Creative Tutors of Wake County, North Carolina

The Five Illnesses That Affect School Attendence - #5 Sore Throat

August is here and most of the year round schools are in full swing with traditional calendar schools gearing up for their first day.  Families are making school preparations, too. Classrooms crowded with kids are ideal environments for germ growth.  Here are the top 5 illnesses that cause children to miss school and ways you can prepare: common cold, stomach flu, ear infections, conjunctivitis and sore throats.

Follow up:

Sore Throat - Sore throats have a variety of etiologies.  Typically, a sore throat is a symptom of another problem, such as the common cold or allergies.  Strep Throat, on the other hand, is the result of a bacterial infection.  Symptoms of Strep Throat include fevers over 101°F, painful or difficulty with swallowing, red throat that may have white spots or patches.  Your child must be seen by a pediatrician for antibiotic treatment.

Ways to prevent Sore Throat include:
-Address any allergies the child may have.
-Wash your hands often with soap and water.  If this is not possible, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and use as needed.
-At the first sign of discomfort, have the child gargle with warm salt water
(1 teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water.)

If your child has a sore throat....
-Choose a good throat lozenge.  The best for sore throats are ones that have glycerin to keep the throat tissue hydrated.  Lozenges with mint or menthol tend to be drying and are bad for the larynx.
-Keep the nose clear with steam, saline nose drops and suctioning during colds and other upper respiratory infections.
-If there is a chance the child has a Strep Infection, follow up with your pediatrician for and exam and possible antibiotic treatment.

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Meet Kim Ashby | Owner

Kim Ashby earned a BS in Nursing from The Catholic University of America and, when she worked outside the home, was a Certified Emergency Nurse with a special interest in trauma nursing. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband and three sons. The Ashbys have home schooled their children since 1999. They graduated their oldest son in May 2007. He is attending UNC Wilmington. Kim continues to home school her younger boys. Her oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was in the public school system in the second grade. Her second son has cerebral palsy which has resulted in multiple/global developmental delays. Her youngest son has undiagnosed, mild auditory processing issues.

Kim has co-instructed graduate level courses at UNC Chapel Hill for ST/OT students and Early Intervention students. She is the founder and President of the Board of Directors of GIFTSNC, Inc., a home schooling special needs support group. Kim has presented workshops at a variety of state home school conferences as well as local support group parent meetings and is often a guest speaker at homeschool conferences and is found on many guest speaker lists including Balancing the Sword. She is a Steering Committee member and former Treasurer for Dayspring Home Educators in Cary, NC. She served on the Board of Directors for the Family Support Network of Wake County. She holds a North Carolina Wildlife Permit for Small Mammal Rehabilitation and enjoys working with orphaned and injured wildlife.

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Mark Twain