Walid Sabri
– The complaint is not a sign or evasion, but rather reflects a deeper disorder known the school of the school
School phobia is a kind of anxiety that makes the idea of going to school almost impossible for the child
– The awareness of the signs, the understanding of the causes and the correct dealing is the first step to help the child
Symptoms include emotional and physical complaints and behavioral symptoms such as hiding
– Fear of bullying, embarrassment, or fear of academic failure, the most important causes of phobia
School phobia requires parents to follow an approach that combines sympathy and firmness
Behavioral treatments have proven effective in having used the child to face his fears
Professor and Consultant of Pediatrics at the University Medical Center in King Abdullah Medical City, Professor Dr. Muhammad Al -Beltagy, revealed that the mornings return to school may turn to some families into a “battlefield” full of tears, emotions and sudden health complaints that often disappear once the child remains at home, indicating that the matter may not be merely a sign or desire to evade, but may reflect a deeper disorder known the school of the school School Phobia or Anxient.
Al -Beltagy explained that the school phobia is a real disorder and a kind of anxiety and tension, making the idea of going to school a stressful or almost impossible experience for the child. He said that the awareness of early signs, the understanding of the reasons and the correct dealing with them represents the first step to help the child restore his self -confidence and return to the study seats smoothly and comfortably.
He added that the phobia of the school often appears in the important transitional stations from the child’s life, especially at the beginning of the entry of the kindergarten or the elementary stage between the age of five and the seventh, or when entering the early adolescence between eleven and fourteenth, where the academic and social challenges increase. He showed that the symptoms include emotional complaints such as excessive crying, panic attacks, clinging to parents, or the ongoing fear of harm, and physical ones such as abdominal pain, headache, nausea, and the acceleration of the heartbeat that disappear as soon as you stay at home, in addition to clear behavioral symptoms such as refusing to wear school clothes, hiding, anger, or begging for not going.
Al -Beltagy pointed out that the continuation and repetition of these symptoms may lead to social isolation, increase absence, and the decline in academic performance. He said that the reasons behind this are multiple, as they may be linked to anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety, or social anxiety as a result of fear of evaluating colleagues or exposure to bullying and embarrassment, or anxiety associated with academic performance and fear of failure. He added that the school environment itself may play a motivational role if the child suffers from difficulty in communicating with teachers or exhausting educational pressure, and that the pressing family conditions such as divorce or the death of a family member or moving to a new house may shake the child’s sense of safety and lead to his refusal to go to school.
He stressed that dealing with school phobia requires parents to follow an approach that combines sympathy and firmness, begins to recognize the child’s concerns instead of denying it, while preserving the basic rule that going to school is not negotiable. He stressed that cooperation with the school represents a pivotal pillar in treatment, where teachers and psychologists can provide direct support to the child, such as identifying a reliable person who resorted to when he is anxious, or allocating a quiet place inside the school to calm him down, or amend some academic requirements temporarily to reduce pressure.
Al -Beltagy explained that some cases require a gradual return to school, starting with short visits outside working hours, then attending one session, followed by half a day, all the way to the full school day, with the need to celebrate every small achievement to enhance the child’s self -confidence. Parents also advised to train their children in the strategies for facing anxiety such as deep breathing exercises, mental meditation, and solving problems with practical steps, warning at the same time of some common mistakes such as delivering long lectures in the morning, making the house more enjoyable than school, or asking questions that encourage the child to focus on physical symptoms such as: “Do you feel the disease today?”.
He added that the request for specialized assistance becomes a necessity if the situation continues for weeks or is severe, pointing out that the pediatrician can exclude any organic causes, while the psychologist provides CBT behavioral therapies, which has proven effective in modifying disturbing ideas and gradually accustoming the child to facing his fears. Family therapy may also be necessary if family pressure is part of the problem.
Al -Beltagy concluded by summarizing the steps for dealing with school phobia at several points, the most prominent of which are: recognition and reassurance of the child’s feelings, direct cooperation with the school, the gradual return, construction of a fixed routine, teaching adaptation skills, avoid the reward to stay at home, encourage positives, and seek specialized assistance when needed. He stressed that the school phobia is not just a passing stage, but rather a problem that may leave long -term effects if it is not treated, such as chronic absence, the decline in the academic level, social isolation and mental health disorders later, indicating that early intervention, family support and cooperation with the school and doctors can make a big difference in the child overcoming this crisis and continuing his educational and development career successfully.
