Chronic illness a small classroom liability

Study reveals local teachers' attitudes

Published January 26, 2004; Category: DARTMOUTH MEDICAL SCHOOL

Teachers have an overall positive attitude about having children with chronic illnesses in their classrooms, report Dartmouth Medical School researchers in the January issue of The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

With improved treatments and survival, children with complex chronic health conditions are likely to attend their local schools. They spend most of their days in the school system, according to the authors, led by Ardis L. Olson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and of Community and Family Medicine and a pediatrician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC).

Schools face challenges incorporating children with different illnesses into the classroom. However, little is known about the concerns of educators if children with chronic illnesses are in their classrooms.

The authors say health-care professionals can help provide information to educators who may have unrealistic concerns about the potential risks and complications of different chronic health conditions.

Olson and colleagues surveyed 384 school professionals (including 241 classroom teachers) in 23 elementary schools in six surrounding New Hampshire and Vermont communities served by DHMC. They measured the impact of having a child in the classroom with one of six chronic health conditions: AIDS, asthma, congenital heart disease, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy and leukemia.

Educators responded to 13 statements about the potential academic impact on the child, impact on peers, personal risk or liability, and extra time and demands for the teacher. The responses were scored based on the degree of perceived impact for each issue, and the proportion of teachers with negative perceptions on each issue.

The scores revealed an overall positive perception by school professionals about having children with chronic health conditions in the classroom. AIDS and epilepsy were seen as having the most impact and asthma the least impact.

Extra time and attention, and personal risk or liability were of the most concern to educators. Fifty-three percent were concerned about an emergency occurring with the child in the classroom, and 27 percent were concerned about legal liability. And, the researchers comment that they were surprised to find concerns about congenital heart disease that exceed the risk with school-aged children.

"Overall school professionals have positive attitudes about children with chronic health conditions in the classroom, but concerns about specific diseases and issues exist," the authors conclude. "If parents provide most of the disease information, some of the educators' concerns voiced in this study may not be addressed. Health-care professionals can help by providing educators with appropriate information about the risk and functional impact of childhood chronic health conditions."

Co-authors of the study are A. Blair Seidler, David Goodman, Richard Nordgren and Susan Gaelic.

By HALI WICKNER