School Refusal

Written by: Angela Lacalamita, MA, LCPC


School anxiety, refusal and avoidance are increasingly becoming a problem with children/adolescents. Researchers estimate that 2-5% of school age children suffer from anxiety related school refusal. School refusal encompasses a broad spectrum of behaviors to include:

• prolonged absence from school

• sporadic attendance

• skipping classes

• emotional or behavioral difficulty in an attempt to refuse school

• physical complaints of illness without medical explanation (somatic) when faced with having to attend school

There are numerous factors that may influence school refusal. Generally, youth refuse school to avoid academic situations that cause distress (i.e. homework or other school related situations), escape social or evaluative situations (i.e. peer groups or tests), to gain attention from a person in which the child has an emotional attachment toward, to obtain rewards outside of the school setting (i.e. sleeping in, or video games). Many children that display school refusal also display other emotional or behavioral difficulty to avoid school settings i.e., running away, substance use, noncompliance, temper tantrums and aggression. If left untreated, school refusal can lead to significant difficulty with a child’s social, emotional and educational development.

The long-term outcome for children who refuse school is not well established, primarily due to an inconsistent definition.  Regardless of the terminology used, school refusal may be a precursor to disturbances later in life if left untreated. If your child is experiencing difficulty in attending school, a comprehensive evaluation from a mental health professional will reveal the reasons behind the school refusal.

The following are tips that can help your child manage school related anxiety or other stressful situations.

• Relaxation Training: a combination of progressive muscle relaxation and breathing exercises can be helpful. Diaphragm breathing is achieved by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth for a set number of times. Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique in which a muscle group is isolated and contracted for five seconds and then released. This technique can begin by starting with the feet and gradually work up to the head or vice versa.

• Gradually introduce school to your child in small degrees. Eventually this will help them realize there is nothing to fear and that nothing bad will happen (generally for younger children just beginning school).

• Have your child identify the positive aspects of going to school: being with friends or learning a favorite subject.

• Have your child identify any negative thoughts they may be having. Encourage your child to replace the anxious (negative thoughts) with supportive and calming statements, i.e., “I can handle this.”, “I have done this before.”

• Arrange a meeting with your child’s counselor for support and direction.

• Establish routines: Having a routine offers predictability, improves transitions to school and reduces anxiety. The morning routine prior to school should be the primary focus. It can be a benefit to have regular routines for all parts of the day to limit any behavioral difficulty.

• Learn about your child’s anxiety disorder and research the treatment options.

Dependent Adult Children

Written by: Angela Lacalamita, MA, LCPC

One of the many challenges with parenting is setting limits with your adult children. As parents you want to protect your children from the disappointments and challenges that life may bring. Supporting your children through their early developmental stages is crucial to their growth and development. However, when you begin to continuously rescue them from their problems and/or overlook their lack of contribution to the household, you are potentially fostering dependent children. Protecting your adult children from the challenges and struggles that life brings may prevent them from developing the necessary skills to care for themselves and become self-sufficient. How do you know when to say “No “?  When do you allow them to experience some consequences for their actions?  One way to know the answer to this question is to ask yourself the following questions: Am I beginning to feel resentment, burden and anger for everything I am doing for my child? Am I beginning to feel emotionally and physically exhausted? Am I scared to say “No”? Is your adult child beginning to make demands or use guilt when they are not being given what they want? Are you putting you own happiness and opportunities aside for your child? If you have answered “ Yes ” to any of these questions, you may want to explore ways in which you can motivate and foster your adult child’s independence. 

Protecting your children is only a small part of parenting. It also involves preparing your children for adulthood. When is it the appropriate time to foster independence? Once your children graduate from school or decide to no longer pursue an education, is the time for them to work toward becoming self-reliant. This does not mean that you have to ask them to leave your household. However, they should be working toward autonomy. At times, a variety of reasons contributes to adult children returning home. Allowing your children to return home is acceptable as long as steps are taken to encourage their independence, i.e. contributing to a fair share financial and household responsibilities. If your adult child is becoming dependent, you may have to motivate them and/or force them to become independence. Here are some things to consider.

• Impose household rules for curfew, telephone and TV use and chores. Give them the choice of following the rules or leaving.

• Require working children to contribute part of their salary for room and board. If you do not need the money, then consider saving it for your child to use when they are on their own.

• Helping your child financially should be contingent on their efforts toward developing independence. If you are helping them financially, consider paying off past debts as opposed to providing living expenses.

• Set a time limit on how long children can remain at home before you tell them to leave. If you tell your child that he or she needs to leave, it is very important that you follow through.

• You have the right to say, “No, I have changed my mind” about a previous promise.

• Set limits on how much time you spend helping your child resolve any problems. If your child asks for advice, encourage them to offer ideas.

• Be aware that your child may be angry and possibly reject you. He or she will most likely come around later.

Parental bonding makes for happy, stable child

Parental bonding makes for happy, stable child