The school experiences of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Western Australia

Leanne Fried, Rena Vithiatharan
Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia
Elizabeth Davis, Tim Jones
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Western Australia
Kirsten Hancock, Kevin Runions, Donna Cross
Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia
Donald Payne
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Western Australia
Caleb Jones, Arthur Wright, Debbie Pieterse, Joy Knowles, Julie Clarke
School of Special Educational Needs: Medical & Mental Health
Ashleigh Lin
Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia

Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) spend a significant portion of their day at school. It is therefore important that schools provide a safe and flexible environment for disease management and psychosocial support. Little is known of the school experiences of children and adolescents with T1D in Western Australia. The aim of this research was to describe the mental health and school experiences of children and adolescents with T1D attending mainstream schools in Western Australia. Using an online questionnaire, 92 parents of children and adolescents with T1D were surveyed. The results suggest elevated levels of emotional difficulties among school students with T1D and variable levels of support from school staff to assist these students to manage their diabetes at school. Increasing teacher knowledge to provide more individualised support and enhancing the quality of communication between parents and school staff may be useful strategies to support the physical and emotional needs of children and adolescents with T1D at school.
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Authors: Leanne Fried [joint first author] is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the Children's Diabetes Research Centre at Telethon Kids Institute. Her research focuses on the psychosocial wellbeing of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes including enhancing their school experiences and exploring appropriate interventions to improve their emotional wellbeing. Email: leanne.fried@telethonkids.org.au Rena Vithiatharan [joint first author] is a Research Assistant at Telethon Kids Institute. She is involved in various projects focusing on children with chronic conditions, their mental health and school experiences. Her overarching research interest is in enabling children and adolescents to reach their potential and equity. Email: rena.vithiatharan@telethonkids.org.au Liz Davis is a paediatric endocrinologist and Head of the Diabetes Clinical Services at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Western Australia and co-lead of the Diabetes and Obesity Research team at Telethon Kids. Her area of interest is in clinical and translational research into type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents. Email: elizabeth.davis@health.wa.gov.au Tim Jones is a Clinical Professor at The University of Western Australia, Head of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and Head of Diabetes and Obesity Research at Telethon Kids Institute. He has a strong clinical research interest in diabetes particularly hypoglycaemia and diabetes treatments. Email: tim.jones@health.wa.gov.au Kirsten Hancock is a Research Fellow in the Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course at Telethon Kids Institute. Her research investigates a wide range of issues around child development, particularly for vulnerable children and those in families with multiple generations of disadvantage. Email: kirsten.hancock@telethonkids.org.au Kevin Runions is a Research Psychologist with Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Deputy Director of Health Promotion and Education Research at Telethon Kids Institute. His research focuses on the development of psychopathology, with particular interest in the intersection of biological factors and social contexts. Email: kevin.runions@health.wa.gov.au Donna Cross is a Professor with the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Western Australia and the Telethon Kids Institute. Her areas of research expertise include child and adolescent mental health, translational research, bullying and cyber-bullying prevention, health promotion, and school-based interventions. Email: donna.cross@telethonkids.org.au Donald Payne is a consultant in adolescent medicine at Princess Margaret Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He is an advocate for improved health services for young people. His research focuses on comprehensive and effective cross-sector responses to enhance youth health and wellbeing. Email: donald.payne@health.wa.gov.au Caleb Jones is Associate Principal, School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) for the Department of Education Western Australia. His interest in diabetes research stems from many years supporting students with diabetes, their families and schools, to improve student participation in school and student health care planning. Email: caleb.jones@education.wa.edu.au Arthur Wright is a Liaison Teacher at the School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) in Western Australia. As well as teaching children and adolescents admitted to hospital, he provides support to students with diabetes, their families and schools. Email: arthur.wright@education.wa.edu.au Deb Pieterse is a Liaison Teacher for the School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) in Western Australia. As well as teaching children and adolescents admitted to hospital for intensive rehabilitation, she also provides support to students with diabetes, their families and schools. Email: deb.pieterse@education.wa.edu.au Joy Knowles is a Liaison Teacher for the School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) in Western Australia. As well as teaching children admitted to hospital, she supports students with diabetes and educates school staff to ensure a safe and supportive approach to diabetes management in school. Email: joy.knowles@education.wa.edu.au Julie Clarke is Associate Principal with the School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN: MMH) in Western Australia. Her work involves supporting students across the state with medical and mental health conditions, providing strategies and guidance to students, families and school staff. Email: julie.clarke@education.wa.edu.au Ashleigh Lin is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Fellow at Telethon Kids Institute. Her research is focused on early detection and intervention for mental health problems in adolescents and young adults with particular interest in the mental health of vulnerable groups of people. Email: ashleigh.lin@telethonkids.org.au Please cite as: Fried, L., Vithiatharan, R., Davis, E., Jones, T., Hancock, K., Runions, K., Cross, D., Payne, D., Jones, C., Wright, A., Pieterse, D., Knowles, J., Clarke, J. & Lin, A. (2018). The school experiences of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Western Australia. Issues in Educational Research, 28(3), 578-595. http://www.iier.org.au/iier28/fried.pdf