School Refusal

School refusal behavior (SRB) is a term used when a school-age child exhibits reluctance or refusal to attend school and this refusal subsequently leads to chronic absences. According to Christopher A. Kearney and Anne Marie Albano, SRB is heterogeneous in nature and consists of extended absences from school, periodic absences from school or missed classes, and chronic tardiness. SRB is associated with an intense dread about school that precipitates pleas for future nonattendance. When a child is absent from school 80% of the time, he or she is considered a school refuser. While not exclusively experienced by students with intellectual and development disorders, SRB is often present in children and adolescents who present with separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, major depression, ...