Lyme Disease and Learning

Have you been noticing that your child is struggling in class a little more than usual? Perhaps they are struggling to stay focused and get easily distracted? Did it ever cross your mind that the cause of this disruption could be the result of an infected tick bite?

When Lyme disease affects learning

With statistics showing that children age 5 to 9 are particularly susceptible to Lyme disease, tick-borne disease experts say parents and school officials should be aware that diseases transmitted to children by deer ticks can show up during the school year as fatigue, depression, irritability, distraction and other issues.

If you’ve had reports back from school to this nature, think about whether there have been any other symptoms that could be related to this tick borne disease. Has your child been complaining of any pain or feeling a little more exhausted than usual?

If you are concerned that your child may be showing the signs of Lyme disease, then seek medical attention. If a teacher reports back to you with an indication that your little one is having some difficulties in class then take this into consideration.

Ticks are everywhere and as we move in the fall, their population is forever on the increase.

Number of ticks continues to rise as fall tick season arrives

Lloyd says people will start to see ticks on themselves and their pets throughout October, November and December. “There’s certainly more ticks. And there are more ticks in places where there weren’t ticks, so the ticks are moving northward and that’s under the influence of climate change,” she said.

Ticks are a very real threat to us all, which is why it’s so important to check for ticks EVERY time you venture into a habitat where these tiny pests may lurk. And yes! that means even your back yard.