The school environment in the experience of children with special health needs: a qualitative study.
Álida Maria de Oliveira Andreato, Eliane Tatsch Neves, Maiara Rodrigues Dos Santos and 2 others
PMID 39869760WHAT IT FOUND
Children with special health needs valued school for normality and friendship, but symptoms, absences, stigma, and pandemic risk made participation hard.
They used pacing, staff support, and self-care to keep going.
Key findings
01Children described school as a place for normality, learning, friendship, and support.
02Disease symptoms and peer stigma, including comments about appearance and fear of contamination, made school participation harder.
03Children described practical ways to keep going, such as stopping to rest and managing their own devices.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample of children from an outpatient clinic, so it may not represent children in other settings. Children with cognitive deficits, hearing impairments, or verbal communication deficits were excluded, so the study does not describe their school experience. Many children were not attending school in person during part of data collection because of pandemic restrictions. Parents or guardians accompanied every interview, which may have shaped what children said. Some interviews were interrupted and could not be resumed. Transcripts were not returned to participants for correction. The study did not evaluate nurse-delivered care or school interventions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as proof that school-based strategies improve attendance or development. The study describes children's perceptions in a qualitative sample and does not test an intervention.