I'm not actually in school (Due to the fact that I'm in my twenties), but how many of you were like this back when you were at school? (Or were like this if you're still there?). I definitely showed a lot of signs of this though, and did have a lot of anxiety with relation to attending school, for a load of different reasons (bullying, pretty must being the outcast, fear of group work, fear of crowds, SA, the last three which were not helped by the first two of those). I also managed to skip a load of lessons. I didn't, for example, attend PE classes from about when I was about 13/14 onwards due to the fact that dealing with people was probably going to happen during those sessions. The school decided it wasn't worth pushing me to go, and sort of left it. The same thing happened with drama classes. And probably some other classes as well.
Not exactly proud that I skipped a load of stuff to be honest. Somehow, I managed to get decent grades despite all the class skipping at the exams I had when I was 16. Still, I'm glad I'm no longer in school, and there is absolutely no way in hell that I would ever return to it.
Playing Truant on the other hand, it not done out of anxiety.
- School refusal is when a child or young person starts to miss school frequently because of vague illnesses or symptoms.
- The symptoms the young person complains about are similar to those associated with worry, for example stomach aches, diarrhoea, nausea, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, vague and general aches and pains, etc.
- The child or young person shows extreme determination not to attend school, for example reluctance to get dressed, to leave the house or enter the school premises.
- The child or young person appears to be anxious or agitated on the mornings of school attendance.
- The child or young person may have difficulties settling to sleep on school nights.
- The symptoms appear to settle fairly quickly after getting into school.
- These symptoms are worse the night before starting a new school week, after school holidays, and are less obvious during weekends and holidays.
- A child or young person who has a genuine fear of attending school often wants to be on their own at home or outside of school.
- School refusal can present for two main reasons:
- Firstly that the child or young person has a phobic reaction either to the general school situation or to a particular situation or thing within the school.
- Secondly, where the child or young person displays a fear of attending school but the main source of the worry is leaving home or separating from family.
Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a common thing for people with anxiety?
- Truancy is widely used to describe children or young people who avoid attending school without their parents? knowledge or permission.
- Truancy is usually seen as a deliberate act of defiance where the child or young person finds something they would prefer to do rather than attend school.
- Truancy is often done for social reasons. Several young people will meet up outside of school to be together or socialise. They may form a truanting group.
- Truancy is sometimes connected with anti-social behaviour.