When Children Refuse School

School refusal behavior is a common and difficult problem facing parents of children and teenagers. The behavior often results in severe academic, social, and psychological problems. A child's absence from school also significantly increases family conflict. If your child experiences anxiety or noncompliance about attending school and has trouble remaining in classes for an entire day, When Children Refuse School, Parent Workbook, and the corresponding Therapist Guide, can help. The third edition of When Children Refuse School, Parent Workbook, is designed to help you work with a qualified therapist to resolve your child's school refusal behavior. This edition introduces parent involvement strategies, especially with respect to intervention compliance, and offers recommendations regarding consultation with school officials. Regardless of whether your child refuses school to relieve school-related distress, to avoid negative social situations at school, to receive attention from you or another family member, or to obtain tangible rewards outside of school, the flexible treatments described in this book will help you and your child overcome school refusal behavior. The Workbook describes what you can expect throughout the assessment and treatment of your child and provides answers to questions you may have about the process of therapy. It also provides instructions for continuing certain aspects of the program at home, including relaxation and breathing techniques, as well as exposure exercises to decrease your child's anxiety.

Many children and teenagers refuse to attend school or have anxiety-related difficulties remaining in classes for an entire day. School refusal behavior can contribute to a child's academic, social, and psychological problems, impact a child's chances for future educational, financial, and personal success, and significantly affect family functioning. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be a highly effective treatment for youth who exhibit this behavior. The third edition of When Children Refuse School, Therapist Guide, provides an updated multi-tiered approach model that can be used to effectively address the main types of school refusal behavior. The Guide introduces new material on very severe and chronic cases of problematic absenteeism, including alternative educational avenues and expansion of manual procedures, for children and adults. This manual includes tools for assessing a child's reasons for school refusal behavior and is based on a functional, prescriptive model. It presents well-tested techniques arranged by function to tailor treatment to a child's particular characteristics. Each treatment package also contains a detailed discussion of special topics pertinent to treating youths with school refusal behavior, such as medication, panic attacks, and being teased. A corresponding workbook is also available for parents, who often play an important part in a child's recovery. This comprehensive program is an invaluable resource for clinicians treating school refusal behavior.