School Refusal: What’s Important to Know and What Can I Do?

School refusal, also known as school avoidance, is a misunderstood and complex challenge. While school refusal is often viewed as misbehavior, in most cases students are simply too anxious to enter the school environment and, in the cases of some students, have trouble leaving their homes at all. Often,children with school refusal behaviors may complain of physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches before school, or repeatedly ask to visit the school nurse.

In this class you will learn:

• The ways in which your own emotions and anxiety about truancy affect your child’s recovery or escalation
• How to frame the problem for yourself and child in a way that encourages confidence, patience, and compassion
• Ways to work with the school to support your child through this difficult time