School refusal, what to do?

School refusal is a common and challenging problem. The cause and solution to school refusal can vary widely from person to person, but we can use a standard process to help guide us. First, understand the root cause of the school refusal by speaking with and assessing your student's needs. Ask them what is challenging about school, what is easy, what they enjoy about their day and what they dread. Once you better understand what is driving school refusal, you can develop a step-by-step plan to address it. This can involve small changes to routine, incremental steps to build back up to attending school, with positive reinforcement and encouragement along the way.