School Avoidance

[Mandapanda]

I have seen many people saying their children are not or have not attended school, as my son is currently.

I was interested to find out the information in the poll.

 

If I have not asked the right questions or you have other information to add, please leave your comments. Thanks.

Edited April 27, 2009 by Mandapanda

[Karen A]

Hi.I am not sure whether the timing refers to in one go or over a period of time.Also if over a period of time then over how long.Ben had numerous odd days and a few periods of a week or two.I have added it together as a total roughly during his time in primary school.One of the difficulties is that Ben is frequently off for half-days or days but does not have long enough blocks at one time to qualify for support.Karen.

[bikemad]

My lad has missed days due to to it but its like a day or two here n a few days there itms but the school are great about it.

[2pink2blue]

Find it difficult to fill in the poll as we are waiting to see what happens with ds1. He's classed as a school refuser due to high levels of anxiety.

 

He has missed odd days, sessions and more recently larger chunks of time but no more than a week. However, he's now not been in school since a week and a half before the Easter holidays. We've just had a meeting (this morning) to discuss what happens next and it looks like he will be getting some home tuition.

[Mandapanda]

Find it difficult to fill in the poll as we are waiting to see what happens with ds1. He's classed as a school refuser due to high levels of anxiety.

 

He has missed odd days, sessions and more recently larger chunks of time but no more than a week. However, he's now not been in school since a week and a half before the Easter holidays. We've just had a meeting (this morning) to discuss what happens next and it looks like he will be getting some home tuition.

 

Hi 2pink2blue

 

After holidays is a difficult time anyway, isn't it? If I was you I would push for some sessions in a quiet room at the school if you can still get him there. Does his school run social skills groups or something similar. My son enjoyed sessions like that as it was in a small group situation. If the school can find a way to take the pressure off now, hopefully the situation won't escalate. Maybe he could 'help' in the library or office at lunchtimes/breaktimes etc. I wish my son had had that support in the early days to keep him involved, but nobody realised what was really happening then.

 

Good luck.

[Lisa40]

My dd of 16 has been off school since September and previously to that for months on end at other schools. No assistance from welfare officers and no assistance regarding home tuition. We are in limbo at the moment as she is in denial about her dx of AS and thinks her behavriour is perfectly normal and that of the "typical" teenager yet she won't hear of going to college when Connexions came round to discuss her options. The psychiatrist at camhs has dxed her with extreme anxiety. She is also a virtual recluse.

[baddad]

Not so far... my son likes school and always has..

He's had the odd exclusion etc and in secondary runs foul of 'detention' quite regularly, but he still enjoys school...

That said, when exclusions etc did come up I always ensured they never seemed like a better option - that way lies trouble.

Additionally, i think illness can be very problematic - I've always figured if Ben's healthy enough to run around at home he's healthy enough to run around at school, but thinking back to my own misspent skooldays I knew that if I was 'ill' until about 9.30 and then had a miraculous recovery i could usually get away with it. i did, freekwently. witch probubbly akounts for the speling

 

L&P

 

BD

 

Ah quick PS: I'm making no assumptions about the next few years... secondary is a very different KOF, and there's hormones, etc etc etc to be considered too... as far as that lot goes it's fingers crossed and seatbelts on

Edited April 28, 2009 by baddad

[Karen A]

Additionally, i think illness can be very problematic - I've always figured if Ben's healthy enough to run around at home he's healthy enough to run around at school, but thinking back to my own misspent skooldays I knew that if I was 'ill' until about 9.30 and then had a miraculous recovery i could usually get away with it. i did, freekwently. witch probubbly akounts for the speling

 

Good job Ben did not talk to you today then.He had swine flu at 0900 and gave a detailed account of his symptoms thanks to all of the helpful information on TV.

Shame his mother was a nurse,nobody in the house has been in contact with anyone from Mexico and he did not have any of the symptoms he described so well....I guess four days at home is better than SATS revision in school.

 

[baddad]

Good job Ben did not talk to you today then.He had swine flu at 0900 and gave a detailed account of his symptoms thanks to all of the helpful information on TV.

Shame his mother was a nurse,nobody in the house has been in contact with anyone from Mexico and he did not have any of the symptoms he described so well....I guess four days at home is better than SATS revision in school.

 

Oooooh the cheeky swine! Perhaps he has got it after all!

TBH i don't know how I ever got away with it as a kid (although i was rather expert at surreptitiously finding my 'sick trigger')...

 

The first time i was really, really ill (appendicitis) the doctor dx'd me and phoned an ambulance. when the ambulance arrived i was hanging on the outside wall from an upstairs window ledge playing 'Batman'. they had the last larf though - it burst 'n' i got peritonitis! 4 months in hosp - 2 and a half of 'em in intensive care! I've never forgiven Adam West!

 

[caci]

Our son is coming up for 12yrs (YR 7) and has been on half days for a least a year.

 

The most he has been of as a block is 2 lots of 4 weeks, but both times that was 2 weeks school hols, followed by 2 weeks of "problems"

 

His currect school (special secondary) are much more helpful than primary, who didn;t even record his absence (every afternoon for a term,) hence no EWO involement (no one knew he wasn't at school !!)

 

 

[Candyfloss]

I missed about 3 years of school - I just couldn't settle in.........so I didnt learn much atall and to make matters worse - my family think I just didnt go on purpose.....

[chris54]

So far this academic year my son has a 100% attendance record. He likes the learning proses if not all aspects of school.

He is seldom ill.

So no he has not missed any school this year or any at all due to ASD at any time so far(Other than attending appointment etc). He is 10 and in year 5.

 

[trekster]

ive been the complete opposite, attending school even when i wasnt mentally able to go.

My suspected ADD brother had problems and dropped out his A Levels, 4 years later hes doing an access course.