0Fear of going to School in Kids.
Causes a Fear of Going to School?
here are five main factors associated with school refusal behavior:
- Sociodemographic variables
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Academic factors
- Family factors
With these in mind, when a child is scared to go to school, parents should to consider underlying issues that might play a role, such as:
- Transitions, such as moving to a new school, moving up into a different grade, and starting new classes
- Changes in family life such as a move, divorce, death, or another potentially traumatic event
- Real concerns for the safety of family members (e.g., there is an ill person at home)
- Social anxiety or shyness
- Self-consciousness (for example, a child who tends to have bathroom accidents)
- Bullying or teasing at school
- Fear of poor school performance and bad grades ("failure")
- Fears over negative relationships with a teacher or peers
- Real or imagined fears of ridicule or punishment at school
- Having a well-meaning but overly protective parent
Getting children to identify why they want to avoid school can sometimes be a challenge, however. Kids may not understand exactly why they are feeling sick, anxious, or uncomfortable when faced with school attendance.
How to Help
Again, for many kids, a reluctance to go to school passes. But if you are concerned that your child's fear is profound and persistent, it's worth taking steps to help prevent a chronic, long-term problem that can substantially affect learning and your child’s ability to develop into an independent adult.
First, have your child examined by his or her physician to determine if there are underlying, treatable medical causes for this. Because the symptoms commonly associated with school phobia (e.g., stomach upset) can be caused by a physical concern, a physician should first examine the child to rule out any possible illnesses.
Once any underlying conditions have been addressed, work with your child’s school counselor, teacher, or school psychologist to help determine possible causes for the problem. Together, parents and school staff can develop an intervention plan to increase the child’s school attendance and reduce refusal behaviors.
9 Ways to Help an Anxious Child
Interventions for school avoidance often incorporate both home-based and school-based tactics. Some of these examples of helpful strategies may be more useful to you and your child than others, but all are worth considering:
- Talk to your child. Sometimes a child won't communicate what they are feeling until they are asked. Ask open-ended questions that prompt your child to fill in the blanks, rather than ones that require a yes/no answer. For example, What makes you most upset when you are at school?
- Identify learning obstacles. Determine if poor academic skills or a learning disability are contributing to the problem. Fear of failure is one underlying cause of school phobia, even for children who are doing well.
- Provide reassurance. Keep reminding your child that he will be OK. Use your own behavior to convey this too by not unintentionally show signs of worry.
- Designate an ally. Finding a teacher or other trusted adult in the school who can serve as a resource for the child when he is experiencing anxiety or needs help with a problem.
- Help foster friendships. Help the child develop friends at school by inviting kids over for playdates or enrolling your child in clubs, sports, or after-care programs.
- Assess the schedule. Ensure the child has opportunities for success at school and can engage in some activities that she enjoys.
- Empower your child. Explore some different strategies to help bullied kids to take back their power, but don't hesitate to involve a professional too.
- Intervene when necessary. If real threats exist at school or in the neighborhood, take steps to address the problem. Keep in mind that "bad bullying advice" abounds.
- Take baby steps. Start the child on a shortened school day and gradually increase the time he spends there until he successfully lasts a full day.
- Use rewards: Use a behavior modification system to reward the child for attending school. On the other hand, avoiding fun activities when your child is at home because of refusing school.
