Is school refusal a disorder?

School refusal is considered a symptom and may be associated with diagnoses such as social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, major depression, oppositional defiant disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and adjustment disorder, among others.

How do you treat school refusal?

Treatment providers working with kids who have school refusal will often use cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps kids learn to manage their anxious thoughts and face their fears. While kids who are anxious might disagree, the best way to get over anxiety is actually to get more comfortable with feeling anxious.

How common is school refusal?

School refusal is fairly common in children and adolescents, with approximately 5% to 28% of youth engaging in school refusal at some point. These difficulties present fairly equally across sex, race and socioeconomic groups.

Is school refusal in the DSM?

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.

Is school avoidance a diagnosis?

School refusal, also known as school avoidance and school phobia, is not classified as a mental illness by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

CBT for school refusal

What mental illness is school refusal?

School refusal is considered a symptom and may be associated with diagnoses such as social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, major depression, oppositional defiant disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and adjustment disorder, among others.

Does ADHD cause school avoidance?

Confirming the Validity of the School-Refusal Assessment Scale—Revised in a Sample of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with developmental disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are at high risk of school-refusal behavior (SRB) compared with their peers.

What are the three types of school refusal?

The terms fear‐based school phobia, anxiety‐based school refusal, and delinquent‐based truancy were commonly described as school refusal behavior.

What is the most common age for school refusal?

Epidemiology. Approximately 1 to 5 percent of all school-aged children have school refusal. The rate is similar between boys and girls. Although school refusal occurs at all ages, it is more common in children five, six, 10, and 11 years of age.

How is school refusal diagnosed?

School refusal is often diagnosed with a team approach. The team is made up of your child's healthcare provider, you, your child, and teachers and counselors. Your child's healthcare provider will rule out any real health problems that may be happening. A complete health history and physical exam will be done.

What are the somatic symptoms of school refusal?

School refusal (SR) is commonly associated with somatic symptoms that are temporally related to school attendance. Abdominal pain, headache, vomiting, and musculoskeletal pain are frequently encountered and are usually not caused by a physical disease.

What happens when you have school refusal?

During adolescence, school refusal can present as shutting down, panic symptoms, and even thoughts of self-harm. In both cases, it can interfere with family communication, trigger heated emotions between parents and children, and make it difficult for both children and parents to engage in their normal daily routines.

What are the criteria for school avoidance?

The operational criteria present in Berg's [2] definition are: (1) school attendance is less than 80% in the classroom during the 2 weeks prior; (2) the presence of an anxiety disorder; (3) parents are aware of their child's whereabouts during absences; (4) the absence of conduct disorder problems; and (5) parental ...

Should I punish my child for school refusal?

This phenomenon, known as school refusal, isn't a behavior problem. You can't punish your child out of school refusal. Instead, it's a form of anxiety that demands treatment.

What medication is used for school avoidance?

Medication: Particularly if a child has another mental health condition, medication may be helpful. For example, children may take antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs like sertraline (Zoloft®) or fluoxetine (Prozac®) may treat an underlying anxiety disorder.

What medication is used for school refusal anxiety?

Separation Anxiety and School Refusal Medication: Tricyclic Antidepressants, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Anxiolytic Agents, Antihistamines, Beta-Adrenergic Blocking Agents, Anticonvulsants, Alpha-Adrenergic Agents.

How can I help my child with school refusal?

Why does my child never want to go to school?

School refusal is not considered a disorder, but it may be a symptom of a larger problem, such as anxiety or depression. Experts say children may exhibit fearfulness, panic, crying episodes, or temper tantrums, or experience physical symptoms of anxiety, like headaches or stomach aches.

Is school mandatory in the US?

In the United States, students begin formal education around age five or six. Generally, elementary and secondary school grades kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) are required, after which a student may choose to attend college or university.

What is emotionally based school refusal?

Emotionally Based School Avoidance is a broad umbrella term used to describe a group of children and young people who have severe difficulty in attending school due to emotional factors, often resulting in prolonged absences from school.

What is Scopophobia?

Scopophobia is an excessive fear of being watched. People with scopophobia find social interactions extremely stressful because they think people are judging them. Some people avoid socializing altogether. The phobia can stop them enjoying everyday activities or impact their work or school life.

What is it called when a child doesn't go to school?

Definition of a Truant

The California Legislature defined a truant in very precise language. In summary, it states that a student missing more than 30 minutes of instruction without an excuse three times during the school year must be classified as a truant and reported to the proper school authority.

Why do kids with ADHD not want to go to school?

Children with ADHD struggle more with boredom and putting mental effort into challenging tasks. Virtual learning or in-person school with more rules may lack the novelty and excitement. Teachers may need to find new ways to keep children with ADHD from being bored and keep them engaged in learning.

What kind of school is best for child with ADHD?

What if a school thinks my child has ADHD?

But teachers can't diagnose ADHD. They can tell you what they've noticed, but after that, you would need to get a professional to evaluate your child to see if they have ADHD or if something else is going on. There is no one test for ADHD.