It is seen as the child's fear of going to school, showing intense anxiety and panic symptoms towards school time. Stating that tantrums can be seen in children with complaints such as abdominal - headache and nausea as school time approaches, experts warn that the approach of 'let's wait for a while, maybe it will pass' may exacerbate the problem. Experts emphasize the importance of professional support in such cases.
Specialist from Üsküdar University NP Feneryolu Medical Center. Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım made important evaluations about school phobia in children.
Anxiety increases in judged children
"Whether the child has a phobia or not can be recognized according to his reaction to a situation at school," says Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım,
"In psychiatric disorders (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder / Specific Learning Disability / Intellectual Disability / Conduct Disorder / Depression - social phobia etc.), if the child has inadequacies in certain areas, if he/she learns with difficulty, if he/she has low self-confidence, he/she experiences adaptation problems. Family communication problems, divorce, sibling staying at home, sibling jealousy, death-accident-illness in the family may also cause school refusal. If family pressure is added to this situation, the child is forced; if he/she is judged, his/her anxiety increases, he/she panics and school refusal may turn into school phobia. As a reason, he/she may say that he/she is afraid of the teacher, that he/she cannot get along with his/her friends, sometimes leaving the classroom and running away from school can be seen."
Do not say "Let's wait for a while, maybe it will pass"!
"Children with school phobia may experience loss of appetite, sleep disorder, restlessness, irritability, nervousness, shyness, introversion, and lack of interest in school activities. As long as they do not go to school, starting school becomes difficult. The family's approach of 'Let's wait for a while, maybe it will pass' is wrong. The problem gets bigger," Sayım said and listed the things that can be done for children with this fear as follows:
- "Intimidation, threats, violence and judgment should not be used.
- The child reacts emotionally to a situation that disturbs him/her. The best approach is to recognize this and try to understand him/her. It is necessary to empathize with the child and try to understand him/her.
- Find out which situation and emotion is causing school refusal and try to solve this problem.
- For this, the family should seek help from a psychiatric center. Psychiatric approach and psychotherapy should go hand in hand.
- The family should be committed to the child's school attendance. However, the child should be made to feel that this problem concerns the whole family and not just the child.
- The teacher and the family should be in close cooperation. The teacher's reassuring and non-coercive style is important."
Overprotectiveness prevents the child from individualizing
"It is mostly in the form of separation anxiety in children who have just started kindergarten and primary school," said Clinical Psychologist Aynur Sayım, "The child does not want to leave the parent or caregiver. It is especially seen in children who are raised dependent by their parents. Overprotective parents prevent the child from individualizing. The child has little self-confidence in social environments. He does not know how to behave when he is alone, he is afraid."