Third Force News blog post, by Lesley Scott, 19 May 2017: For children with ME, school education can be a grave threat
Lesley Scott explains why the Scottish Government presumption that attending school is always best can affect the health of children with ME
Extract:
For children and young people with this illness, insistence on school attendance as required through the Scottish national framework GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child), can impede recovery and is a key cause of deterioration and relapse often to a greater severity. Many children miss out completely on education when, with a more appropriate response, they could have maintained education and recovered their health more quickly. For children with ME, what is known as energy efficient education, such as home education, home tuition, distance or virtual learning, can maximise achievement whilst protecting health.
Education provision needs to fit the child, not the other way around.
Lesley Scott is Scottish officer for the Young ME Sufferers (Tymes) Trust
