A compassionate guide that tackles one of the fastest-growing issues facing families everywhere: the increasing number of children who are refusing or reluctant to attend school.
When a child stops going to school, the entire family feels the impact. School avoidance may look like defiance, but its often rooted in anxiety, depression, or other emotional challengesand influenced by factors within the school environment that can make attendance feel overwhelming. Yet many families and educators are left unsure how to respond.
In this groundbreaking guide, Jayne Demskyfounder of the School Avoidance Allianceprovides a practical roadmap for parents navigating this isolating and often overwhelming experience. Demsky offers strategies that help parents to confidently collaborate with schools, navigate truancy laws, and provide the emotional support kids need to return to a productive and fulfilling school life.
Drawing on over a decade of experience supporting families, Demsky brings deep insight and unwavering commitment to this issue. Her perspective is further enriched by a diverse group of experts, professionals, and advocates who contributed their knowledge and expertise to this book, including these leading authorities: Dr. Christopher Kearney, Director, UNLV Child School Refusal & Anxiety Disorders Clinic; Dr. Daniel Villiers, counseling psychologist; cofounder, the Mountain Valley Treatment Center and the Anxiety Institute; and Dr. Mona Potter, child psychologist and psychiatrist; cofounder and CMO, InStride Health, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Overcoming School Avoidance tackles one of the fastest-growing issues facing families everywhere: the increasing number of children who are refusing or reluctant to attend school. Often misunderstood as defiance or opposition, school avoidance can be a sign of deeper emotional or mental health challenges. Yet, many parents find themselves unprepared when these behaviors arise and struggle to find the right support.
In this first-of-its-kind guide, Jayne Demskyfounder of the School Avoidance Allianceprovides a comprehensive roadmap for parents who feel isolated and overwhelmed by their childs school avoidance. Demsky offers practical strategies that help parents work with school administrators, navigate truancy laws, and most importantly, provide the structure and emotional support their children need to return to learning.
Drawing from years of experience as an advocate, Demsky explains how to strike the delicate balance between discipline and compassion, offering advice on how to set boundaries while addressing underlying mental health needs. This book serves as a lifeline for parents, guiding them through the school system and helping them advocate for their childs unique needsbecause too often, the system itself is unprepared to provide the right solutions.
Through expert interviews with mental health providers and insights gathered from the School Avoidance Alliances large and active parent community, Overcoming School Avoidance sheds light on this complex issue. Parents will find not just guidance, but also support in understanding the behavioral cues of school avoidance, strategies for communication, and tools to help children re-engage with education at their own pace. This is more than just a how-to bookits a compassionate and timely resource that aims to restore confidence and hope to parents and help children return to a productive and fulfilling school life.
The issue of school avoidance has been growing rapidly since the covid-19 pandemic, and many parents are not prepared when they begin seeing signs of this behavior in their children. Their childs behavior may seem defiant or oppositional, and often parents dont get the support they need from the school system to address the factors that may deter a child from school attendance. In this first-of-its-kind book, Jayne Demsky, the founder of the School Avoidance Alliance, provides comprehensive guidance on how parents can navigate the school system and truancy laws, work with school administrators, and address the issue at home.
