Impact of lockdown and school closure on children in special schools: a single-centre survey.

Special schools play a significant role in the daily lives of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We explored the impact of the COVID-19-related first lockdown and resulting school closure by surveying parents whose children attended three special schools in Bedford, UK. We asked about anxiety and impact on emotional well-being and education. We received 53 responses from parents: 31 felt their child was more anxious during the lockdown period/school closure compared with beforehand and 42 felt their child's emotional well-being had been affected. Children and young people attending special schools may have struggled both academically and emotionally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Childhood multiple sclerosis mimicking acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease affecting people in early to middle adulthood and is uncommon in childhood. Here we report a patient of multiple sclerosis who presented much before 10 years of age with features suggestive of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and altered sensorium which is quite different from the features of multiple sclerosis in adults. Diagnosis in this patient was made on the basis of predominant white matter involvement with clinically remitting and relapsing course of the disease on follow up over 3 1/2 years, substantiated by finding multiple areas of demyelinating plaques in magnetic resonance imaging, while visual evoked potential and cerebrospinal fluid study supported demyelination. Hence, children with initial diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis need long term follow up as they may develop multiple sclerosis.