My son was socially awkward from day one in school; the isolation started very young, and the teachers kept encouraging me to focus on play dates outside of school. I did my best, but eventually, the playdate invitations weren’t reciprocated, and I gave up. We had our own social support network of kids with whom my son connected, but it didn’t help him at school – where he spends 80% of his time. He has been the victim of social isolation his entire school experience thus far. School staff have had limited skills and ability to assist with this, and I believe that this has impacted his sense of self and his mental health in a significant way. Home is the only safe place for him, and if he was a child where home wasn’t a safe place, we would be talking about a much worse story here….Our school system needs to do better.
School Phobia and Exclusion
Youth Mental Health Canada
