This article originally featured in the Spring 2024 edition of Milestones, RCPCH’s quarterly magazine for paediatricians, and was written by Toby, Shreya and Xai.
Understanding the limitations and repercussions of dealing with long term health conditions in schools is important to us and we feel strongly we know our bodies best! Unnecessary punishments can affect our mental health and schoolwork, so we need school rules and processes adapted to help us with specific conditions. Here are three key concerns and how paediatricians can help.
Talk to us about:
1. Appointments. Scheduling appointments during the school day can have negative impact on our mental wellbeing and schoolwork. Many lessons are missed due to appointments. We cannot always catch up immediately when juggling other commitments, causing great stress.
2. Who knows what. In school we need to feel trusted when we need a break or when we say we cannot do something. For example, we may not have a parental note to give to the teacher in time, such as in a sports lesson and this needs to be accepted. We need discreet understanding amongst those who need to know exemption reasons, and not all of us are comfortable with class mates knowing.
3. In-class help. Sometimes we may need something extra to support class engagement. If someone needs larger text, for example, a suitable handout needs preparing, or perhaps a student can view the words on a phone or similar device.
Talking to us about these concerns in appointments and using a Care Plan as a key means of communication with schools to highlight and address these concerns would be really constructive in reducing stress and making a difference to us.
