school refusal (aka school avoidance, school phobia, school canβt, and attendance anxiety) is a term used for students who have severe, negative emotional responses to attending school.
how is 'not wanting to go to school' a mental health disorder here?
it's not. school refusal is a mental health concern in australia, but it is not a disorder. you cannot be diagnosed with school refusal.
why is the treatment 'not going to school'?
it's not. a child's mental health and wellbeing is more important than school attendance, but the end goal of any treatment plan will be for the child to fully return to school.
it is widely accepted that you shouldn't force someone to go to school by, let's say, physically dragging them out the door or by screaming at them. it is also understood that just being physically present at school while distressed isn't going to help a child learn. neither of these things mean the treatment/solution is "don't go to school."
you need to communicate with the child AND their school to identify the underlying issues. this can take time because young people don't always have the vocabulary to explain what is going on in their heads. (to be fair, people of all ages can have trouble articulating this!)
when you understand why they are refusing to go to school, then you can address the cause. the treatment plan (also referred to as a return-to-school plan) will almost always involve still attending school in some capacity because it's easier for children to go back to school when they haven't been away for a very long time, it builds their confidence/resilience, and it keeps them connected to learning and their peers.
why is not wanting to go to school an affliction of the individual and not a result of, like, school being bad?
this question assumes school refusal is a systemic failure instead of an individual health issue.
there are infinite possible reasons behind a child's school refusal: learning difficulties, anxiety, bullying, problems with a teacher, a fight with a friend, moving house, starting at a new school, stress at home, lack of confidence, a sick family member.
if we treat school refusal as a systemic issue, the priority isn't the well-being of individual children with mental and/or physical health concerns, the priority is the integrity of the system's infrastructure. we don't focus on mental health, outreach, or student accommodations; we address statistics and complaints first, to remedy a school failure. time, funding, and resources are allocated to the school, not to the child's well-being. (which, ironically, would be a systemic failure that harms children who are struggling.)
why are kids allowed to just say βi dont want to go to schoolβ and then not have to go to school? ever?
they aren't. this is reactionary gibberish that you made up in your head.
@pumkinybunbits: does it have an age limit?
broadly speaking, you are required to participate in full-time education between the ages of 6 and 17. this varies slightly in each australian state and territory, usually with a caveat around year 10 about participating in some form of training, apprenticeship, traineeship, etc instead of only high school.
no supplemental material? no packets or take home work? no advisory courses?
again, compulsory education is very much A Whole Thing in australia.
return-to-school plans can include a variety of learning accommodations but if a child cannot return to school- either because traditional schooling isn't the right fit for them, or because all other options have been exhausted- there are still a number of alternative pathways the parents and educators can pursue.
there are flexible learning centres, small specialised schools for students with autism or anxiety, homeschooling, private online schooling programs, and government-funded distance education just to name a few.
this question had me really confused, because obviously the parents/guardians/caregivers watch them...
and then i remembered that americans don't have workers rights. silly me. here's an overview of sick/carer's leave in australia; for reference, as of my last payslip i have accrued 116 hours of personal leave so if you snapped your fingers and gave me a kid experiencing school refusal, i could theoretically take about 3 weeks off to stay at home with them right now.
to clarify: i would be paid and continue accruing personal leave during this time, and my employer could not fire me for using my personal leave.
truancy is different from school refusal in australia; school refusal happens with the parents' knowledge, and is a term used when children experience intense distress about going to school.
you can also understand the difference based on motivation: truancy is motivated by defiance, school refusal is motivated by distress.
i'm not sure what parents would have to pay for in this scenario. they might end up paying for a child therapist or something but it's not like the school or government fines you.
am i just being american about this?
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