Chronic Health (D)

Definition: Chronic health conditions are used to refer to any health condition, disorder, disability, illness,
or syndrome that is experienced over an extended period of time. And is not considered temporary in
nature. Chronic diseases usually develop slowly, last a long time, and are often progressive and incurable.
These conditions can affect everyday life throughout the students’ childhood and adulthood.

Some illnesses that fall under ‘Chronic Health (D):

Asthma HIV/AIDS
Diabetes Epilepsy
Cerebral Palsy Spina Bifida
Crohn’s disease Congenital heart problems
Cystic Fibrosis Traumatic brain injury/post concussive
Cancer syndrome
Fibromyalgia Scoliosis

Implications for Learning:

Fatigue
Nausea
Impairment to student’s work performance for a few hours or several days
Attendance (to school)
Difficulty concentrating/memorizing
Changes in energy level
Chronic Pain
Anxiety
Side effects
from
medication

Learning strategies: can work the same as assessment strategies, in the way that the strategies an
educator implements for a student with special needs, can also be useful for other students in the
classroom. One of the areas that educators need to be aware of is the bias and negative attitude that can be
directed towards learners with chronic illnesses. Bullick (2012) provides some examples:
1. Consider the person, not merely the symptoms and effects of the illness.
2. Focus on what he/she can do rather than what he/she cannot do
3. Ask someone with a chronic condition if he/she can help you gain a better understanding of
his/her illness.
 4. Make informed decisions rather than snap judgements. In today’s age of instant information, it’s
easy to find facts and evidence about how chronic conditions affect those living with them.
5. Be patient. For people living with chronic conditions, health becomes a big (and often time-
consuming) priority sometimes making it difficult to make and maintain friendships and
relationships.
6. Share your knowledge. As you learn more about chronic conditions, you can help correct the
misconceptions others may have about it.
7. Become a champion. When you lend your support to groups and organizations that represent
people with chronic conditions, you are contributing to efforts to change attitudes and to finding
treatments and cures.

Resources:

→ Invisible Disability Association -https://invisibledisabilities.org/

- An informative website about ‘invisible disabilities,’ what they are, living with one, awareness and
more.

→ Bullick, T. (2012). Reducing the stigma of chronic illnesses. http://www.applemag-

digital.com/applemag/winter_2012#pg44
- Some information for how everyone in the school can be inclusive towards students with chronic
illnesses from the perspective of the social stigma around invisible and visible illnesses.

→ Inclusion BC - https://inclusionbc.org/programs-services/
- An excellent resource for educators regarding the inclusion of all students and abilities into their
classrooms.

→ D’Angelo-Melling, M. (2017, Sept. 25). 4 Things I Wish Teachers Knew About Their Chronically Ill Students
https://themighty.com/2017/09/students-chronic-illness-teachers-what-to-know
- Insight from a student with multiple chronic health conditions and her perspective.

→ Supporting students with disabilities - Anglophone postsecondary institutions of New Brunswick, Canada
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-
12/inclusive/special_ed_policy_manual.pdf
- This website has a definition for chronic health conditions, along with implications for learning,
myths and facts about chronic health. It also has information for other disabilities and disorders.

→ Awareness of Students with Diverse Learning Needs Volume 1

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-
tools/inclusive/asdln_vol1.pdf
- A resource that includes many chronic health conditions and classroom strategies to use with
them. This document also has a wealth of information about other disabilities, disorders and
illnesses.