Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

How Parents of Students with PANDAS or PANS Perceive the Educational Process

  • Patricia Rice Doran, Ed.D. (Author) Towson University image/svg+xml
    Patricia Rice Doran received her Master's degree from the University of Michigan and her doctoral degree from The George Washington University. Her areas of expertise are neurodevelopment, diverse learners and teacher professional development. Dr. Rice Doran currently teaches undergraduate and graduate students at Towson University's College of Education, where she is an Associate Professor of Special Education. She has been principal investigator on several recent teacher professional development grants and has published on a variety of topics, including school supports for students with PANDAS and PANS.
  • Elizabeth O’Hanlon, Ph.D. (Author) Howard Community College image/svg+xml
    Elizabeth O’Hanlon received her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Maryland. Her areas of expertise/interest are in Universal Design for Learning in higher education, professional collaboration and development, and advocating and supporting families and their children with disabilities. Dr. O’Hanlon has collaborated on several special education projects at both the state and county levels and at the University of Maryland, Towson University and Howard Community College. She has been teaching special education courses for almost 15 years at Howard Community College, Towson University and the University of Maryland and is currently an Assistant Professor of Special Education and Field Placement Coordinator at Howard Community College.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.405
Abstract
This qualitative study examined parent perceptions of the educational process for their children who had been diagnosed with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) or Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). In recent years, PANDAS and PANS, conditions in which an overactive immune response causes neurologic and psychiatric complications, have received increasing research and public attention. While the impact of these conditions on school performance has not been systematically studied, it is hypothesized to be substantial, given the intense and disruptive nature of symptoms. This study analyzed data from interviews of twelve parents of children with PANDAS or PANS in order to describe their perceptions of the educational process. Results indicate that parents saw substantial overlap between home and school functioning, that PANDAS and PANS were extremely stressful to the nuclear family, and that parents reported declines in student attendance, academic performance, and behavioral functioning.
Keywords
Academic Accommodations (Disabilities), Academic Achievement, Anxiety Disorders, Attendance Patterns, Behavior Problems, Communicable Diseases
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How to Cite
Doran, P. R., & O'Hanlon, E. (2019). How Parents of Students with PANDAS or PANS Perceive the Educational Process. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 14(3), 47-62. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.405

Fall 2019

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted September 14, 2019
  • Published October 15, 2019
  • Issue Fall 2019
  • Section Articles
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