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School Refusal Causes

Although young children usually find going to school fun and exciting, 1 in 4 children may occasionally refuse to attend school. Such behavior becomes a routine problem in about 2% of children. Many children with school refusal have an earlier history of separation anxiety, social anxiety, or depression. Undiagnosed learning disabilities or reading disorders may also play a significant role in the development of school refusal.

Signs of a psychiatric disorder called separation anxiety disorder can include the following:

• School refusal


• Excessive worry about losing a parent; excessive worry that a parent might be harmed


• Excessive reluctance to be alone at any time


• Persistent refusal to go to sleep without a parent or other caretaker present


• Repeated complaints of physical symptoms whenever the child is about to leave a significant parental figure

These behaviors must begin before the child is aged 18 years, must last for 4 weeks or longer, and must cause serious problems with academic, social, or other functioning in order to be called a disorder.

Some commonly cited reasons for refusal to attend school include the following:

• A parent being ill (Surprisingly, school refusal can begin after the parent recovers.)


• Parents separating, having marital problems, or having frequent arguments


• A death in the family of a friend of the child


• Moving from one house to another during the first years of elementary school


• Jealousy over a new brother or sister at home


• Parents worrying about the child in some way (for example, poor health)

Other problems at school that can cause school refusal include feeling lost (especially in a new school), not having friends, being bullied by another child, or not getting along with a teacher or classmates.