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Supporting Primary School Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Qualitative Investigation of Teaching Staff
Abbie Jordan1,2, Konstantina Vasileiou2,3, Ceri Brown4
1Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
Insights
Teaching staff use creative strategies to support children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in school. Clear communication and individualized support are key to maximizing inclusion for students with JIA.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric rheumatology
- Educational psychology
- Childhood disability studies
Background:
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) significantly impacts children's school functioning.
- Existing research often focuses on child self-reports, necessitating an examination of educator perspectives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore teaching staff's experiences and perceptions of supporting children with JIA in school.
- To identify strategies and challenges faced by educators.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving 51 UK-based teaching staff supporting children aged 7-11 with JIA.
- Online surveys and subsequent telephone interviews were conducted.
- Data analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis.
Main Results:
- Four key themes emerged: communication, flexibility and adaptation, inclusion, and learning and knowing.
- Effective communication between staff and parents is crucial.
- Individualized support enhances inclusion for children with JIA.
Conclusions:
- Teaching staff employ proactive and creative strategies to support students with JIA.
- Educators often provide this support without adequate training.
- Identified needs and resources for supporting teaching staff are highlighted.
Background:
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) has a deleterious impact on numerous areas of children's lives, including school functioning. This study moves beyond eliciting child reports of school functioning to examine teaching staff's experiences of supporting a child with JIA in school.
Methods:
A total of 51 UK-based teaching staff members with experience of supporting a child aged 7-11 years with JIA in school were recruited. Participants completed an online qualitative survey regarding their perceptions and experiences of supporting a child with JIA in school, with a subsample of 9 participants completing a subsequent telephone interview to explore responses in greater detail. Survey and interview data were analyzed using the conventional approach to qualitative content analysis.
Results:
Analyses generated 4 themes: (1) communicating, (2) flexing and adapting, (3) including, and (4) learning and knowing. Findings highlighted the importance of clear communication between teaching staff and parents in addition to the need for teaching staff to provide individualized support for children with JIA which maximized their inclusion within the class.
Conclusions:
This paper provides new knowledge regarding how teaching staff adopt proactive and creative strategies to support children with JIA, often in the absence of appropriate training, identifying support needs and resources for teaching staff.
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