For health and other reasons related to the “pandemic”
In Australia, children are increasingly reluctant to go to school
Absenteeism from school is a phenomenon that has exacerbated during the “pandemic”.
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Parents and specialists gather to understand the problem and try to find solutions.
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Sylvie wakes up every morning and wonders if her son (Jack, nine), is going to school that day.
“We are counting down to the holidays,” says the Australian mother. “We count down to the end of every school day with the hope that things will change.” When I tell people — even friends — that my son refuses to go to school, they will say things like “Let him stay.” at home), but “it's nothing like a kid who just wants a day off.”
At the moment, there is a general consensus that Jack suffers from separation anxiety from school, and it is painful for his mother to see that.
At first, the mother went with her son to the emergency department, several times, trying to understand what was going on, and conducted some medical tests for him, as (Jack) was complaining of pain in his stomach and a severe headache.
But then it turns out it had to do with the fact that the family was trying to push him into things he didn't want to do so badly.
"He was a child in crisis, and we had no idea what was going on," Sylvie says.
Sylvie finds it difficult to talk about it, explaining, "He never had a tantrum in his life, he was happy and lovable and he just changed."
Jack became aggressive and at times, says Sylvie, would keep the house up all night, yelling and hitting things, sometimes throwing things in every direction, refusing to go to bed or sleeping, and nothing could calm him.
Sylvie feels utterly exhausted after the great effort to get help, not just for Jack, but for the whole family.
“The teachers at the school are good and loving people (Jack), but they have no resources or expert knowledge, and there are no health care, counseling or psychological services available,” she says.
They say there is at least one school boy in every class, but there is no support for families.”
The mother received support only from a general practitioner.
Dealing with problems
Before the pandemic, (Jack) was happy enough in school, “We went through ups and downs,” Sylvie recounts: “But I think (Covid-19) has increased our anxiety to a deep level, and distance education has shown that this can remain anxiety.”
The widely used term "school refusal" is not related to willful truancy, but rather to emotional distress that students of any age can associate with going to school.
Some miss all or part of the school day, and some - in different parts of Australia - may not go to school at all for long periods.
They usually spend the day at home with their parents knowing, although, at least at first, they try hard to get them to go.
Indeed, many children desperately wish to be able to go to school, but simply cannot.
Like many parents or caregivers in a similar situation, Sylvie has now been forced to give up work.
The house turmoil left Sylvie, her husband and Jack's sister worried.
They are among a growing number of families dealing with acute stress, to try and deal with the issues that arise when their children start to feel upset at school.
Crucially, these students' inability to attend likely reflects what needs to change in the Australian education system, not just for Jack's benefit, but for all children.
stubbornness of children
Tiffany Westphal and Louise Rogers are two moderators of School Dropping on Facebook, which started as a small family support group known as School Rejection in Australia in 2012. “We finally changed the name," Rogers says. She explained: “The term (school refusal) means that there is stubbornness, and that children are only stubborn.
But it is much deeper than that.
The children suffer distress and distress and do not know what to do with this.”
Rogers has two children, ages 11 and 13.
A qualified teacher, she gave up her job because she was unable to work while homeschooling her youngest child.
“The level of suffering that people go through when they find our group is often very severe,” says Westphal, a social worker and mother of three children aged 14 to 21.
All members of the “School Absence” group are parents or caregivers who have children who have difficulties attending school.
Many members are qualified, including psychologists, pediatricians, general practitioners, teachers, and even school administrators, but do not provide specialist advice.
Instead, they come together to realize that their story is far from unique.
behavioral problems
In November 2019, a report titled "Those Who Disappear: The Australian Education Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About" said that the term "unrelated" is used to identify students who struggle in school because of a range of issues, including "bullying", disability and more. of behavioral problems.
"These students need to address their educational challenges before withdrawal from school turns into a complete detachment," the report said.
Separated children are no longer enrolled in any type of school at all, and the report estimated that "at least 50,000 school-age children and adolescents have been separated from any educational program or institution."
That was before the pandemic.
Current data "indicates about 100,000 children are out of school, and many more are somehow observant and not attending regularly," says Megan O'Connell, a co-author on the report and a fellow at Melbourne Graduate School of Education.
It is a graduated scale from disengagement to complete disengagement, but the reasons and the urgency for early intervention are the same.
“We see difficulties attending school as an indication that there are barriers and pressures that affect a child’s relationship with school,” Rogers says. “It may include a range of difficulties with peers or relationships with teachers, academic pressures, unmet learning needs, and a lack of disability support, environmental stresses, and unsupported sensory needs, such as uniforms, noise or school discipline.
For parents and caregivers, the experience can be isolating, Rogers says: “There is also a level of stigma, because often people think this is a parenting problem, they are making judgments.
Often the parents themselves feel that they have failed.”
general direction
In June 2019, the group had about 900 members.
It now has 6,595 members, with nearly 300 membership applications pending.
Members say they often feel they have nowhere else to turn.
And trying to access mental health support for their children and families is hard enough, with waiting lists running, not to mention finding a network of people who actually understand what they're going through.
The rising numbers reflect a general trend of school enrollment problems across Australia.
Data sets related to school attendance issues are usually difficult to work with, and school closures and absenteeism due to illness or “Covid-19” over the past years have complicated reading the numbers.
There is, too, a difference between unrelated and completely separated students.
it's too late
Patrick, 16, spent little time in high school.
When he was in first grade, he wanted to stay home and not go to school.
Patrick moved to a smaller school in Victoria, where he did well initially, until fifth grade when he had a falling out with his teacher.
By the end of the sixth grade, the Australian student was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Students with autism and ADHD are twice as likely to experience school refusal.
Patrick's late diagnosis meant it was too late to make an impact in elementary school.
The local high school did their best to accommodate him, but the switch from a small elementary school to a huge high school had a huge impact.
Patrick's parents enrolled him in online learning, offered by Victoria Virtual School, but the experiment was unsuccessful.
The student attended Yerngara Private School, which caters specifically to students who face social and emotional challenges.
Malcolm (the student's father) says: "He started his new journey brilliantly, but the 45-minute journey to get to school was too arduous for him and attendance dropped quickly."
Homeschooling has proven very stressful for everyone, not least Patrick.
50000
A school-age child and adolescent who are separated from any educational program or institution in Australia.
Some miss all or part of the school day, and some may not go to school at all for long periods.
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