Medical problems that might present with academic difficulties

Successful school functioning for children with chronic medical illnesses is a dynamic, ongoing process that requires continuous cooperation and commitment among the home, the medical team, and the school. Having an adequate knowledge of potential illness and treatment effects on academic performance, an appropriately skeptical attitude toward attributing all of the child's problems to the direct medical effects of the illness, and a willingness to serve as the coordinator among the family, school, and health care team permits the child psychiatrist to play an important role in maximizing the child's success in school and ultimately their positive adaptation to life in general. This article discusses the effects of chronic medical illnesses or their treatments on children's academic adaptation both as a primary effect through neurocognitive changes or as a secondary effect related to school absences, illness-induced stress, constraints on physical and social activities, or decreased expectations from family, school, and the health care team.