Abstract

Background: A considerable endeavor had taken place in order to understand the associated challenges for children and adolescents with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) but also in order to describe the necessary skills and approaches that the care givers have to develop to assist both children and parents. (1) Aim: The aim of this review is twofold. Firstly, to highlight the T1DM’s potential impact on psychological well-being, on cognitive functioning and on school performance in children and adolescents who confront SLD. Secondly, to discuss the necessity of a multidiscipline approach of poor school performance in students with SLD and T1DM, presenting the serious contribution of care providers: (a) parents/carers in the family setting, (b) teachers and psychologists in the school setting and (c) health specialists (pediatricians, nutricians, nurses, child psychiatrists and psychologists) in the medical setting. (2) Methods: In this narrative literature review of 12 selected articles, each one studies a special aspect of approach, during the diagnosis and the treatment of individuals with T1DM and SLD. The review concerns the arising problems and difficulties in the adherence to diagnosis, the management of insulin, the mental and physical wellbeing, the school performance, the cognitive functioning and learning difficulties of patients. We tried to synthesize an interdisciplinary approach that involves collaboration between family, school and medical frame; facilitating children’s and adolescents’ difficulties management, as well as parent and teacher involvement during the intervention implementation. (3) Results: The main issues of concern were examined through the available literature, as different factors had to be re-examined in the previous studies, regarding the potential impact of T1DM in cognitive and psychological functioning, as well as the effects of the intervention/approach/treatment of children and adolescents with SLD and T1DM. (4) Conclusions: Although T1DM diagnosis and demanding treatment are a heavy burden for children and their families, T1DM may or may not be associated with a variety of academic and psychological outcomes. Despite the variability of the reviewed research design quality, it was clearly defined that the impact of T1DM is not uniform across educational and mental variables. Strengthening the children’s physical, psychological and social wellbeing is an especially important factor, as it facilitates the insulin’s management as well as the learning difficulties. This is possible by supporting the parental and teacher involvement in the intervention process. This review highlights the need to reduce the distance between theory/research and practice, in some of the proposed areas in this field of knowledge.

Highlights

  • Scopus, which are representative of quality research; we took under consideration articles that were focused on the impact of Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) on children and adolescents, published in peer-reviewed journals, with an open access

  • Depression is associated to a moderate degree with maladaptation to treatment of T1DM in children [93], adolescents with depression fail to maintain a sufficient metabolic control, facing a greater risk of exposure to short and long-term complications [98,108,109]

  • How is the interdisciplinary approach shaped in practice? What is the role of each expert? How do the Pediatrician, the Child Psychiatrist, the psychologist and the Special Educator work constructively together (a) with each other, (b) with the child and (c) with the family? As this narrative review of the literature reveals, the main require is to form an interdisciplinary intervention that assimilates two major areas: (1) specific learning programs that respond to individual needs, (2) an environment that will support changes; a fundamental system that will function concurrently and that will ensure that the needs of both sides (SLD and T1DM) were met

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Summary

Introduction

Children with T1DM and SLD confront major challenges, managing both insulin and learning difficulties within the school setting. The review concerns the arising problems and difficulties in the adherence to diagnosis, the management of insulin, the mental and physical wellbeing, the school performance, the cognitive functioning and learning difficulties of patients. (3) Results: The main issues of concern were examined through the available literature, as different factors had to be re-examined in the previous studies, regarding the potential impact of T1DM in cognitive and psychological functioning, as well as the effects of the intervention/approach/treatment of children and adolescents with SLD and T1DM. Strengthening the children’s physical, psychological and social wellbeing is an especially important factor, as it facilitates the insulin’s management as well as the learning difficulties This is possible by supporting the parental and teacher involvement in the intervention process. This review highlights the need to reduce the distance between theory/research and practice, in some of the proposed areas in this field of knowledge

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