My son seems tired very often. He is not very active, therefore, he is having problems at school. Sometimes he seems disoriented and a few times during those episodes, his blood sugar has been low, in the 50s mg/dl [2.8 to 3.2 mmol/L]. Does his behavior have anything to do with his blood sugar levels? His teacher feels that he is taking advantage of his condition. Is there anything I can do to help him become more active?

Lows will occasionally happen with any child that has type 1 diabetes. Treatment of these should be prompt and effective.

Children and parents can occasionally use diabetes as a crutch to make poor decisions in school. You should avoid that and discourage your son from using diabetes as a reason not to perform at an adequate level in school. However, there should also be a reasonable way to ensure that his diabetes, including the occasional low blood sugar, is treated adequately in school — with adequate provisions made for the occasional low blood sugars. If he is having frequent problems from his diabetes at school, I would encourage you to talk with his diabetes team to ensure his insulin dosing is working well to meet his needs.

MSB