School Problems and School Support for Children with Narcolepsy: Parent, Teacher, and Child Reports

Karin Janssens, Pauline Amesz, Yvonne Nuvelstijn, Claire Donjacour, Danielle Hendriks, Els Peeters, Laury Quaedackers, Nele Vandenbussche, Sigrid Pillen and Gert Jan Lammers ()
Additional contact information
Karin Janssens: Sleep-Wake Centre, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), 8025 BV Zwolle, The Netherlands
Pauline Amesz: Sleep-Wake Centre, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), 8025 BV Zwolle, The Netherlands
Yvonne Nuvelstijn: Sleep-Wake Centre, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), 8025 BV Zwolle, The Netherlands
Claire Donjacour: Sleep-Wake Centre, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), 8025 BV Zwolle, The Netherlands
Danielle Hendriks: Sleep-Wake Centre, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), 8025 BV Zwolle, The Netherlands
Els Peeters: Sleeping Center, Medical Centre Haaglanden, 2512 VA The Hague, The Netherlands
Laury Quaedackers: Center for Sleep Medicine, Kempenhaeghe, 5591 VE Heeze, The Netherlands
Nele Vandenbussche: Center for Sleep Medicine, Kempenhaeghe, 5591 VE Heeze, The Netherlands
Sigrid Pillen: Sleep-Wake Centre, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), 8025 BV Zwolle, The Netherlands
Gert Jan Lammers: Sleep-Wake Centre, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), 8025 BV Zwolle, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: Objective: To assess problems faced by children with type 1 narcolepsy (NT1) at school and obtain insight into potential interventions for these problems. Methods: We recruited children and adolescents with NT1 from three Dutch sleep-wake centers. Children, parents, and teachers completed questionnaires about school functioning, interventions in the classroom, global functioning (DISABKIDS), and depressive symptoms (CDI). Results: Eighteen children (7–12 years) and thirty-seven adolescents (13–19 years) with NT1 were recruited. Teachers’ most frequently reported school problems were concentration problems and fatigue (reported by about 60% in both children and adolescents). The most common arrangements at school were, for children, discussing school excursions (68%) and taking a nap at school (50%) and, for adolescents, a place to nap at school (75%) and discussing school excursions (71%). Regular naps at home on the weekend (children 71% and adolescents 73%) were more common than regular naps at school (children 24% and adolescents 59%). Only a minority of individuals used other interventions. School support by specialized school workers was associated with significantly more classroom interventions (3.5 versus 1.0 in children and 5.2 versus 4.1 in adolescents) and napping at school, but not with better global functioning, lower depressive symptom levels, or napping during the weekends. Conclusions: Children with NT1 have various problems at school, even after medical treatment. Interventions to help children with NT1 within the classroom do not seem to be fully implemented. School support was associated with the higher implementation of these interventions. Longitudinal studies are warranted to examine how interventions can be better implemented within the school.

Keywords: narcolepsy type 1; school functioning; quality of life; school support; children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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