School refusal is a disorder  of a child who refuses to go to school on a regular basis or have a problem staying in school. School phobia can be seen in different situations including the following :

• Young children going to school for the first  time : This is a normal type of school refusal and usually goes away within a few days of the child attending school. It results from a  child’s normal separation anxiety  or uneasiness about leaving a parent figure
• Fear : Older children have school phobia based on a real fear of something that happened to them at school such as bullying or a teacher being mean. In this situation , it is important to talk to the child about the cause of fear.
• Distress : This occurs when children love school but are too distress about leaving their parents and going to school.

What are the signs of school refusal ?

While every child is different , children with this disorder may exhibit the following characteristics.

• The child may complain of other symptoms  such as stomachache or headache . The symptoms gets better after the child is allowed to stay home.
• The child may tell you that he is anxious or afraid of a certain situation  thats happens in school.
• The child may not want to leave the parents because of the changes in the  child’s life such as
  • Just moved
  • New school
  • New brother or sister
  • Sick brother, sister or parent
  • Divorce
  • Death in a family

How to manage school refusal

Each  situation should be handled differently because each child is unique. The interventions may be used to help the child.

• Return the child to school. Talk to the school officials about the situation at hand and do not send the child home for the wrong reasons
• Consider family counseling if other problems exists.
•  Allow the child to talk about his fears and concerns.
• You can also slowly separate the parents from the child in school. You can start this by having the parent sit in class with the child in the classroom at first. The parents can then attend school but in a different room. Next the parent may continue to be  farther away.
• A referral to a child psychologist  or psychiatrist may be necessary.