Measuring, weighing, vaccinating: generations of school children associate this with the tasks of school doctors. This no longer corresponds to reality. This was evident on Friday at a nationwide school doctor conference in Vienna-Hietzing. This served as a “refresher” of knowledge, as moderator Sabine Badelt calls it, who, as a school doctor at an AHS in Vienna-Mariahilf, knows what she is talking about. The range of training and informative lectures by the experts ranged from sleep disorders in children and young people, sexually transmitted infections, drug and medication abuse to dealing with attention deficit and hyperactivity syndrome (ADHD) and autism.
School doctors in Austria have been confronted with all of these questions and problems for years now, and in some cases even more so due to the consequences of the corona pandemic. Around 150 school doctors came to the training conference, and online participation was also offered. The conference was organized by the Academy of Physicians. Its 25th anniversary and its importance as an active training facility was only highlighted and acknowledged by the top of the medical association on Tuesday of this week.
School doesn’t start until 9 a.m. in the high school?
During the pandemic, and even now, a Viennese middle school principal complained that schoolchildren came to class at 8 a.m. completely sleep-deprived and overtired. It is not uncommon for long late-night cell phone or TV use to be to blame. Sometimes there are parents who sit together until well after midnight and also allow their children to stay awake that long. Szofia Rona, Primaria at the Baden-Mödling State Hospital in Lower Austria, warns about chronic lack of sleep at the conference. For example, a shortening of sleep duration by 54 minutes in elementary school children could result in significant behavioral problems, she summarized for the medical audience on a video wall at the front of the podium. Sleep is very important for memory and the ability to concentrate. Short sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity.
As a speaker, Rona also had concrete ideas to counteract chronic lack of sleep among many young people. The suggestion that school lessons for high school students could not begin until 9 a.m., for example, is explosive. There have already been strong protests and resistance in the past against a generally later start to school at 9 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. She also pointed out that moving exams to the early afternoon could lead to better grades.
Another expert presentation was dedicated to the influence of media use on the development of children and young people. University professor Katrin skala from the University Hospital in Vienna for child and adolescent psychiatry was invited to speak on another sensitive topic in which school doctors are also faced with a massive challenge. The program also included information about the abuse of drugs and medication among young people. At the latest during the Covid period it became public that quite a few students were using stimulants.
Simple tools to improve ADHD problems
The round of experts at the school doctor conference was rounded off by remedial and special education teacher Michaela Hartl, whose professional focus is on ADHD training and autism counseling. For her, the basic question was: How do I deal with ADHD and autism? Some school children cannot maintain their attention for long in class. At the same time, teachers sometimes simply feel overwhelmed with hyperactive children in the class. A central point for Hartl is that school doctors get to the bottom of the reasons for any stress and difficulties at school. Is this actually one of the neurodivergences, where, to put it simply, a person functions differently than the majority of people, or rather not? If this is confirmed, doctors in schools should understand what the peculiarities are that lead to abnormalities in lessons. It is also important to know where to turn in such positions.
In addition, as Hartl, who chairs the “Team ADHD” association in Vienna, said, school doctors should know what measures can help – from relaxation techniques to special educational training to specific psychotherapy. Sometimes simple, small aids are enough to bring about improvements in the classroom. For example, squeezing a small rubber ball can increase attention in class.
However, training alone is not enough, as school doctor Sabine Badelt emphasizes in an interview. School officials at the federal and state levels are also required to do this. This applies in particular to compulsory schools, mostly primary and secondary schools, where there are different regulations depending on the federal state. “Unfortunately, this is a complete mess,” complains the experienced director at training events for school doctors. She also sees the fact that there is no nationwide, truly functional school doctor program as a major shortcoming. This means that the “super data” (Badelt) that exists through the work of school doctors cannot be used accordingly.
