Is your daughter not going to school? She may be dealing with school refusal

Mom, I don’t want to go to school because I’m afraid of…”
“Daddy, I don’t want to school because I’m not feeling well.”
“I really don’t want to go to school today, but not because I want to skip..”

If these phrases sound familiar, or if your daughter throws a tantrum every time she’s heading out the door to go to school, she may be dealing with something more than the run of the mill truancy issue; she may be suffering from a school refusal problem.

What is school refusal?

School refusal occurs when a child refuses to attend school. It’s an extreme pattern that can drastically affect your daughter’s well being. Unlike truancy, school refusal is an aversion to school itself. It’s not playing hooky. In fact, some children with school refusal issues attend school most of the time, but are tardy or leave early most days because of their anxiety.

Children suffering from school refusal issues usually begin complaining of physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or nausea before school everyday. They don’t have serious behavior problems and don’t hide their desire to stay home from school from their parents.

Why does this happen?

Children who refuse to go to school may have separation anxiety issues or fear losing their parents. They may be having issues at school such as bullying, feeling like they have no friends, not getting along with a teacher, or may be experiencing learning problems.

If your daughter is refusing to go to school, the best thing you can do for her is send her to school anyway. She needs to overcome her anxieties or she’ll never be able to move past them. You need to believe that she can get over her fear of school. If you don’t truly believe this, neither will she.

Asheville Academy can help

If you daughter continues to have school refusal issues, consider sending her to Asheville Academy. Asheville Academy is a therapeutic boarding school for young girls ages 10-14 struggling with emotional and behavioral issues such as depression, self esteem issues, and anxiety.

For more information about how Asheville Academy can help your daughter, please call 800-264-8709.