Q: Our youngest child has developed a stammer since he went to school. At first, we thought it was temporary but now we are wondering if it will continue. He is a very quiet, shy child. Who can help?
Kildare mother.
A: Since this is a very recent development, I would hold on just a little longer and see if he grows out of it. Nobody knows what exactly causes stammering but it has been established that one child in 20 develops some form of stammering before the age of five. Most of them grow out of it.
However, if a stammer is not treated fairly quickly, it can persist into adulthood when it's more difficult to overcome. Could you or his teacher pinpoint when stammering occurs? Perhaps some particular situation causes it.
If you make no progress very soon, I would contact a speech therapist. Therapy is generally very successful for under-fives.
The Irish Association for Stammers provides information and a better understanding of the condition. It can be contacted at (078) 20308. You could also contact the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT) at 4 Argus House, Greenmount Office Park, Harold's Cross, Dublin 6W - phone (01) 473 0398. IASLT will provide you with a list of therapists near you.
Q: I'm 20 years old and have trained for the hotel industry. I'd like to work in Europe for a few years. I'm especially interested in France. Whom should I contact to start looking for work?
Wexford graduate
A: You could start by contacting EURES for information on employment opportunities in any member state of the EU and in the four countries in the European Economic Area - Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden. A Europe-wide network of over 450 specially trained placement officers will be able to advise you on living and working in these countries.
A central database of job vacancies is available in each EU member state and email provides rapid and easy communication. For your area the contact person is at the FAS Training Centre, Industrial Estate, Waterford - phone (051) 872961.
Most member states will allow you six months to look for a job but some are still allowing only three. If, for instance, you moved to France without having work, you could continue to draw the Irish unemployment benefit which you are now drawing for a further three months. You will be issued with an €303 form by your social security office which you then take to whichever country in which you wish to work. If you don't find work, you must return to Ireland within three months or lose your benefit.
Alternatively, you can choose to stay on longer if you are actively seeking work but you will not get unemployment benefit.
In France, once you have registered at your nearest Agence Nationale pour l'Emploi (ANPE), you should check newspapers, private agencies, local hotels and restaurants and any personal contact you may have.
Don't forget to take your €111 health insurance form with you. If you stay longer than three months in France, you must apply for a carte de sejour (residence permit) at your local police station or town hall.
Q: One of the little boys I teach in third class has leukaemia and has had chemotherapy treatment. His parents say he will be able to return to school in a month or so. I'm worried about how to handle the situation in the classroom. Where can I get some guidance?
Young Kerry teacher
A: It will help if you have an open discussion with the parents before he comes back to school. If possible, try and visit him at home and get an update on all that has happened since he was last in school.
Once the parents and the child have agreed, you could then prepare the class by explaining what being very sick means and then what cancer means, what treatment is involved, what side effects he has and how he will look when he gets back to school.
An open approach is probably one of the best ways to avoid hurtful comments. You will also need to be aware of the implications for his brothers and sisters if they are in the same school, to know how much they know and to offer support.
Most children suffer hair loss to some extent, so it helps to prepare the other children for this. Another factor could be significant weight loss or gain - again, it helps to prepare the other children for these changes in appearance.
Generally, it would not be necessary for a child to take medication while in school but do check with the parents. You should also have the telephone number of the child's GP in case you cannot reach the parents.
Some children on chemotherapy may be tired or nauseous and unable to stay in school all day or be unable to enjoy physical activity. They should be encouraged to do as much as they can cope with comfortably and not to feel different from the rest of the class.
It's important that the boy should know that he is expected to behave properly so that he is not seen to be different from his peers.
If he is falling behind in school work because he has missed substantial periods of schooling, the Department of Education and Science can provide home tuition, generally for a maximum of five hours weekly. This can be provided by a teacher from his own school so you may be interested in doing this yourself.
If absence from school is more sporadic, say, because of regular hospitalisation rather than a prolonged absence at home, a structured programme could be drawn up between you and the teacher in the hospital. This will help him to keep up with the rest of the class and to adjust more easily when he returns to school. It helps such children to feel part of the class if letters and cards are used to keep in touch when in hospital.
If he is happy to share his hospital experiences, this can help. However, it's most important to ask the child how much information he would like you to pass on and to whom. Some excellent booklets and materials are available from the Irish Cancer Society which can be contacted at 5 Northumberland Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 - phone (01) 668 1855.
Queries can be answered only through this column and not by phone or post. Write to Sile Sheehy, Education & Living, The Irish Times, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 - or by email to education@irish-times.ie
