scoliosis screening in school

[Terry63]

My daughter was diagnosed with scoliosis by her pediatrician during her annual physical last May (at the end of 6th grade), and was consequently confirmed by our orthopedist (30 degrees thoracic, 34 degrees lumbar, with rotation). We live in Maryland, where school screenings are only conducted during 7th grade. I feel very strongly that her scoliosis would have been picked up sooner if there had been a screening during 6th grade, when she had her growth spurt. If her condition would have been identified sooner, it's possible that the degree of her curves would not be as significant because she would have been braced sooner.

Although it's too late for my daughter, I'm trying to find out how to change the screening process at the state level to include screening for scoliosis during 6th grade. Seems like it should be easy, since the PE teachers do the screening at school and have already been trained....

Could you please post your state and which grade scoliosis screenings take place in school? Also, I would be interested in knowing if or how anyone else might have been able to change the policy to include screening at earlier grades. Thanks, and Happy New Year! Terry

[isaacschicky]

Hey!!

Hey! I live in Indiana and we get checked in 5th 7th and 9th grade. I got checked in 5th grade and that was like right when my growth spurt began and i was really lucky. But it would be a good idea to have it earlier in your case! I don't think they take those things serious enough! But good luck. I will be praying for ur doughter!

-hannah 13 IN

[Alleycat]

hey not every where in america checks for it. I moved after 7th grade to a new city, and during that summer my aunt (who has scoliosis) noticed my back was different and sholders were different on a vacation. If it wasn't for her, I could have had severe limitations. because my curve was 57 when I had surgery. but it was no thanks to the schools. I lived in Nashville, TN in 7th grade and no schools of my knowledge check for scoliosis until about a year ago. and only do now. If my school had checked in 7th grade they could have caught my curve before it even hit 30 degrees.

[Terry63]

Thank you all for your replies. It's amazing how standards are different in each area. It would be great if the NSF or other related organizations made some kind of national recommendation for screening in the schools at multiple grades. I'm still in the process of contacting people here to see what I can do. I'll keep people posted on any progress...Please continue to post your state and grade levels of screening at school and thanks!

Terry

[M.Armstrong]

Hi Terry,

I live in Mississippi. I am not sure if all schools in this state do routine checks are not. There is a local organization here that pushed for these routine checks. They are checked in the 5th grade and again in the 8th grade.

[michelle68]

So many screenings

I'm new to the board but not new to scoliosis. Mine was found
during a school screening in 1979.

I'm happy to see that schools are still doing this. I was in
the 6th grade and my curve could have been held more in
check except my HMOs doctors didn't know what to do
to treat it effectivly. I went through physical therapy and
electrode treatments before the decision was made for
a brace. I wore it until my Sr. year in high school.

-Michelle

[briarrose]

I live in Pennsylvania and they check in 7th grade.

[Terry63]

This is surprising me to learn that there aren't multiple checks through middle school. I have been in touch w/people at the state and county levels in MD. The latest is that the state regs mandate "at least one screening" during middle school. Since this does not rule out multiple screenings, I'm still going to push for it in my county.

[Abbi17]

Hey, I live in Ireland, I we dont get any checks in schools or anything! Which is kinna dumb really...I was only Diagnosed with scoliosis 2 months ago, cos I went to my G.P with a sore back!

[Mary Lou]

School screening

Hi Terry...
Like Briarrose, we too live in Pennsylvania and our school checks the children in seventh grade. My daughter's Scoliosis was found by our family doctor at her yearly check up. She had just turned 12 but about to enter seventh grade. I asked the school why they don't check until seventh grade and they said since children in PA are required to have a physical before starting sixth grade, they figured the doctors would be checking for it. Personally, I feel that my daughter's Scoliosis started when she was about 9 but wasn't bad enough to notice until she was 12. And our doctor has always checked my daughters for Scoliosis every year.
Mary Lou
P.S. I would like to see our children checked at the 4th or 5th grade level of school since they are maturing so much faster now a days.

[Terry63]

Well, I guess it's good that they do screen here at some point, but after all of my efforts, I've been told that they can't screen over multiple years because of lack of funding. Apparently, the expense kicks in because a specialist needs to follow up on kids that are flagged during the screening. It's too bad!

Terry

[Nicole]

In California, PUBIC schools are checking in 7th grade, unfortunately Private schools are not required to do a screening.

[Jules]

Hi
I live in England and there are no screenings in school at all and there is no public awareness of scoliosis, I only noticed mine by luck!
Love Jules xxxxxx

[ANIMAL LOVER12]

scoliosis school screenings

Hi,

I live in Ontario,Canada and our schools don't even do screenings for it. The only reason that I found out I had it was at my doctors office during a physical. We still found it at a pretty young age. In fact I was only six. I just entered the seventh grade and I can't imagine them finding my scoliosis now. They would be pretty alarmed at the size of the hump in my back. I do agree that they should start school screenings earlier in the united states and should start school screenings in canada, england, ireland etc. bye for now

[matt]

Louisiana

Hi. My name is Ross. I'm a 15 year old boy from Louisiana and the law here is that the children should be checked from 4th grade and up. I wasn't checked until the end of my 8th grade year, and the irony about that is that I was diagnosed with Scoliosis and Kyphosis that day before. I didn't go to school for 8 weeks because I had the Scoliosis surgery, and my friends told me that they haven't been checked this year either. I feel that my Scoliosis could have been detected earlier. So I wrote a letter to our school board superitendent telling him that there was some sort of problem. I haven't heard from him yet. I hope that he does something, otherwise I should take this to a higher level of administration. I don't want anyone to have to go through what I went through with the surgery and everything!

Take care!