The Netherlands Youth Institute (NJi), the Dutch Centre for Youth Health (NCJ) and Ingrado conducted a practical exploration of what helps young people with persistent physical symptoms continue to attend school. They also examined how cooperation with the young people, parents and professionals in and around the school can take shape in practice.
Difficulty going to school
Having persistent physical symptoms does not automatically mean that young people cannot attend school. Sometimes they do need some adjustments at school. The experiences of young people and their parents show that the symptoms can affect their daily lives. Sometimes they miss lessons at school or part of the course material. Their contact with classmates may also suffer as a result. This can make them feel lonely. With this guide, the authors therefore draw particular attention to young people whose persistent physical symptoms make it difficult for them to attend school.
Who is it for?
The guide is primarily intended for mentors and support coordinators in secondary education, youth physicians and school attendance officers who want to work together to support school attendance among young people with persistent physical symptoms. The coordination with specialists from the medical field and youth care services that may be needed for this is also addressed.