My nine year old son has had type 1 diabetes for a year and a half. He went low, 37 mg/dl [2.1 mmol/L], today at school during a math test. He was treated with two juice boxes and three candies. He returned to the test within 10 minutes. This is not our protocol. He should have had 15 grams of carbohydrates and retested in 15 minutes. He did poorly on the test. He is normally a very good student. Should I request he be given a re-take? Could a low blood sugar affect his concentration? I am in no way looking to take advantage, but I don’t want him to be at a disadvantage either. What is your opinion?

It is very important to have a provision included in your child’s Section 504 Plan providing for an alternate time to take a test when blood glucose levels are out of range. Optimal academic performance is beneficial to everyone – your child, your child’s teacher, and your child’s school. I recommend that you work with your child’s teacher to ensure that your child is provided with the option of taking an academic test at another time if his blood glucose level is out of his target range. Be reasonable and work with your child’s health care team to determine how far outside of your child’s range (5%, 10%, 20%, etc.) might have an adverse impact upon academic performance.

CJ
Additional comments from Dr. Matthew Brown:

Your school nurse should be able to assist you best with ensuring that he has an appropriate time to recover from a low blood sugar before proceeding with test taking. I’m not sure I have exact recommendations — except that this protocol should be in place prior to testing to ensure the best environment for your son.

MSB