Children and Youth with Life-Limiting or Life-Threatening Conditions Hot Topics of Educational Practice: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objectives: The scoping review presents the literature relating to the education of children and youth with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and identifies and describes the topics that appear in the literature. Method: The scoping review was conducted on the basis of Arksey and O’Malley’s 5-stage framework. In a total of five databases ProQuest, ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCO Discovery Service a combination of keywords was used to identify fourteen records published in 2002-2018 that corresponded to the ScoRev selection criteria. These records were then analysed in terms of content and classified into thematic categories and subcategories. Results: The ScoRev selection consisted of a dissertation and thirteen journal articles. Only two records reflected the current state of practice in the past five years. A well-elaborated topic of the studies related to the teacher’s roles, experiences and needs in the education of a child with a LLC or LTC. Other topics included the challenges in the education of these children, intervention or death of a child in school. Conclusion: The final number of identified studies suggested a lack of available resources that would reflect the current practice of educating children and youth with LLC and/or LTC on a general basis.