School Avoidance and Anxiety – Parent Support

Not feeling safe at school? Are they being bullied by someone in their class/grade? 

Frustrated or overwhelmed with schoolwork or the environment? How is their homework/course load? They may have reached a point where they feel so lost or behind that avoiding it all seems more manageable than trying to catch up.

Having a difficult time being away from caregiver/family? If they’re in a new school environment or having emotional situations outside of school, they may have anxiety leaving the comfort and safety you and their home environment provide them. 

Finding it hard to get there because transportation is difficult? Is it a long walk, or do they have a long bus ride? 

Getting poor sleep or finding morning routines challenging? Poor (or not enough) sleep can affect many aspects of our lives and moods.  

Have a collaborative conversation with your child about finding ways to make attending school less stressful. Reiterate that you are a team. Maybe they need to push their sleep schedule up half an hour so they feel less rushed in the mornings without feeling more tired. 

Target areas of concern. Once you understand what is getting in the way, you can work to reduce those barriers. Are there sensory considerations, learning needs, social concerns? Now that you know, you can target solutions more readily. 

Use your supports. Are there school personnel who can help? Does your child have a safe, trusted person who can support them? 

Start small! Even one small change or addition can make a huge difference.  

Set realistic expectations. Concrete, realistic, achievable goals (and working on them one at a time) are going to make your child feel successful, which is the best motivation for continuing to try. Your ongoing support and positive connection with them throughout is the key to this. 

Meet your child/youth where they are at. We want to build on their window of tolerance and have them feel safe and supported as we move forward.