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18% of children with special health care needs miss 11 or more days of school each year due to illness.

Educational System

photoFor children with chronic conditions and/or special health care needs, the educational process is not always an easy journey. Coordinating the child's medical care and his or her educational needs can be difficult and frustrating.

How to do what is best for the child, educationally as well as medically, is often a puzzle for the child, his or her parents and the educators themselves. The needs of children with chronic conditions are as varied and complex as their individual conditions.

Complicating factors include missing school for medical appointments or diagnostic testing, completing evaluations, assessing the need for academic support or accommodations, enhancing parental knowledge of educational rights, secondary educational needs and transition issues.

Open communication and coordination of care provide a map that can help make the child's educational journey a more successful one—for the child, his or her parents and for the child's educators.

Unfortunately, in many incidences, the current system is anything but coordinated. Without coordination, communication and collaboration, children with special health care needs and their families cannot utilize services to the best of their ability, maximize the children's potential or provide them with optimal health.

One result of the current fragmented system of care is that one out of five young adults with a disability does not graduate from high school.

Providing a good education provides children with positive outcomes and the potential for a better life. Addressing a child's educational needs and accessing the right type of education is essential.

Children with chronic conditions and/or special health care needs often need certain accommodations to address their specialized needs. A number of resources are available to help children, families and educators make the necessary adaptations that can enable the child to receive the best education possible.

Some of the educational resources that are available include:

  • Individualized Educational Plans (IEP)
  • Written Service Agreements ("504")
  • Cyber Schools
  • Charter Schools
  • Home Schooling

Appropriately utilizing these resources and helping children achieve their ultimate goals helps to ensure not only a positive future for the children, but also the future of the community at large.

You can learn more about these and other resources by visiting our Educational Resources page for more detailed information and/or referrals.