If child in private school is skipping school, will truancy laws be applied?

[pawpawpatch]

Originally Posted by Mattie

Because private schools aren't dependent on state funding, I would have thought they had some leeway on truancy. But, it doesn't appear that way.
The GA truancy laws:

http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/policy_attendance_law.pdf?p=4BE1EECF99CD364EA55540 55463F1FBBF5D074D5FB1F2CAEB3B63B3ECB220CDD26C2114F 3C57D8D2FF6221E1595A0EB9&Type=D (broken link)

Mattie,
Thank you for that! I had not found that info anywhere.

I recently found this stuff, though:

20-2-690 - Georgia 20-2-690 - Georgia Code :: Justia Look at subpart (b)(5)

http://law.justia.com/georgia/codes/20/20-2-690.1.html Look at subparts (c) and (d) -- especially (d), which says "it shall be their duty to file proceedings in court to enforce this subpart".

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by pawpawpatch

RainyDay, maybe I did not make myself clear. You are right that the child has veered off the path toward becoming an independent, capable adult. But "out of control" ? I don't think so. Are you envisioning a juvenile delinquent or a wild kid? Someone cutting school and meeting drug dealers on a corner, perhaps? If you are thinking along those lines, that's way, way off the mark. I'm sorry for writing anything that led you to that conclusion.

We are talking about a naive, innocent, emotionally immature, smart-with-special-needs teen who is sleeping excessively and is not getting to school for that reason. IMO, excessive sleeping that is getting worse is a physical symptom, and should be treated as that. Unless it's intentional, it should not be treated as a disciplinary/truancy issue.

Thanks, pawpaw - what an unusual medical problem. I hadn't envisaged a juvenile delinquent or meeting drug dealers on a corner, but I had read the situation as a refusal to attend school, not an inability to wake up.

[CMMom]

I'll be honest: given the details you gave above, I would definitely seek out a second opinion regarding the need for a sleep study. Whenever a problem (either medical or psychological, doesn't matter) starts to interfere with a child's functioning, it's time to intervene and dig deeper. They might consider asking to see a specialist (maybe an endocrinologist to investigate hormonal issues, etc...?). I'm no MD, but I'm sure that there are a variety of disorders that could result in daytime and excessive sleepiness. I would just hate to see the symptoms addressed, but the root cause of the problem ignored. JMHO.

[pinetreelover]

Originally Posted by pawpawpatch

One person here recommended getting a sleep study. That requires a doctor's order. Parents have now raised that issue with the doctor, but he declined to order the study, at least for now.
What do you guys think?

Go to the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta website, www.choa.org and use the physician finder feature to find a pediatric sleep specialist. This kid needs a complete sleep evaluation including a sleep study. Don't wait on your pediatrician to order the study - see a pediatric sleep specialist!

[globalnomad]

The news has been full of a story about a teen in England with "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome". In her case, she sleeps for days at a time:

Rare Disease Causes Teen to Sleep for Weeks at a Time - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News - FOXNews.com

This is a neurological condition.

Sometimes parents don't know how to operate within the medical system.

If you employ the right words like "something seriously neurological is going on" (medical language) rather than "we can't get him out of bed" (sounds like a non-medical, teen behavior problem), then you may get help quickly rather than waiting for months.

I'd see a pediatric neurologist ASAP if it were my child.

[globalnomad]

Here's some more information on Kleine-Levin syndrome (Sleeping Beauty syndrome):

Kleine–Levin syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A 2008 study of 108 KLS patients found that the majority of cases were present in adolescent males, with a mean sex ratio of 3:1. The average age of onset was 15.7 years, with 81.7% experiencing their first episode between 10 and 20 years of age.

Diagnosis of KLS is very difficult since there are no symptoms that allow for a positive diagnosis. KLS is instead a diagnosis of exclusion, where a doctor must first eliminate a long list of other conditions that could mimic the symptoms.

Because hypersomnia is the primary symptom, many patients are initially treated for a sleeping disorder.

Potential KLS patients are often referred to an endocrinologist early on to check for metabolic problems including diabetes and hypothyroidism. Several other disorders can also mimic KLS symptoms, but many can be positively diagnosed by MRI—including ones caused by a lesion, tumor, or inflammation. Multiple sclerosis also has neurological components that can mimic the symptom profile for KLS.

People with KLS are often mistakenly diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. The periods of somnolence, hyperphagia, and withdrawal can mimic severe depression, and some people experience a brief period of high energy following these episodes which looks like a manic episode, so that some patients are incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. There can also be a number of other mood symptoms or perceptual disturbances which mimic primary psychiatric disorders. Narcolepsy and Klüver-Bucy syndrome can also produce similar symptom profiles. Before a final diagnosis can be made, all other possibilities must be carefully excluded, and the cluster of symptoms must fit with those commonly observed in KLS patients

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by globalnomad

If you employ the right words like "something seriously neurological is going on" (medical language) rather than "we can't get him out of bed" (sounds like a non-medical, teen behavior problem), then you may get help quickly rather than waiting for months.

I'd see a pediatric neurologist ASAP if it were my child.

Perfectly put, GN. Until the OP elaborated, I'd been reading the original description as a behavior and/or mental health problem.

[pawpawpatch]

cmmom, pinetreelover, globalnomad, & rainyday,
Thank you all! I'm blown away by that "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome" and the fact that it's more prevalent in adolescent males. It doesn't sound like an exact match, but seems very, very close. Certainly closer to a bulls eye than anything I've found. I don't watch Fox, so I would not have heard of it without you.

I kind of hope this teen's problem turns out to be narcolepsy or something like that instead of Sleeping Beauty. Narcolepsy is bad, but at least there's some treatment available that might lead to better functioning and ability to attend school regularly. Sleeping Beauty seems to be a much worse disorder, appears to be untreatable and uncontrollable. But whatever this boy's problem is, it needs to be diagnosed accurately so the boy and his family can know what to do and what to expect.

Thank you all for the advice on what to say, what terminology to use, when describing the problem to doctors. That may make all the difference in the world in getting a sleep study and effective treatment. I'm going to print out your posts about that.

Bypassing the primary doctor and scheduling an appointment with a sleep study doctor -- that sounds smart to me. I don't know whether the family's health insurance plan will allow them to do that, but it might. I'll try to find out.

For most of the coming week, I will be out of town and unable to keep up my end of this discussion. I'll check back when I can, and I'll let you know what I find out about insurance, sleep study, etc.

Thanks again! You guys are great! Very helpful!

[lastminutemom]

Check also to see if the family's insurance policy would at least let them to straight to a pediatric neurologist, if a prescription must be written for the sleep study.

If the pediatrician has to be the doorkeeper, then have them ask for a referral to a ped. neurologist. If the pediatrician refuses, it it time to change doctors.

They could also go the route of a psychiatrist who could also order a sleep study.

Good luck.

[pawpawpatch]

I just stumbled across this old thread and wanted to post an update. The parents DID get a sleep study for the child, but it showed nothing abnormal. The excessive sleep/lethargy/missing school problem continued for another year until the child wound up under the care of a different psych doctor temporarily. That doctor reviewed the child's medications and decided to try switching the child from one antidepressant to another. The medication change did the trick! Within a short time, the problem resolved and has not returned! The child now responds to alarm clock, gets himself up in the morning, never misses school, and is very rarely tardy. He seems more alert and more engaged all day long, sleeps well but not excessively, and gets himself up in the morning. So ... good news! This boy is no longer on a path toward failure and dropping out.