School absence or refusal can be ongoing until the reasons behind it have been identified and addressed. Here we look at reasons that could be behind this. We also suggest strategies to try at home and school to help maintain school attendance or reintegrate your child back into school.
Autistic children and young people can face additional pressure at school. For example, they may:
Parents have a legal duty to make sure that their children have a suitable education by regular attendance at school, or otherwise. If your child is unwell due to stress or any other condition that means they’ll be absent for longer than a few days, you should get a medical certificate from a health professional. If your GP can’t provide this, you may need to approach another health professional, like someone from Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). You should also let the school and the local/education authority know and discuss arrangements for alternative education.
Explore what your child thinks about their experiences at school. For example, rather than ask how their day has been, which could be answered by an ambiguous ‘OK’, ask what their favourite lesson was that day. You could also ask them to score parts of their day. For example, ‘how much did you enjoy playtime today with a score of 'one out of ten’. And follow up, ‘that’s a lower score than yesterday. What made you enjoy it less?' Visual supports may help. Consider whether there could be a pattern to their absences. Are they trying to avoid a particular situation, lesson or person that makes them anxious?
Speak to a member of staff at school who knows your child well, and ask for their help. Your child may be showing signs of anxiety in school at particular times.
Alternatively, your child may display different behaviour at home than in school. They might bottle up their emotions until the end of the school day and release them when they’re at home, where they feel fully loved and accepted.
Understanding your child’s behaviour may be difficult.
Consider whether your child is being bullied, or if they could be misinterpreting the actions and intentions of others as hostile when they’re not. Consider gender issues. For example, autism may present differently in girls. For children who don’t use verbal or written communication, schools should consider:
If your child becomes reluctant to go to school, it’s important to take action early. Some of these strategies may help:
The help your child needs will depend upon the causes of their anxiety. For example, there may be a specific problem which requires immediate action from school, like bullying.
Here are some other triggers and strategies to consider:
When supporting your child in going back to school after a period of absence, it may help to start off on a part-time timetable and build up gradually. This can be better than your child feeling pressured to complete a whole day, and then not coping.
Ask the school if they’ll consider organising autism awareness training for all staff, including break and lunchtime support supervisors.
It could also help if the school creates opportunities for all pupils to develop an understanding of medical conditions, SEN or ASN and disabilities. This could be a school assembly where information on many additional needs, including autism, can be presented without highlighting any particular pupil. This will help others to view autism in a positive way and is likely to benefit everyone in the school community. It might help not only your child, but also other autistic children and young people at the school.
Teachers working with autistic children and young people may find it helpful to sign up for our information evening about autism and education.
Schools should try to identify and address sources of stress and reduce anxiety levels. This will help your child re-engage with their education by feeling safe in the classroom and accepted by those who support them.
Any period of transition, including returning to school, can cause anxiety so careful preparation will be needed to help your child manage this change.
Involve them in the process and arrangements, including details that might seem trivial, such as:
A visual timetable may help
Before your child can access learning, work may need to be done on their emotional wellbeing, reducing stress and increasing self-confidence. What if this doesn’t resolve the problem? If you feel your child needs more support to help them return to school and progress, you should consider getting extra help for them in school.
If anxiety or other mental health conditions are contributing to your child’s difficulty with attending school, ask your GP to make a referral to CAMHS. They have a team that can advise you on psychiatry, clinical psychology, counselling and other therapies.
The school could involve the Education Welfare Officer. It’s their job to work with schools, pupils and families to support regular school attendance.
If your child continues to struggle to attend school, you may decide to choose a different school or consider home education.
If your child has a profile of pathological demand avoidance (PDA) then talk to school about appropriate interventions. The standard ones used for autistic children and young people will need to be adapted to take your child’s PDA into account. The PDA Society has useful information. You could also suggest that school staff read more about helping children with PDA at school.
Feel free to contact us for more information, we are more than happy to help you and your child!
'Kolourful Unique' team