Going to school with narcolepsy – perceptions of families and teachers of children with narcolepsy

Abstract

In 2009 and 2010, a large group of Finnish children and adolescents got narcolepsy after the vaccination campaign to prevent swine flu pandemic. A sample of children and adolescents who had gotten narcolepsy after 2009 participated in this study. The purpose of this research was to analyse how narcolepsy that developed from the swine flu vaccination had influenced the school going, school work, and its fluency of six elementary school pupils, and how useful the support provided was perceived. Furthermore, it was studied what kind of a learning environment school provides to children with narcolepsy. The realisation of the operative curriculum was also discussed through the point of view of tripartite support and segregation of learning. According to the results, especially the beginning of the illness, symptoms had been severe among the participants, which had challenged all their activities and environments. All of them had had difficulties at school because of narcolepsy. The possibilities of moulding these children's learning environments are discussed.

Keywords:

• narcolepsy
• swine flu
• H1N1
• vaccination
• learning environment
• inclusion

Notes on contributors

Satu Karjalainen, M.A. (Educ.), B.A. (Social services and early education), has graduated from the University of Lapland in 2013 and has worked as a class teacher since 1989.

Anna-Maria Nyrhilä, M.A. (Educ.), has graduated from the University of Lapland in 2013 and works as a class teacher in Kauhava, Finland.

Kaarina Määttä (PhD) is the professor of educational psychology and vice rector of the University of Lapland. Her personal research interests are love, human strengths, early childhood education and student guidance, and teacher training and teacherhood. Her latest publications include Obsessed with the Doctoral Theses.

Satu Uusiautti (PhD) works as a specialist at the University of Lapland, Finland. Her personal research interests are in positive psychology, human strengths and happiness, success, and well-being especially in diverse education contexts.