Need Help With School Presentation On Celiac

[Benshell]

My daughter is going into 2nd grade and I've spoken to the teacher about her celiac and the precautions that need to be taken, not just with food (she knows what she can/can't eat), but with contamination, school supplies (glue, paint, etc..). The teacher was very nice and concerned and asked me to come into the class on the 2nd day of school to give a little talk to explain it to all the kids.

Any suggestions? I want to keep this brief, like 5 minutes. Explain that its not contagious, what happens when she gets sick, what she needs to be careful of. I'm also making gluten-free cookies so they can see/taste that there is no real difference (I can just see one of them yelling at her when she eats a sandwich, not knowing that it is made with gluten-free bread). I want to also hand out a worksheet/coloring page or puzzle. something for them to be able to bring home...any ideas/links for me to check out?

I'm glad the teacher is being so open to this and our school has been wonderful about it (offers gluten-free options for lunch).

Thanks.

[Lisa]

Here is a good source of information:

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[seezee]

If you think a video might be helpful there are some good ones here:

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This is a good video from the Mayo clinic:

These are some resources I found on cross contamination which is the hardest part for people to "get"

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with a graphic here:

http://www.theglutenfreefoodlist.com/site/images/stories/crosscontamdiagram.png

Kraft has a good reference for reading labels and what to look for:

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This is a good NPR story - radio broadcast:

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Best of luck. At Childrens Hospital Boston where we go they have materials for kids to do class presentations. You may want to contact them or your doctor. They may have prepared materials you can use.

[Mizzo]

If I had to explain it to 2nd graders,which by the way my daughter is going to be in 1 week I would say:

Celiac disease is an Autoimmune disorder : THAT MEANS....

When a person with Celiac eats a food with Wheat, Rye, Barley and "Oats" in it, they have a reaction in their intestines. The body cannot digest Gluten and fights it. This can cause belly pain, feeling tired a lot , loss of weight, a rash, bathroom problems etc.. whatever details you feel comfortable giving.

Show them a straw as an example of the Villi and when Gluten is eaten the "straw" flattens and can't "drink" all the good vitamins in the food they eat.

When the person stops eating Gluten the Villi "straw" grows back up and can "drink" the vitamins again.

Explain how a person with Celiac will never be able to Gluten again, that there is no cure.

Good luck. Make sure you leave it on a very high positive note for your girl.

Maureen