Let’s start with what school refusal is and what it isn’t. School refusal is when a young problem has difficulties attending school due to high levels of emotional distress, often leading to ongoing and frequent missing school. It’s different to truancy, which is usually kept hidden from their parents.
The longer that the young person is away from school, the harder it can be for them to start attending regularly again. School refusal often occurs in a cycle: The young person feels anxiety about attending and feels relief at staying at home. But this is only a temporary fix and the anxiety feels even worse when they think about attending the next day. As more school is missed, the young person can fall behind of their class work and become disengaged from their friends making the anxiety even worse.
Parents can often feel worried, frustrated and helpless with how to help their child and may become angry at their child. It can help to understand that the young person isn’t refusing to attend school to be naughty or disobedient, they are felling anxious and scared and helpless themselves. School refusal can have a large impact on the family unit as a whole and it’s important that parents are taking care of themselves and that they feel supported.
What to look for?
School refusal can present in a variety of ways. Below are some common signs to look out for:
- Repeated complaints of physical illness before or during school including headaches, tiredness, or stomach upsets. The young person may also attend the sick bay frequently.
- Refusal or delays when prompted to get up out of bed, get ready for school or to leave the house/ get out of the car.
- Increased difficulties attending school after changes to the school routine such as school holidays or camp.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Cry, yell or become aggressive when being prompted to get ready.
- Beg or plead not to attend.
What contributes to school refusal?
This is complex and differs for each young person. There might be a few reasons that contribute to school refusal:
- Stress due to being separated from their family
- Worry about social interactions or bullying
- A changing school environment such as changing to a new school, going from primary to high school or a new teacher.
- Anxiety related to class work or learning challenges
- An unsettled home life such as death, divorce or illness of someone close to the young person.
How we can help?
Depending on the young persons’ age, we can work in conjunction with you and the young person to understand the specific reasons behind the school refusal. The young person will be supported through a program to recognise their individual strengths, reduce their anxiety and target their specific difficulties.
