Abstract
The burden for children with physical impairments and special needs is bigger than the medical condition they suffer from. The distance that parts them from healthy children of their same age increases the gap between them and the happy life they rightly wish for.
This is a major concern, as long as no well-being for children could be achieved if their emotional and psychological discomforts are not properly addressed. The use of telehealth devices and of Web-based applications, specifically designed for the purpose, are possible solutions to help children and families to receive support and assistance from professionals, from people suffering their same condition, or from healthy children that simply want to get in touch with them.
Nevertheless, a governed environment is needed in order to protect children and safeguard their safety and to early detect discomfort or those situations that are collateral effects of the Internet and of the child’s age: harassment, bullying, insecurity, low self-esteem, and other major and minor psychological distresses.
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Pili, G. (2014). Overtaking the Distances: The Child with Special Needs. In: Capello, F., Naimoli, A., Pili, G. (eds) Telemedicine for Children's Health. TELe-Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06489-5_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06489-5_5
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