Childrens avoid school for many reasons like separation from home and parents, bullies, assignments, grades or a teacher. It is different from school refusal. Truancy is used to describe children or young people who avoid attending school without their parent?s knowledge or permission. Avoiding school occurs in about 5% of all school-aged children. It mostly occurs between the age of 5 and 6 and between age 10 and 11.

 

Childrens avoid school for many reasons like separation from home and parents, bullies, assignments, grades or a teacher. It is different from school refusal.

Truancy is used to describe children or young people who avoid attending school without their parent’s knowledge or permission.

Avoiding school occurs in about 5% of all school-aged children. It mostly occurs between the age of 5 and 6 and between age 10 and 11.

Causes

• Psychological factors like anxiety and depression.
• Social factors like no friends, feeling rejected by others.
• Sensitive child: Over reacting with fear to teacher’s strictness.
• Younger children fake illness to avoid school. They may complain of stomach pain, nausea, loose motions and other symptoms.
• School avoidance can result in poor academic performance, family difficulties and difficulties with child’s peers. A child with school avoidance should be sent to school immediately. If it is very intense that it interferes the activity of the child and the child does not respond to the assurance of parents or teachers, the child may need psychologist of psychiatrist help.

Treatment

• Communication with parents and teachers or school personnel.
• Regular attendance at school.
• Psychotherapy of family and child.
• Avoidance of stress.

How to diagnose school refusal

• School refusal is when the child starts missing the school frequently because of vague illnesses or symptoms.
• The common symptoms they may complain are those associated with worry like stomach aches, diarrhea, nausea, headache, fatigue, dizziness, general aches and pains.
• Child show extreme determination not to attend the school like reluctance to get dressed, to leave house or enter school premises.
• Child appears to be anxious or agitated in the mornings.
• Symptoms appear to settle fairly quickly after getting into school.
• A child who is fear of attending the school and always wants to be at home or outside the school.
• Symptoms can worse after school holidays, during weekends.

How to diagnose truancy

• Truancy is used to describe children or young people who avoid attending school without their parent’s knowledge or permission.
• Truancy usually seen as deliberate act of defiance where the child or young person finds something they will prefer to do rather than attending the school.
• It is often associated with social reasons. They may socialize outside the school and may form truanting group.
• It is sometimes associated with anti-social behavior.