What about school?
DR. VIVEK SHARMA
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Does your child dislike going to school? Find out why, for it could be Didaskaleinophobia.
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Photo: Mohammed Yousuf
To school: Tears and reluctance.
For most children going to school is exciting and enjoyable although there are times when they do not want to go. This commonly happens at an age when children are faced with tougher school activities or exams or may have fallen out with friends. This is a normal part of growing up.
However, when school becomes a phobia, younger children often show reluctance to separate from care givers voicing concern about the care givers well being. Older children, however, demonstrate fear to unfamiliar or possibly humiliating environment.
“School phobia” or Didaskaleinophobia (known to professionals as school refusal) is commonly encountered by parents. It occurs in one to two per cent of teenagers and is associated with social phobia. In the seven to 11 age groups, incidence of Didaskaleinophobia is estimated to be about four to five per cent and is associated with separation anxiety disorder.
Parental intervention
Some possible factors that could precipitate this behaviour are that the child is bullied in school, moving to a new area and having to start at a new school, and making new friends is also a factor. Sometimes, it could be because the child is away from school for a long period either because of an illness or a holiday. Bereavement or the loss of pet, the arrival of a baby, illness in the family, separation, divorce, abuse or being witness to a tragic event, not being popular or academically successful could also trigger such behaviour.
Playing truant is common among children. Parents should realise the difference between children who develop Didaskaleinophobia and those who play truant. For the latter the problem normally resides in the school whereas for the child with a school phobia the problem lies at home. The child who plays truant generally dislikes school and may be victim to a teacher’s ridicule, scolding or violence. The child may also be a member of a subculture and may be having difficulties in adjusting to the demands of the culture of the school. In contrast, the child who has a school phobia usually loves school and when he or she does manage to get there will be a model student.
When the child complains of illness, have a physician examine him/her. Listen to the child when he/she talks about school so that you can find reasons that trouble the child. Talk to the teacher, school psychologist and/or school counsellor. Together determine the causes for not wanting to go to school. Also develop an appropriate plan of action to modify the school and home environment to help the child to adjust to school.
The writer is a Jaipur-based consultant paediatrician and can be contacted at drvivek_sharma@rediffmail.com
Some symptoms:
Constant thoughts and fears about safety of self and parents
Refuses to go to schools
Frequent stomach aches and other physical complaints
Overly clingy
Tantrums when separating from parents
Feeling unsafe when alone in a room/or the dark
Changing behaviour
Following the parents around the house
Difficulty in going to sleep
Troubled sleep/nightmares
Exaggerated, unrealistic fear of animals/monsters/burglars
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