School avoidance is a disorder affecting school-aged children who, because of anxiety, depression, or social factors, avoid attending school because attendance causes stress.
Some psychological and social factors may cause school avoidance.
Children may fake illnesses and make up excuses to avoid going to school.
To re-establish regular attendance at school, open communication between the child, parents, and school personnel is recommended.
Sometimes psychological therapy may be needed.
School avoidance occurs in about 1 to 15% of all school-aged children and affects girls and boys equally. It usually occurs between age 5 and age 11.
The cause of school avoidance is often unclear, but psychological factors (such as stress, anxiety, and depression—see also Overview of Mental Health Disorders in Children and Adolescents) and social factors (such as having no friends, feeling rejected by peers, or being bullied) may contribute. If a child begins to miss a lot of school because of avoidance behaviors, it may be a sign that the child has a more serious problem such as a depression disorder or one or more of the anxiety disorders, particularly social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or selective mutism (a disorder characterized by a child's inability to speak in certain social situations, despite being able to speak comfortably in other settings, such as at home with family). Children who frequently stay away from school without permission (truant) may have a conduct disorder. These other disorders differ from school avoidance in that they also cause problems that are unrelated to school.
Sensitive children may overreact out of fear to a teacher’s strictness or rebukes. Children may fake illness or make other excuses to avoid school. Children with special education needs may develop school avoidance after changes in staff or curriculum.
Children may complain of a stomachache, nausea, or other symptoms that justify staying home. Some children directly refuse to go to school. Alternatively, children and adolescents may go to school without difficulty but become anxious or develop various symptoms during the school day, often going regularly to the nurse’s office. Unlike younger children, adolescents may leave their home but decide not to attend school (called truancy or "playing hooky”).
In children who do not have a serious psychological disorder, school avoidance tends to result from
Poor academic performance
Family difficulties
Difficulties with peers
Most children recover from school avoidance, but some develop it again after a real illness or a vacation.
Children with school avoidance should return to school immediately, so that they do not fall behind in their schoolwork. Parents can work with school staff to provide support and to help identify and address stresses to help children stay at school. If school avoidance is so intense that it interferes with the child's activities and if the child does not respond to simple reassurance by parents or teachers, the child may need to be seen by a mental health professional. Home schooling is generally not a solution because having the child be able to function in a school environment is often a goal.
(See also Overview of Behavioral Problems in Children.)
Treatment of School Avoidance
Communication with school personnel
Attendance at school, with social or emotional support if needed
Sometimes therapy
Treatment of school avoidance should include communication between parents and school personnel, regular attendance at school, and sometimes therapy involving the family and child with a mental health professional.
Therapy includes treatment of underlying disorders, adaptation of the school curriculum for children who have a learning disability or other special education needs, and behavioral techniques to cope with the stresses at school.
