Consultations between Schools and Parents of Children with Food Allergies in Preparation for Entering Elementary School

Abstract

　To determine the kind of support required by parents of children with food allergies in preparation for entering elementary school, an investigation was conducted to elucidate the experiences of past parent discussions with the schools. The subjects were five mothers who had children（between Grades 1 and 3） with food allergies that required special attention during daily school life. Semi-structured interviews of the mothers were conducted to identify: i） the topics and timing of the discussions with the schools pertaining to entering elementary school; ii） approaches taken towards the children; and iii） current cooperation with the schools for daily school life.

　The findings of the investigation revealed that parents carried out the pre-entrance discussions by devising ways such as creating and presenting explanation documents to the schools and adopting an approach to be accepted by the school staffs. The parents tried to increase the awareness among their children to avoid coming into contact with allergens and taught them to take preventive actions for allergic symptoms. These results emphasize the need for support for parents that i） ensures the understanding of school staffs regarding the food allergy conditions of the children and ii） allows the submission of requests that take into consideration the school’s situation.