SCHOOL

REFUSAL
BEHAVIOR
Katie Curtis
HUED 533
Summer 2014

SCHOOL REFUSAL BEHAVIOR

School refusal behavior refers to

a child-motivated refusal to attend
school and/or difficulty remaining
in classes all day (Kearney,
Chapman, & Cook, 2005).

SCHOOL REFUSAL BEHAVIOR

5-28% of children, at one time or another, display

school-refusal behaviors (Kearney & Bates, 2005).

Potential triggers:
Problematic Family Dynamics
Parents Marital Discord
Impending School Based Changes
Family-Based Transitions
Illness
Traumatic Experiences

SCHOOL REFUSAL BEHAVIOR

Generally maintained through one or

more of the following conditions:

To avoid school-based stimuli
To escape aversive school-based social

and/or evaluative situations

To pursue attention from significant others
To pursue tangible reinforcers outside of
school

SCHOOL REFUSAL BEHAVIOR

School refusal behavior can be

challenging to deal with at the elementary

level due to:
Limited cognitive development
Inability to express or identify emotions
Willingness to display overt attention-seeking

misbehaviors with out embarrassment (e.g.

temper tantrums, crying, refusal to move,
running, etc.)

CONSEQUENCES
Short Term

Distress
Lower Self-esteem
Poor Academic Achievement
Family Conflict
Troubled Peer Relationship
Social Isolation
Increased Risk of Legal Trouble

Long Term

Truancy
School Dropout
Lack of Higher Education
Employment Trouble
Social Problems

MEET MOLLY
Molly is a 3rd grade student.
In her first two months at her new school she

has missed several days.

When she does come to school, she requests to
visit the nurse with headaches or stomachaches
and been sent home several days.
Mollys mother contacted the school for help
after receiving a letter concerning Mollys
attendance.

COUNSELING MOLLY
I will use a solution-focused approach to

help Molly and her mother.

The focus will be on:
solution talk rather than problem talk.
what is right and what is currently

working for Molly and her mother.

exceptions, or times that Molly has been
successful in the past.

HELPING MOLLY
Review of Records
I will look over Mollys records from her previous school.
I will speak with Mollys classroom teacher and the school nurse.

Meeting with Molly and her mother

I will invite Molly and her mother to meet with me at their

convenience.
I will begin by getting to know more about Molly and her mother.
Molly and her mother will describe their problem, but the focus

of our sessions will be on finding and creating solutions.

SESSION 1: OVERVIEW
Introduction
Goal Setting
Miracle Question
Identifying Exceptions & Successes
Scaling Questions
Closing: Compliment, Bridging Statement, & Task

Molly and her mother were tasked with noticing things that
occurred during the week that made Mollys attendance more
regular.

The video begins with session two.

SESSION 2 WITH MOLLY AND HER

MOTHER
Click the YouTube icon below to watch Session 2 with

Molly and her mother.

RESOURCES
Anxiety & Depression Association of America: Sc

hool Refusal
Parent Video: School Refusal Behavior
School Refusal: Information for Educators
Practical Recommendations and Interventions: S
chool Refusal

ASSUMPTIONS OF SOLUTIONFOCUSED THERAPY (SKLARE, 2005)

When we concentrate on successes, beneficial

change will take place.

Every problem has identifiable exceptions that can be
found and transformed into solutions.
Small changes have a ripple effect that expands into
larger changes.
All clients have what it takes to resolve their
difficulties.
Clients goals are viewed in positive terms, reflecting
what clients want to do.

QUESTIONS
What other approach might have been

helpful for Molly and her mother?

If the function of Mollys behavior was to
avoid aversive school stimuli would a
solution-focused approach still be
effective? How would the approach
change?

REFERENCES
Kearney, C. A. & Bates, M. (2005). Addressing school refusal behavior:

suggestions for frontline professionals. Children & Schools, 27 (4), 207216.

Kearney, C. A., Chapman, G. & Cook, L. C. (2005). School refusal behavior

in young children. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and

Therapy, 1 (3), 216-222.
Metcalf, L. (2008).Counseling toward solutions: a practical solution-

focused program for working with students, teachers, and parents. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Nichols, M. P. (2013). Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy.Family

Therapy: Concepts and Methods. New York: Pearson.

Sklare, G. B. (2005). Brief Counseling that works: a solution focused

approach for school counselors and administrators (2 nd ed.). Thousand

Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.