When Children Refuse School ― Parent Workbook

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.

Dr. Christopher Kearney is a noted authority on school refusal behavior and anxiety in youth. His research interests include school refusal behavior, selective mutism, posttraumatic stress disorder in maltreated youth, perfectionism, and other anxiety-related conditions in children and adolescents as well as issues of quality of life in persons with severe handicaps. He has published several books and numerous book chapters and journal articles on these. Dr. Kearney also conducts workshops for school districts and mental health and other agencies regarding school refusal behavior and selective mutism.

Dr. Anne Marie Albano is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety and related disorders in youth. She has published more than 100 articles and chapters and is the co-author of several cognitive behavioral treatment manuals and of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children, all published by Oxford University Press. Dr. Albano served as a Principal Investigator of a 6-site, National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored study entitled "Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Treatment Study" (CAMS) and the Extended Long Term Follow Up of CAMS (CAMELS) and also was a PI for the Treatments for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). Both trials examined the relative efficacy of CBT, medication, combination treatment, and pill placebo in youth.