Hawkrigg, S, Payne, D N · Archives of disease in childhood · 2014 · DOI
This article discusses why some teenagers stop attending school and how doctors can help them return. The authors explain that missing school can lead to serious problems like depression and difficulties with relationships and jobs later in life. They suggest a practical framework for understanding why a student is absent and developing a plan to help them go back to school.
For ME/CFS patients, this editorial is relevant because post-viral conditions like ME/CFS are common causes of prolonged school absence in adolescents. Understanding the framework for managing school non-attendance—particularly in cases with legitimate organic illness—can help healthcare providers better support young ME/CFS patients in balancing medical needs with educational continuity and reintegration when appropriate.
This editorial does not provide empirical evidence about the prevalence or causes of school non-attendance, nor does it specifically address chronic medical conditions like ME/CFS. It does not prove which interventions are most effective for school reintegration, and it does not establish causal links between specific health conditions and non-attendance outcomes.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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