Understanding school refusal behaviors and strategies to help

Abstract

School refusal is not uncommon. Prevalence estimates range from 1%–15% of children ages 3–17 in the general population and 5–10% among clinically-referred samples. Rates are similar across gender and socioeconomic status and are comparable to rates of child anxiety disorders (7%), depression (1%–7%), and ADHD (10–11%). School refusal is not a diagnosis in and of itself, but typically a symptom of an anxiety disorder, mood disorder, somatic symptom disorder, learning disorder, or PTSD/trauma.