A Four-Step Approach for Parents to start with for School-Avoidant Children.
By Ife Thomas
1. Become a Detective
Your first step is to thoroughly understand your child’s challenges from their perspective. Many children mask their struggles at school, appearing fine when they are not. Encourage them to share stories, incidents, and thoughts about situations that bother them, no matter how trivial they seem. This process may take time as the child might struggle to articulate their feelings.
2. Devise Solutions
After gathering information from your child, brainstorm potential solutions. These solutions should be reasonable adjustments that can help your child cope better in the school environment. Remember, as a parent, it’s important to approach the school with potential solutions, not just the problems.
3. Collaborate with the School
Approach the school with the information and solutions you’ve gathered. Propose adjustments like having lunch at a different time to avoid noisy environments or allowing your child to come in PE clothes if changing causes anxiety. If the school is unwilling to accommodate reasonable adjustments, it might not be the right environment for your child.
4. Maintain Communication and Review Progress.
Continuously check in with your child to assess the effectiveness of the implemented solutions. Keep them involved in the conversations and decisions about their education. It’s vital that the child knows what’s going on and feels included in the dialogue.
This a great plane to start 🫶🏾
Your first step is to thoroughly understand your child’s challenges from their perspective. Many children mask their struggles at school, appearing fine when they are not. Encourage them to share stories, incidents, and thoughts about situations that bother them, no matter how trivial they seem. This process may take time as the child might struggle to articulate their feelings.
2. Devise Solutions
After gathering information from your child, brainstorm potential solutions. These solutions should be reasonable adjustments that can help your child cope better in the school environment. Remember, as a parent, it’s important to approach the school with potential solutions, not just the problems.
3. Collaborate with the School
Approach the school with the information and solutions you’ve gathered. Propose adjustments like having lunch at a different time to avoid noisy environments or allowing your child to come in PE clothes if changing causes anxiety. If the school is unwilling to accommodate reasonable adjustments, it might not be the right environment for your child.
4. Maintain Communication and Review Progress.
Continuously check in with your child to assess the effectiveness of the implemented solutions. Keep them involved in the conversations and decisions about their education. It’s vital that the child knows what’s going on and feels included in the dialogue.
This a great plane to start 🫶🏾