By Jayne Demsky, founder of the School Avoidance Alliance
Twelve-year-old Simon has been diagnosed with PTSD, depression and anxiety disorder brought on by seeing both his father and brother die within a year. To make matters worse, his best friend died a few months later. After Simon (not his real name) wasn’t able to get to school for an entire school year, he and his mother were sent to truancy court.
School avoidance (or school refusal) has been a documented problem since 1932, but it surged during post-Covid school re-openings. While many people have never heard of school avoidance, one research paper notes that school refusal occurs among 1–7% of youth in the general population and 5–16% of youth seen in clinical settings. However, this data is hard to quantify as most states and districts haven’t developed standardized codes for reasons for absences.
As we enter the new school year, it’s important for both educators and families to be aware of the growing challenge of school avoidance since it has significant implications for children’s mental health and school dropout rates.
School avoidance describes a regular refusal to attend school or routine problems staying at school. The child may cry, yell or hide. It is a complicated problem, generally considered a symptom of a mental health disorder or a learning disability and often is seen alongside other issues. A child with school avoidance may start by going to school late, leaving early, or missing school days sporadically or on consecutive days. It can happen occasionally over multiple school years and then become consistent. The time of onset and progression will differ from child to child.
For a parent or caregiver, it is heartbreaking to see their child so scared and panicked. Not knowing why their child is reacting this way is worrisome and perplexing. In addition, if schools respond to absences with blame and punishment, it can make it even harder to partner with families to address the underlying reason for a student missing school. I know this from my own experiences with my son’s four years of school avoidance.
There are common pain points that can easily derail families and schools as they try to get children back to school. The following are three road blocks with suggested solutions to help improve outcomes.
Caregivers and Students Feel Isolated, Judged, and Stigmatized
We know it is hard for people to understand how overwhelming and difficult it is to have a school-avoidant child. Families we speak with always cite supportive, understanding and empathetic school staff as a key to their child’s ability to return to school. One school-avoidant 10-year-old who returned to school after many weeks said his teachers helped him return. “My teachers believed that school avoidance was real, and they were patient with me,” he said.
Lack of Awareness of School Avoidance
We conducted an informal survey asking families with school avoidance children: How long did it take you to realize or for a professional to tell you that your child was dealing with school avoidance? Fifty-eight families responded, and only one parent was aware of school avoidance and realized that is what their child was struggling with. The other families said it took between four months to two years learn about school avoidance either on their own or from a therapist or school professional. This lack of awareness delays effective early intervention and keeps families feeling that this experience is unique to their child.
To raise awareness about school avoidance districts and schools can explain it on their websites. The information can be shared where attendance information is located and can be cross-listed with any mental health content or student support services. Similar information can be included in recorded phone messages or texts, as well as chronic absence letters sent home. If families know what school avoidance is, they are more likely to contact school staff in the early stages.
Treatment Misconceptions
Schools can use the Response to Intervention approach, with strategies for three tiers, as a blueprint to promote school attendance, assess school refusal cases and monitor the progress made after the intervention, according to a study by Christopher Kearney of the University of Nevada and Patricia Graczyk of the University of Illinois.
Once school avoidance is identified, it helps to learn the causes of school avoidance. Is the child experiencing an anxiety disorder or having trouble due to learning differences? Is the child being bullied or are they feeling physically or emotionally unsafe at school?
Researchers and clinicians who are experienced in helping get school avoidant kids back to school all agree that evidence-based modes of therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy are the first-line treatments for school avoidance. These interventions can be done by a school psychologist or social worker or handled by an outside practitioner.
The good news is that even though clinical help isn’t always available, school professionals can do a lot to help their school avoidance students. The two best predictors for improved school avoidance outcomes are early interventions and parent and school collaboration. Schools that are trained in evidence-based interventions can build individualized reintegration plans for each student experiencing school avoidance.
If schools respond to school avoidance at the first signs of this problem and use evidenced-based strategies combined with empathetic support for families, they can get kids back to school.
Photo credit Allison Shelley for EDU Images
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