This PedsCases note provides a one page overview on school refusal, including its presentation, causal factors, potential consequences and management techniques. It was created by Jasmin Majumdar, a medical student at the University of Alberta, with the help of Dr. Anisa Khaliq, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Alberta. 

Click the image below for a full-page PDF. 

Related content: 

Podcast: An Approach to Dealing with Challenging Behaviour and Mood Changes in Adolescents

Note: Pediatric Anxiety

References

1. American Academy of Family Physicians. (2003). School refusal in children and adolescents. American Family Physician, 68(8), 1555-1560. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2003/1015/p1555.html

2. https://www.spacetreatment.net

3. https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/school-refusal/

4. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). School refusal. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Gu...

5. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). Your adolescent: Anxiety and avoidant disorders. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Resource_Centers/Anxiety_...

6. https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/school-refusal