(Press-News.org) ANN ARBOR, Mich. – As the new school year begins, some parents may be feeling more nervous than excited — especially those whose children have different health needs.
One in four parents in a new national poll say their school-aged child has a medical or behavioral condition that might require assistance at school.
And these parents are more likely to be concerned about their child adjusting to a new school or teacher, dealing with conflict, staying healthy, keeping up with homework and fitting in or making friends, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.
They’re also less confident they can help their child have a positive school year – and more likely to say they’re child feels nervous as well.
“It’s completely natural for parents to feel uneasy at the start of the school year, especially when their child has a health condition that adds another layer of complexity,” said Mott Poll Co-Director and Mott pediatrician Susan Woolford, M.D.
“These parents are not only thinking about academics. They’re also juggling concerns about safety, social connection, and whether their child’s needs will be understood and supported by school staff.”
The nationally representative poll, conducted in August, is based on responses from 1,101 parents of children ages 6–12.
Health conditions create a range of school needs
Children’s health conditions may include chronic medical issues such as asthma, epilepsy, or food allergies, conditions that often require clear plans for emergency responses. Others may have behavioral or developmental health conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, autism, or depression, that affect classroom engagement and social interaction.
According to the poll, parents of children with these conditions report needing classroom modifications, in-school health services or medication administration, plans for frequent absences due to appointments, emergency action plans, dietary restrictions or activity limitations.
More than half of these parents said they’ve met with teachers or school staff to set up accommodations for their child. About half have created a formal plan with the school, while fewer have received guidance from their child’s healthcare provider or submitted written emergency instructions.
“At the start of the school year, it is essential to build strong communication between families and schools to ensure children with health needs are supported and avoid letting them fall behind,” Woolford said.
“When parents partner early with teachers, school nurses, and other staff, with guidance from health care providers, a shared plan can be created to help the child have a safer, smoother, and more successful school year.”
Academic concerns go hand-in-hand with health management
For many families, the school year brings concerns beyond daily health management. Children may miss class due to appointments, for example, which may affect academic performance and social integration.
“Parents often play a vital role by fostering collaboration between the home, school and heath care providers to create strategies that keep their child on track,” Woolford said.
In some cases, that may mean discussing eligibility for special education services or creating an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that details specific academic and social support, she notes.
Even children who don’t qualify for special education may be eligible for a 504 Accommodation Plan, she adds, which ensures equitable access to opportunities and removes barriers to learning. These plans may include modifications such as adjusted seating or class schedules, medication access protocols, staff training on emergency procedures and safety measures during physical activity
Emotional readiness and social worries
Despite the added challenges, parents of children with health conditions are just as likely to report that their child is excited about the start of school. But they are also less likely to describe their child as confident compared to parents whose children do not have health conditions.
Woolford recommends tools like age-appropriate books that teachers can read to the class, or even a parent-and-child “show and tell” session to help demystify the child’s condition and build peer understanding.
“Typically, a new school year means new classmates, and some children have a harder time making friends or worry about being excluded because of a health condition,” Woolford said.
“These conversations help classmates learn about differences in a positive way and present an opportunity to learn about accepting differences and showing friendship and support.”
What parents want from schools
Many parents polled would like school programs to help them learn how to support their child’s well-being, such as how to help children deal with conflict, support their mental health and limit the impact of social media.
Parents of children with medical or behavioral conditions are especially eager for mental health support, with over 60% saying they want schools to provide it, compared to less than half of parents whose children do not have such conditions.
Schools that proactively support mental health and social-emotional learning can make a big difference, Woolford says.
“These programs benefit all students, but they’re especially important for children facing additional health or behavioral challenges,” she said.
She recommends that parents schedule meetings with teachers, school nurses, counselors, and other key staff early in the year to create a unified plan for supporting their child. Parent-teacher conferences are also a valuable opportunity to check in, share observations from home, and adjust supports as needed.
“Parents don’t need to figure it all out alone,” Woolford said.
“By building strong relationships with school teams and keeping healthcare providers in the loop, families can make sure their child feels safe, supported, and set up for success.”
END
Parents of children with health conditions less confident about a positive school year
1 in 4 parents in new national poll say their child has a medical or behavioral issue that requires assistance at school
2025-09-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New guideline standardizes consent for research participants in Canada
2025-09-15
A new guideline on consent for clinical research that puts participant needs first and will help streamline approvals is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250500.
“The purpose of this guidance for policy is to present a core set of elements for participant consent documents to be used in clinical research across Canada and to facilitate harmonization of multi-site projects by simplifying the approval process for all those involved,” writes Dr. Holly Longstaff, British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority and the Children’s and Women’s Health ...
Research as reconciliation: Oil sands and health
2025-09-15
Canada’s government and health science sectors should commit to researching the health effects of oil sands tailings, as previous research suggests that air, water, and land contaminations negatively affect local people’s health, authors urge in a CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) commentaryhttps://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.240643.
The Alberta oil sands occupy a large area of land, and Indigenous Peoples as well as others have expressed concern about the health impacts of oil sands and tailings ponds. A community-led study showed elevated levels of contaminants in some animal food sources, such as duck and moose, as well as a higher rate of rare cancers in ...
AI risks overwriting history and the skills of historians have never been more important, leading academic outlines in new paper
2025-09-15
Human historians are ever more vital in the age of AI – especially with the crucial need to capture the emotional and moral complexity behind world events.
That’s according to a leading academic Dr Jan Burzlaff, an expert on Nazi Germany from Cornell University, who when tasking ChatGPT to summarize the experiences of Holocaust survivors found the AI tool failed to capture intimate, vital details.
“With the testimony of Luisa D., a seven-year-old Holocaust survivor, AI overlooked heartbreaking details about her mother cutting her own finger to give her dying child drops of blood – ‘the faintest trace of moisture’ – to stay ...
The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology: Higher doses of semaglutide can safely enhance weight loss and improve health for adults living with obesity, two new clinical trials confirm
2025-09-14
A higher weekly dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg) can significantly improve weight loss and related health outcomes in adults living with obesity, including those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the results of two large-scale, international phase 3 clinical trials. The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, suggest that a higher dose of semaglutide offers a promising new option for people with obesity, including those with T2D, who have not achieved sufficient weight loss with existing treatments.
The STEP UP and STEP UP T2D clinical trials are the first to investigate whether increasing ...
Trauma focused therapy shows promise for children struggling with PTSD
2025-09-14
A specialist form of therapy could offer hope for some of the most vulnerable young PTSD sufferers – according to a University of East Anglia study.
Researchers investigated the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for treating children who had been through multiple traumas such as abuse, violence or serious accidents.
While this type of therapy is already known to help with PTSD, the new study focused on children who had experienced multiple traumas - a group often considered harder ...
School meals could drive economic growth and food system transformation
2025-09-14
School meals, provided for free by governments around the world, could be used to curb global hunger and promote a sustainable global food system, finds a new study by UCL (University College London) researchers.
In a new report, “A Mission-Oriented Approach to School Meals: An opportunity for cross-departmental and multi-sector industrial strategy”, published by UCL Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme, researchers looked at ways governments can use school meals procurement to encourage ...
Home training for cerebellar ataxias
2025-09-14
About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, home high-intensity aerobic training improved ataxia symptoms, fatigue, and aerobic fitness more than dose-matched home balance training among individuals with cerebellar ataxias, a heterogenous group of disorders characterized by progressive disability due to loss of coordination. Individuals in the aerobic group who continued to train regularly maintained benefits at 1 year.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Scott Barbuto, MD, PhD, email sb3779@cumc.columbia.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.3421)
Editor’s ...
Dry eyes affect over half the general population, yet only a fifth receive diagnosis and treatment
2025-09-14
Copenhagen, Denmark: Dry eyes can cause significant discomfort, and the symptoms become more common as we age. However, until now, it was unclear what proportion of the population suffered from the condition, with estimates ranging from 5-50%.
In fact, research presented today (Monday) at the 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) [1], found that more than half of the general population in the USA and Europe experience dry eyes, yet only 20% of European patients and 17% of US patients were diagnosed, and they can wait years for professional help.
Dr Piotr ...
Researchers sound warning about women with type 2 diabetes taking oral HRT
2025-09-14
In women with type 2 diabetes (T2D), use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) skin patches is not associated with a higher risk of blood clots or stroke. However, an increased cardiovascular risk was found for oral HRT, according to a large real-world study being presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Vienna (15-19 Sept).
Among the findings are an analysis revealing women with T2D who took the oral form of HRT doubled their risk of developing a pulmonary embolism (PE - when a blood clot blocks an artery in the lung) and faced a 21% increased risk of heart disease compared with ...
Overweight and obesity don’t always increase the risk of an early death, Danish study finds
2025-09-14
It is possible to be “fat but fit”, new research being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) suggests.
The study of tens of thousands of people in Denmark found that those with a BMI in the overweight category – and even some of those living with obesity – were no more likely to die during the five years of follow-up than those with a BMI of 22.5-<25.0 kg/m2, which is at the top end of the normal weight range.
Individuals with a BMI in the middle and lower parts of the normal ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
DNA nanospring measures cellular motor power
Elsevier Foundation and RIKEN launch “Envisioning Futures” report: paving the way for gender equity and women’s leadership in Japanese research
Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates
Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches
Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening
Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep
Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds
Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice using nanoparticles
‘Good’ gut bacteria boosts placenta for healthier pregnancy
USC team demonstrates first optical device based on “optical thermodynamics”
Microplastics found to change gut microbiome in first human-sample study
Artificially sweetened and sugary drinks are both associated with an increased risk of liver disease, study finds
Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields
Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance
Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition
New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body
Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity
Politics follow you on the road
Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases
The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease
AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs
FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials
Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's
We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results
Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity
Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research
Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US
UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions
A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety
[Press-News.org] Parents of children with health conditions less confident about a positive school year1 in 4 parents in new national poll say their child has a medical or behavioral issue that requires assistance at school