My 10 yr old has an anxiety and panic disorder as well as ADHD (she has a 504). She is participating this year in a program that is run by a non-profit and hosted at her school. The program consists of 1x weekly activities that take place concurrent with the afterschool program and a 1x monthly field trip that takes place during the school day. During the past two field trips, downhill skiing and cross country skiing, my daughter has expressed significant feelings of frustration that balloon into panic attacks/meltdowns. This has, at times, led to the need for a separation from the group with one-on-one support by staff or alone time. We do know that physical activities are challenging for her; she is not naturally coordinated. And being in a big group of other kids increases her stress on multiple fronts. However, she also says she likes doing these activities and she wants very badly to participate.
My question is about an email we were sent from the organization's Director of Programming. She summarized the difficulties my daughter has had on those trips, acknowledged they are aware of her anxiety, and said that a parent will be required to join during the next two "high intensity" field trips (mountain biking and a harbor island trip). I'm not opposed to chaperoning, but I am concerned by it being a requirement that will exclude my daughter from the field trips if we cannot attend. That said, this organization is separate from the school/district and so I'm not clear on whether this is a requirement they can set? I'd appreciate any insight. We're in MA.
In any case, I'm keeping this as documentation of the degree of her needs. She's academically ahead of grade level and scores extremely high on cognitive tests, so her deficits and struggles tend to get downplayed.
