Managing chronic fatigue syndrome in children

An exploration of secondary school teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about adolescent children with chronic fatigue syndrome

“…It has been suggested that CFS is the commonest current cause of long-term school non-attendance (Wright, Williams and Partridge, 1999). Marcovitch (1997) states that children with other serious illnesses, including malignancies, cystic fibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis, may have surprisingly little time off school in comparison. Home tuition is often made available for children with chronic fatigue.…”

Chronic fatigue syndrome

“…In the Buffalo cohort nearly 38% of affected children missed more than six months of school 37. An editorial in the British Medical Journal makes the point that many children with other serious illnesses including malignancies, cystic fibrosis, and rheumatological disorders may have surprisingly little time away from school in comparison 69. Some workers have suggested that chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common current cause of long term school non-attendance,70 although this was a questionnaire based study with a relatively low number (37%) of respondents and should therefore be treated with caution.…”

“…As with adults,32 most doctors working with such children are keen to announce the merits of professionals cooperating 69. In children, this means child health teams working together with child mental health teams 33…”

“…Home tuition may interfere with a return to school and all the attendant benefits that arise from being back at school,2 but some workers endorse it in some circumstances 69. Short periods of time at school are preferable to none at all.…”

Chronic fatigue syndrome and children

“…The label itself is not the problem, but what follows. If the label is used as a way of stopping increasingly fruitless diagnostic investigations, and instead taking a careful look at what actually is going on, while acknowledging the reality of the problem, all well and good (Marcovitch, 1997). If it leads to the form of pragmatic rehabilitation endorsed in a series of publi cations, then again nothing has been lost and much gained.…”