the biggest cause of long-term medical absence in schools; 90% of
calls to the Trust's Advice Line concern difficulties with education, and
this is cited as a key cause of relapse.

Cases often appear in clusters, so if you have one case you're likely to
have more and it may be difficult to understand how you can best support
these students. In this seminar Jane Colby will cover the following topics:

a.. The nature of ME/CFS and its neurological effects on brain and body
b.. How the illness affects life, learning patterns and capability
c.. How to meet the school's Duty of Care and deliver the child's
educational rights
d.. Adjusting educational provision in order to avoid further damage

Groups of teachers may take part together in their own schools or homes, for
one fee per group. Parents are welcome to register also. Register at
www.tymestrust.org or tel 01245 401080.

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ME AND EDUCATION

Up to 25,000 UK children may have ME. Education is a key cause of relapse.

In 1997, ME was found to be the biggest cause of Long Term Sickness Absence
from School in a study of over 333,000 UK pupil records. (Dowsett and Colby,
Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 1997).

The severest cases are bedbound, may need to be tube-fed, and are unable to
undertake any school work. As children start recovering they are fragile and
easily made ill again, so the Chief Medical Officer's Working Group Report
(2002) recommended education in the home for many children with ME.

Teachers and home tuition services need specialist knowledge
a) to avoid setting children's health back, whether they are working at home
or at school, and
b) to maximise the educational results children can achieve.

Jane Colby
Executive Director
The Young ME Sufferers Trust
PO Box 4347
Stock Ingatestone
Essex CM4 9TE
Tel 01245 401080
www.tymestrust.org