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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect TA to know about threadworms?

44 replies

WLmum · 05/03/2012 10:15

Discovered on fri eve that dd (age 4) has threadworms. Have treated us all and following all recommendations etc. Went into school this am to be a responsible parent and tell them, class teacher wasn't in yet so spoke to teaching assistant. Not sure how long she's been there but certainly since dd started and am pretty sure she has kids of her own, and school nurse talked about threadworms at parent induction and stats are that 40./. Of primary kids will have threadworms at any one time....I told TA and she said what's that then? I've never come across that! I was v shocked! Opinions?

OP posts:
southeastastra · 05/03/2012 10:15

er well she knows now! isn't that how we all learn?

CogitoErgoSometimes · 05/03/2012 10:18

YABU.... I've heard of threadworms but have never come across them IRL. Wouldn't have a clue what to do with a child that had them. Maybe you should have spoken to the school nurse?

bibbityisaporker · 05/03/2012 10:19

I have children of 11 and 8 and they have never had threadworms so I don't know much about them either!

KatAndKit · 05/03/2012 10:21

She's a teaching assistant, not a nurse!

I'd have expected her to know about them from general knowledge/experience, but her job is not relevant to that. TAs often work part time and are not paid to attend out of hours events like parent induction.

buttonmoon78 · 05/03/2012 10:23

Mine are obviously dirty beasts then!

DD1 has them in year2 and when I sent her into school following treatment (as per gp's advice) and she had a bit of a gripey tummy (common side effect with anti worm meds) her teacher rang me and asked for her to be taken home as she was unhygienic Shock. She didn't like it much when I told her it was probably from one of the children in her class that she got them!

TheRhubarb · 05/03/2012 10:25

TA's only receive the most basic of training and none of that training includes a brief guide to child health problems. In fact most TA's haven't even had basic First Aid training.

So yes, you are being unreasonable. A TA is there to support the teacher and help implement the lessons being taught. They are not the school nurse. You might as well say, am I being unreasonable for expecting all parents to know about threadworms? I wouldn't have a clue.

ReallyTired · 05/03/2012 10:26

Lots of children (and their parents!) have threadworms without knowing about it. It is one of those things that people are even more embrassed about than nits. Unlike nits threadworms are not easy to detect. Parents don't normally look up their kids' arse in the dead of night.

Threadworms are harmless. A child is not going to die from them, but the thought is hideous.

mumblechum1 · 05/03/2012 10:28

I'd never heard of threadworms till a couple of years ago, through MN, and have been a parent for almost 20 years.

So YABU.

FlossieTeacakeShouldFakeIt · 05/03/2012 10:29

I'm a TA, and although I've heard of threadworms I dont know anything about them. I have two dc, but they have never had any kind of worm. TAs don't all have training, and although there are TA courses, I have no idea if they would cover this. My nursery nurse training didn't.

There is no reason why she should know if she has never had to deal with it.

ShatnersBassoon · 05/03/2012 10:30

YABU. I've never encountered threadworms, and would need some advice from someone who knows about them if there was a chance I'd have to deal with them.

Are you saying the TA is obtuse or very forgetful? You seem to think she must have had to deal with threadworms at some point.

Ephiny · 05/03/2012 10:32

I'd never heard of them until reading about them on MN! Wouldn't be at all surprised if a TA or teacher didn't know about them (would be a different matter if it was a nurse or doctor, but you don't expect a TA to have more medical knowledge than the average person).

LilacWaltz · 05/03/2012 10:33

I don't know what you expect the teacher or TA to do with the threadworm info though?

AwkwardMary · 05/03/2012 10:36

WHat Lilac said. Why did you tell her? I don't suppose she will implement extra hand washing will she?

CupOfBrownJoy · 05/03/2012 10:38

YABU - I'm a teacher and have heard of them but wouldn't have a clue what they are or what to do about them...

If one of the children in my class had them, I would ask other members of staff what do to, or Google.

Whatmeworry · 05/03/2012 10:43

She's a teaching assistant, not a nurse!

The way some parents go on on MN it seems they expect TAs to be teachers, nurses, surrrogate mohers, psychologists, sociologists, DiY experts and personal assustants.

SoFarWeAreEqual · 05/03/2012 10:55

Am I the only one who initially read TA as Territorial Army and wondered why they should know about threadworms?

mumblechum1 · 05/03/2012 10:55

I'd be surprised if that statistic of 40% of children having them at any one time is correct, tbh, unless we're talking third world countries.

Agincourt · 05/03/2012 10:58

My youngest is constantly catching them and tbh I have never had much of problem before he started a very naice middle class village pre school. I have now convinced myself they are a problem of the middle classes Wink :o

Agincourt · 05/03/2012 10:59

SoFarWeAreEqual :o it's part of their training donchaknow. It's a terrible problem in Afghanistan

SoFarWeAreEqual · 05/03/2012 11:05

Agincourt - Well I've learnt something new today :o

Cherriesarelovely · 05/03/2012 12:11

My DD has had them a few times and funnily enough I was talking to my friend about it and she was sort of "The world expert" on them! It was so interesting! Anyway, she said to me "but you are a teacher, how come you don't know all this?" I must admit that I have been teaching for 15 years and not a single parent has ever talked to me about it! I'm sure the children do get them, they just dont tell me.

TheRhubarb · 05/03/2012 12:15

I should imagine that there is very little the school can do other than reinforce rigorous hand washing after the children have been to the toilet and before eating. They could also put something in the newsletter to remind parents to reinforce this message at home. But children are children and if it's infectious it will no doubt spread - all the knowledge in the world regarding tapeworms won't stop that.

betterwhenthesunshines · 05/03/2012 12:33

Tapeworms are NOT the same as threadworms!

Threadworm eggs are found very commonly, even in household dust. My son (10) has never had a problem with them but my DD (7) seems to get them all the time and them can never sleep at night about 2-3 times a year. Then we treat the whole family, sheets towels etc and it's OK until next time. Her handwashing after the loo is fine.

Yuk alert! Last time she complained I had a look, fairly confident that I wouldn't be able to see anything as I never had in the past. And there was a little tiny wriggler just on her vulva. I had to be sooooo restrained to not go running screaming from the room and act as if it was all normal while I got rid of it with some cotton wool... not sure if I'll ever recover to be honest. And I'm usually pretty un-squeamish.

TroublesomeEx · 05/03/2012 12:38

I'm a teacher.

I know naff all about threadworms!

We'd better let someone know that the PGCE needs a new module!!!

LilacWaltz · 05/03/2012 12:38

Many of our children will have them.... And us. They ate rife in schools and I have never seen our school hand out letters if a patent reports s child has them, as it's so common!

And they spread so easily.