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Article: 'Everyone was really happy to see me!' The importance of friendships in the return to school of children with chronic illness.
- Article from:
- Australian Journal of Early Childhood
- Article date:
- March 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Early Childhood Australia Inc. (ECA). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
The significance of the transition to school has been highlighted by Pianta & Cox, (1999, p. xvii) as a 'a key life cycle transition both in and outside school' which 'sets the tone and direction of a child's school career'. Many children make this transition only once. Chronic illness is defined as a condition that lasts for a considerable time, has consequences that persist for more than three months in a year, or requires hospitalisation for more than a month (Thompson & Gustafson, 1996). For children with chronic illness, the transition to school can be a process of ongoing reintegration following hospitalisation or treatment, of re-entry to ...