If your child is a burn victim/survivor, going back to school can be a source of fear and anxiety for him or her. It may be useful to reintroduce them to their peers by asking a few close friends for a visit before returning to school. Burn Foundations throughout the country have developed school reentry programs for children suffering from burn injuries. These programs help prepare and educate teachers, counselors, and peers. During these programs, children with burn injuries answer questions and feel empowered in the process.

As teens rely so much upon their peers, teen burn victims/survivors may benefit from support groups with other teens, or from attending a burn camp. Burn camps are located throughout the United States. You can find information about them by searching the Internet or by requesting information from the burn/trauma unit that treated your child.

For the first months and perhaps the first couple of years following a burn injury, both children and parents will naturally struggle with treatments, rehabilitation, and healing. Over time, children with burn injuries will undergo multiple surgeries because their grafts will not grow as they grow. Healing is therefore an enduring and ongoing process. When parents foster independence but balance this with an appropriate level of support, their children seem to respond positively and adjust to their circumstances.

Source: MADD www.madd.org