School phobia in

children

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Introduction

 Everyone experience fear and anxiety at least

once in their lifetime.
 But the real worry starts if it is debilitating,
disturbing and very severe thus resulting in the
loss of a school- admission.
 A profound state of irritability , lack of
attention, showing hate and anger towards
school and friends is a clear alarming sign of
being panic.
How does it affect kids
One of the major hindrance of school phobia is its
interference with social, cognitive, motor skills. The
underlying disease can lead to
 Poor academic grades
 Lack of interest in learning
 Disturbances of physical health of the child.
 Retardation of the child physically, socially and
mentally.
 negative defense mechanisms such as
absenteeism, aggression, fear.
Some numbers!
 One study in US has proved that 1.3% of teenagers
(14-16 years ) and 4.7% of children a( 7-11 years)
suffer from school phobia. 5% of school-aged
children are identified as kids refuse to go to school.
 India is not an exclusion as at least 7.5% of the school
going children experience different degrees of school
phobia.
 Boys are at high risk than girls and the most common
age at which the first diagnosis is made could be 5-9
years.
Causes and risk factors
 Remember , phobia is not always subjective but
it is usually linked with brain function and its
chemistry.
 Our brain has a region called Amygdala and this
part undergoes chemical imbalance, the child
might be at risk.
 Issues with the social and familial environment
resulting in poor family and school environment.
 Peer issues and traumatic life events in the
past.
 A child, on the very first day of schooling
expresses substantial aggression is a danger sign.
What happens to the child`s brain?
 Our brain has neurotransmitters responsible for brain
functioning . In a normal child , they are in a healthy
range.
 If the brain undergo a state of imbalance , the
neurotransmitters shoot high causing panicky.
 Child often feels apprehended, grimaced, shoulders
shrugged, tensed and irritated.
 Face becomes dull, apathy, sweaty palms, racing heart
beats, constantly exhibiting nervousness.
 Unable to take down notes, failing to listen to the
commands given by teachers and parents, forgetfulness
and repetitive physical movements of the body
Symptoms continued………..
 Some children complains of frequent stomach
aches, headaches and other physical
complaints.
 Few express temper-tantrums( abnormal
physical movements), separation anxiety,
feeling of insecurity .
 Unwilling to talk to other children and
teacher's.
 Few children may show clinging behavior,
difficulty going to sleep in the night time.
 In extremely chronic cases, child feels
depressed, frequent nightmares, fear of the
dark, poor memory and attention.
Psychological therapies for school phobia

The treatment of school phobia is multimodal encompassing

assistance from Doctors, nurses, teachers, parents and
counsellors. Some of the well-known therapies are as under
 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT: This works on the
fact that every behaviors can be learnt and
unlearnt. The therapist will teach how to unlearn the
specific phobia. It is one of the derivative of Behavior
Therapy.
 Systematic Desensitization: The child is taught how to
modify his/ her reaction to the fear factors within the
school.
 Gradual Exposure Therapy: The child is slowly exposed
to the stressful environment. As the days progress, child
can take control of what he/she is undergoing.
Guidelines for parents

 Parents must not be fobbed when the child express concern

over schooling or not willing to attend classes anymore.
 Never threaten or forcibly drag the child to school.
 Rewarding and praising might work for some time but parents
must be cautious as the child tend to habituate to praising.
 There is no overnight wonder that treat the school phobia.
Patience and the active participation is the key to manage
anxiety.
 Don’t be afraid to go over the persons head you are currently
dealing with.
 Never show your anger over petty issues , familial conflicts or
because of workplace problems.
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