A broken start? An examination of the impact of chronic illness and hospitalisation on the early childhood care and education careers of children attending hospital schools in Ireland.

Abstract

The title of this study is “A broken start? An examination of the impact of chronic illness and hospitalisation on the early childhood care and education careers of children attending hospital schools in Ireland.” This dissertation examines the challenges and impact infrequent attendance of early childhood care and education (ECCE) can have on a chronically ill child’s life. One of the most important developmental tasks of a young child’s life is to move beyond the family sphere into the school community, where academic achievement, social skills, emotional regulation and regular attendance are major goals. Among children at increased risk for school dysfunction and absenteeism are those with a chronic illness. They are vulnerable not only because of the medical aspects of their illness but also because of the secondary effects of the illness on the child’s social, emotional and developmental functioning. Some children, by virtue of acute or chronic medical needs, are unable to attend their own pre-school, primary school or secondary school on a regular basis due to recurrent or continuous hospitalisation. Continuing education while in hospital is an integral part of maintaining a child’s wellbeing, giving them hope for a future without illness or indeed a future despite illness. At present in Ireland, if a child over the age of four years should be admitted into a paediatric hospital they would usually attend a hospital school to continue with their educational needs, yet prior to four years of age there is no educational service available to them. Hospital schools serve to address the gaps in concepts frequently observed in chronically ill students as a result of multiple school absences due to illness. However, little research has been conducted in this area. This research employs a qualitative design. The data collection for this study included compiling information from Ireland’s two tertiary paediatric hospitals. It includes semi-structured audio-recorded interviews with the teachers and SNAs employed in these settings. Their views and perceptions towards the benefits of ECCE within a hospital setting were explored in depth. By engaging in semistructured interviews, the effects ECCE can have on a chronically ill young child’s life were identified and documented. This study examines the main contributors to both academic challenges and challenges affecting the social and emotional development of children with chronic medical needs, who have access to education and also for those who do not have access to ECCE. The research study concludes with participants’ views towards equal access to ECCE within a hospital school setting.