Being from a divorced family, my child has struggled with two different parenting techniques, along with a few teachers who also do not condone her behaviour. Without a calm, understanding, and encouraging environment, I believe we take steps backward in not helping these children, and it would be very helpful to have everyone on the same page, working together in a more personal environment.
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…
For our family, anxiety and school refusal followed years of our child’s being sent to the hall or the principal’s office for not sitting still in his seat or for being a distraction to the others in class. Even after having assessments done and recommendations from the psychologist for accommodations for ADHD and LDs, he was seated at his desk with no writing tools and his desk turned backwards, so he couldn’t have anything at his desk at all. Little was done to address the LDs until it was too late. His self-confidence tanked, and he just believed he was…
My son is a very bright child. He reads above grade level; math skills are above grade level; he’s kind and willing to please. He was in grade 1 last year and began getting notes home about his behaviour. It didn’t sound like our son. We talked to him, and he told me he was being sent out of class almost daily for about a month. We set up a meeting with the teacher. She told us that she was sure he had ADHD and that some medication should help him. She told us we needed to be tougher on…
My son would refuse to go to school and tell us he’s stupid and he hated himself and wished he was dead. The school and division had no supports for him and refused to have a psych consult for his reading. Six days before his diagnosis, the Inclusion Coach told us, “He’s just not ready to learn to read yet.” Then he was diagnosed as dyslexic. We moved him out of French Immersion, despite the school saying he could do it. His anxiety has improved, and he no longer wishes to die, but every day he knows he’s not getting…
My daughter has a kidney disease that causes low immunity and weekly infusions in hospital. This is a critical and complex disease that will not go away until she receives a transplant. She is struggling to find routine and normalcy. She has been diagnosed with separation anxiety and does not want to be away from home. This leads to refusal to attend school.
Our son was doing OK in high school in the first couple of years. In grade 9, he was a fraction away from being an honours student, but was constantly being bullied, and the staff just didn’t seem sure of how best to support him. Previously, it had been suggested he may have autism, but he was “doing well” in class so it wasn’t thought that he needed more support or further assessment. At the start of grade 10, there were a couple of bullying incidents within the same day; this put him in bed for a couple of days…
My daughter is not defiant or lazy. She is not mean, weird, or difficult. She has anxiety. She has a mental health condition that makes it so hard for her to get to school and do what is expected of her. She feels a level of stress and worry that is not normal. She lives her life being overwhelmed, overthinking everything, and not seeing anything positive about herself or her life. Although school is important, my girl’s well-being is much more important. So, welcome all children into your classrooms with open arms. Tell them how happy you are to see…
From grade 1 through to the end of grade 8, my son struggled with the school system. He was diagnosed with ADHD in grade 2. The general response from teachers and administrators was, “Well, we have other students on IEPs so we get it.” or “My child has….” As they say, “If you’ve met one person with ADHD, you’ve met exactly one person with ADHD.” I don’t care what worked for Billy and Susie – they aren’t my child. I explained my son’s needs – or my awareness of his needs – like this: You are his teacher. Your expertise…
My now 13-year-old has exhibited school refusal since kindergarten. Not just protest, but full-on-won’t-leave-his-bed-refusal. No punishment or withdrawal of privileges has ever helped. I wish we could homeschool, but his father (my ex) won’t agree to it, and, frankly, I’m not equipped for it. I have tried and continue to try all the resources and don’t know what else to do. My son is steadfastly unreceptive to therapy. He is also unresponsive to traditional discipline/withdrawal of privileges, etc.
