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It's with school refusal behavior in mind that Northwest CommunityHospital in northwest suburban Chicago offers a specialized program to treatthis serious emotional problem. It affects as many as one-fourth of school-aged youths at one time or another, and is felt fairly equally across gender,racial and income groups.
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"In simple terms, school refusal is absenteeism where children complain ofphysical symptoms or express fear about going to school," said Maggie Hahn,the program's clinical coordinator at Northwest Community Hospital. "It'sdifferent from truancy because these kids generally stay home with theirparents' knowledge."
Northwest Community's school refusal program -- based in ArlingtonHeights, Illinois, and the only one of its kind in the nation -- providesassessment, treatment and medication management by a board-certifiedadolescent psychiatrist. The program includes family therapy, parenteducation, in-hospital support with a liaison to the adolescent's home school,and a unique "step-down" program that starts the child back to school for halfdays with continued intensive outpatient treatment in the afternoon.
"The longer a child suffers from school refusal behavior and is allowed tostay home, the more difficult it is to return to school," Hahn said. "It'simportant to seek solutions and get them quickly back on the right track."Two common reasons for school refusal behavior are: -- The child feels depressed, anxious or fearful about being at school (not wanting to leave parents, or various fears about school situations such as crowded hallways or claustrophobia in the classroom) -- The child lacks the necessary social skills (extreme shyness or fears of public speaking, taking tests, or being bullied)
SOURCE Northwest Community Hospital
