School Refusal/ Avoidance

What is School Avoidance?

School avoidance is when a child refuses to attend a school or has difficulty remaining in school the entire day.

It can start by missing a day or two sporadically over a few of your child’s school years and slowly increase to the point where you see it’s becoming a problem.

You may also have seen “soft signs” like avoiding a certain class, having serious problems with completing homework, faking illness to miss a day of school, miss a presentation or test at school.

School avoidant behavior can show as any of the following;

Completely absent from school
Goes to school but leaves during the day or escapes to the nurse’s office
May go to school, but only after crying, hiding in their bedroom, having an outburst, or refusing to move.
Has unusual distress about going to school and begs you not to make him go back.

School Avoidance 101: Assessment Scale & Parent ResourcesSee evidence-based interventions & best practice strategies to help your child from School Avoidance Alliance, the leading resource for parents and educators.

School Avoidance 102 - School Avoidance AllianceParents School Avoidance 102 School avoidance/school refusal is not a clinical diagnosis. It is a symptom of an emotional disorder or other underlying issues which propels the avoidance. Therefore, there is no diagnostic code for school avoidance in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition: DSM-5, which is the definitive authority that […]