Just In Time for the School Year: A New Pediatric Pacing Guide

#MEAction is excited to share a new and much-needed resource just in time for back to school! We are so thankful to have our allies at Long Covid Families join us in developing the Pacing and Management Guide for Pediatric ME/CFS and Long COVID. 

Our Pacing and Management Guide has been a critical and well-received part of our #StopRestPace campaign and we have been planning on adapting it specifically for children and teens. The Long Covid Families team brought in exactly what we needed to help bring this modified guide into fruition. 

As many children are heading back to school, it’s imperative that educators and caregivers are equipped with the tools to help children who are struggling with post-exertional malaise (PEM) as part of ME and/or Long COVID. This guide is meant to equip children and caregivers of children with ME or Long COVID with the tools they need to help their child learn how to pace their activity. Pacing is the number one tool for post-exertional malaise, or PEM: one of the core symptoms of Long COVID and the defining symptom of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). PEM is a flare of symptoms and/or the appearance of new symptoms after exertion, often presenting 24 hours after the triggering event. Physical and cognitive activity or sensory overload can all trigger PEM.

Pacing is key for avoiding “crashes,” and can be combined with radical rest and recovery time to prevent a worsening of symptoms. We realize Stop/Rest/Pace is easier to say than to do. That is why our guide offers practical insight on how to recognize PEM, strategies for most effectively managing activity, and suggestions on how to accommodate children with ME/CFS and Long COVID in school. 

Looking for more insights into managing Back-To-School with Long Covid and/or ME? Check out the Long Covid Families Back-To-School Virtual Event next week, August 8-12, 2022! 

Thank you to Long Covid Families for their efforts and excellent allyship! Thank you to everyone who shares our #StopRestPace campaign and pacing guides to help get the word out to those who need to hear this critical message now! Help us get this pediatric guide into the hands of those who need it! 

Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Email

1 thought on “Just In Time for the School Year: A New Pediatric Pacing Guide”

  1. Could you also make a pdf of this in A4 format. Printing it on A4 paper means a small part of the text on the front page gets cut off.

Comments are closed.

Latest News

#MEAction logo is in white in the top left corner and the words Colorado State Chapter are in white laying across an image of snow capped mountains and pine trees. There is a bottom section of the image that is a green box with the words Working-With-Governors-Office-to-Create A New Senior Policy Advisor Role-Leading to Statewide Report on Long COVID

#MEAction Colorado Works With Governor’s Office to Create A New Senior Policy Advisor Role on Long COVID and Post Viral Infection Planning–Leading to Statewide Report on Long COVID

#MEAction Colorado’s first legislative effort in Colorado began with an ME/CFS day declaration in the Colorado Legislature on February 25, 2020. Representative Alex Valdez read into the legislative record a proclamation about the presence of and deleterious effects of ME in Colorado. This effort was relatively easy to accomplish and consisted of finding a representative

Read More »
Left: Woman healthy and happy standing beside her husband. Right: Sick woman in hospital bed.

Woman with Severe ME and EDS starving to death in NHS hospital

UPDATE: We want to provide a brief update on Sami Berry’s case and what she needs help with now. The situation in hospital reached the point that Sami decided she had to self-discharge to try and stay alive. She is at home with a Percutaneous Endoscopic Jejunostomy (PEJ ) tube but she needs treatment with

Read More »

Help keep our work going

We rely on donations from people like you to keep fighting for equality for people with ME.

Donate

Get actions alerts and news direct to your inbox

You can choose what you want to be kept up to date on.

Subscribe
Scroll to Top