School Health for Children and Adolescents

Children and adolescents spend so much of their time in school regardless of where they live in the world. Health and learning are closely connected in the school setting, where good health and healthy practices create the optimal conditions for students’ academic success. And the contrary is also true: poor heath and unhealthy practices build tall barriers to student learning. The courses of this specialization are designed to equip learners to manage common health conditions including asthma, allergies, diabetes, and seizures. Next they will learn to manage common behavior conditions such as ADHD and autism as well as learning disabilities and concussion. Upon completion of the specialization, learners will be ready to apply newly acquired skills in the provision of social, emotional, behavioral, and special education services. Importantly, they will also be ready to promote healthy practices such as nutrition, physical activity, and community and family participation in their own school community. In pediatric healthcare we do everything possible to ensure the health of children and adolescents but there can be no greater impact on a child’s health than receiving optimal health condition management and healthy practices in school.