A Handout for Parents By Leslie Z. Paige, Ed. There is confusion regarding the terms because children who experience significant difficulty in attending school do so for different reasons and exhibit different behaviors. They may become very upset or ill when forced to go to school. Truants may be distinguished from this group by their antisocial or delinquent behaviors, their lack of anxiety about missing school, and the fact that they are not in contact with parents or caregivers when they are avoiding school.
Children become anxious for m any reasons.
This is normal at this age, but some older children continue to have difficulty separating from caregivers. Sometimes school-aged children who were previously able to separate from their caregivers will suddenly become anxious and fearful. Some children fear that something terrible will happen at home while they are at school. Children who are struggling in school with academic or social problems may also develop school refusal. Many children have social concerns and may have been teased or bullied at aschool or on the way to school.