Do I have a sleeping disorder?

Can my sleeping disorder send me to jail for truancy?

• First off I want to say I am not looking for excuses, just researching for future use. Today I had a truancy board meeting for 1 of my 3 kids for 21 tardies, however I did have them go ahead and do my other 2 cause I knew it was inevitable. I have a couple of questions. Can my sleeping disorder explain the tardiness in a court room? Should I mention my disorder with the risk of a judge thinking my kids are at risk and being investigated? Are there any exceptions to excuse truancy? Will the truancy board understand my disorder will never go away? Should I really have to possibly do jail time for something that is not controllable? I told the truancy board today very little, just that I have a medical condition & being treated, but I can't promise my kids will never be late again, only that I can try. I have a medically diagnosed sleeping disorder, it is a form of narcolepsy. I am being treated for it with meds. My disorder is manageable during the day with my meds, but the unmanageable part is getting me to wake up after sleeping all night. I wish there was a pill for that cause trust me I'm just as tired of over sleeping as the school is of me over sleeping. I cannot hear alarms or any noises when I'm asleep, and it is extremely hard to wake me up quite often. Sometimes it can take hours for someone to wake me up. I've had this disorder my entire life but only been diagnosed for 3 years. The disorder also gets worse with age, never goes away, and doesn't have a cure. I am not suppose to live alone b/c I can't here a fire alarm, sirens, etc. I do live with my mom, and she's a big help. Last semester we had only 3 tardies, but since my mom's been out of state since January with her dying mother, we have gotten 18 tardies. I do not struggle with this every morning, usually just 2-3 days a week. My kids ages are 11, 10, & 5. I am not afraid to be investigated by DCS b/c we were involved with them the past 2 yrs dealing with abuse my kids received from their father. I am worried that they my not understand my disorder. Finally, I want to add for those that will post rude or negative comments, I want my kids at school & not at home making a mess lol. My kids all have awesome grades and are on task if not ahead of their age level. Yes I know my kids could get into trouble or hurt w/o me knowing cuz I'm asleep (that's how I got a diagnosis finally), and this is why I have not lived alone since. My kids know all about my disorder and know how to contact help if needed. No I can't just wake up or train myself to hear an alarm, if I could I wouldn't be in this predicament. No I'm not just lazy and like sleeping or don't want to wake up. Since I have been on my meds and not sleeping 16-18 hrs a day, I don't know how I ever functioned before. It wasn't til I started being treated that I fully understood how severe my disorder was and how many dangers could of happened. Any comments, opinions, or suggestions are appreciated. Wanted to add I go to bed every night at 9:30 so staying up late isn't a factor. Also it took 6 mos to get my diagnosis, not just a one time office visit. I had to go to a sleep specialist and do 4 night studies and 3 day time studies before and meds or conclusions were given and made. I still see this specialist on a monthly visit.

• Answer:

  No, your "sleeping disorder" is not an excuse. If it were so, then everyone who stays up too late playing video games would have a "sleeping disorder".