From SanoLabs, the makers of the Sam app
When your child often misses school because of migraine
If your child often misses school with headache attacks, you need two things: a diary with date, duration and accompanying symptoms for the doctor, and your school's rule on absence notes and doctor's letters. What lies behind it is for the doctor to say.
Why does my child miss so much school with headache attacks?
According to medical and patient sources, attacks in children are often shorter than in adults, sometimes only a few hours. Nausea and paleness are often in the foreground: the child lies down, sleeps and is nearly symptom-free afterwards. Whether it is migraine in your child is for the doctor to say.
- See the doctor about recurring headachesThey decide what to look into and whether a referral to a paediatric neurologist or headache clinic is needed. See the doctor soon about recurring headaches.
- Note each missed day with a dateFor example: Monday, nausea from mid-morning, slept, fine again by evening.
- Look at the whole picture, not the single dayOnly over weeks can you see how often it happened and on which days. That is a question for the doctor, not a verdict.
- Stay kind to your childThey cannot choose when they feel unwell. You may doubt too at times, and the doctor can place the whole picture.
Sentences for the talk with the teacher
You can say My child has recurring headache attacks that we are looking into with their doctor.
A calm frame, without claiming a diagnosis.
You can say We keep a diary of the missed days. I am happy to show you what helps us keep track.
You decide whether and what to show the school.
You can say Who is the contact person here, and what happens if an attack starts at school?
Agree up front who calls the parents.
You can say What is the rule here for absence notes and for a doctor's letter?
This depends on the country, region and school.
What goes into your child's headache diary?
The Migraine Trust describes a diary kept over about three months before the doctor looks at triggers, and Germany's 2008 guideline on headache in children names 4 to 6 weeks. What the doctor does with it is their call. One line per attack is enough: date, roughly how long, nausea yes or no, school missed, plus a note in your own words. Bring the diary, the missed days and what the teacher tells you to the appointment.
- Date and durationWhen it started and roughly how long it lasted.
- Accompanying symptomsFor example nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, aura.
- Missed schoolWhether your child missed school, and whether hours or whole days.
- School and sleepNotes on sleep, an exam or a school day, without claiming a cause.
Letters and school support: how does it work?
Rules differ by country and school. This shows the route, not legal advice. Ask the school which process applies.
- Absence notesSchools usually want to hear early and know the likely length. Ask for your school's rule.
- Doctor's letterWhether a school may ask for one, and from when, depends on where you live. If you struggle to get support at school, you can ask your child's doctor for a letter about the support your child needs.
- School support plansExamples: an Individual Healthcare Plan in England, a 504 plan in the US. What the school grants is for the school to decide.
Sam and your child
Your child's diary for the appointment
You go to the doctor with dates instead of a feeling that your child is always away. With their own phone, your child notes each attack with date and duration in Sam. Until then, you keep the diary yourself.
- Note an attack in secondsWhen, how strong, how long, aura and symptoms like nausea or light sensitivity are quick to tap in. You can add a note in your own words.
- Doctor report as PDFThe doctor report sums up the entries for a period picked, for your child's doctor. The person the program is about decides who sees it.
- Share with familyThe program lives on the phone of the person it is about. They share selected details through Friends and Family, and each parent sees what is shared with them. Nobody but them can add entries or create a report through it.
Logged migraine days4
Attack duration, counted by length
A summary of your own entries. Your doctor interprets it.
A calmer way into the conversation
Instead ofTelling the teacher: she often has headaches
In SamEntries with date and duration, readable in the diary.
Instead ofAdding up missed days from memory
In SamThe days are in the diary with their dates.
Instead ofSlips of paper, phone notes and messages scattered
In SamOne diary for the doctor, in one place.
Sam does not predict attacks and makes no diagnosis; assessment and treatment stay with the child's doctor.
This may also help
What parents often ask
EmergencyWhen should I get help right away?+
This is general safety information, not a diagnosis.
- In an emergency or if you are unsure, call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US). For medical advice that is not urgent, call your doctor or local out-of-hours service.
If your child's doctor gave you a written emergency plan, follow it. This is not a diagnosis.
Do I have to tell the school the diagnosis?+
That is for your family to decide, ideally after talking to your child's doctor. Schools mostly care whether your child could take part in lessons, not about the full medical history. If the school is to help during an attack or consider support, it needs the information that requires.
How long can my child be off without a doctor's letter?+
That depends on your country and school. Ask the school for its rule.
What if the teacher thinks my child is avoiding school?+
Do not try to argue it out. Bring the dated diary to your child's doctor, who can look at the whole picture. A school counsellor can be someone to talk to.
How long should I keep a headache diary?+
The Migraine Trust describes the doctor looking at possible triggers after about three months of a diary, and Germany's 2008 guideline on headache in children mentions 4 to 6 weeks. The doctor tells you how long they need it.
What about medication at school?+
Whether and how medication is given at school is something you settle with the treating doctor and the school leadership. Sam's migraine program does not record medication.
Does Sam replace the doctor?+
No. Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device: it records, and the doctor interprets. Sam sums the entries up as a doctor report.
Take the diary to the appointment
Sam keeps attacks with date and duration and sums them up as a doctor report.
Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. Sam does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition and does not replace a doctor. For acute symptoms: call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).