School Phobia
Children cannot suppress this fear that they cannot explain; While the family tries to take their child to school, the child resists out of fear. Parents also face a dilemma; They both want their children to go to school and not fall behind in classes, but they also worry about the child's intense fear of school. This anxiety is also observed by the child and becomes an increasingly ongoing cycle. Children who experience school phobia fear losing control of their lives. It provides control outside of school, has predictability and thus feels at peace. Since the child does not know what to expect from school, the school environment may be perceived as a threat and the child does not feel safe in the classroom. He/she may be afraid of a school situation; He may experience problems such as being made fun of by other children at school, his relationship with the teacher, and learning difficulties. Families' correct approach to their children will enable children to overcome this fear in a short time.
The basis of school phobia often lies in separation anxiety, especially when young children are away from their mother or the person they are attached to (safe person) or from home (safe environment). If the child is afraid of being removed from school, there is separation anxiety. If the child always has problems separating from the mother, it is not school phobia but separation anxiety. Like separation anxiety, social anxiety can be a reason for not going to school. The child experiencing social phobia fears that he will not be accepted by other children or his teacher. Communication skills in these children are weaker than other children. They do not know very well where and how to behave, and therefore they cannot communicate with other children and feel lonely. Performance anxiety and lack of self-confidence also play an important role in the formation of school phobia. In performance anxiety, not being able to meet the school's expectations creates fear in the child. The importance of the child's success increases in advancing grades. The child is judged according to the test result. This may cause such fear that they do not want to go to school. A single reason cannot be stated for school phobia.
The child's personality structure, the family's approach (especially the mother-child relationship), and school-related factors are all factors. There are probably three reasons. First; Secondly, the child who has not yet reached school age maturity and is not physically and cognitively ready for school age starts school; Thirdly, the overprotected or spoiled child struggles with social rules and losing his/her specialness for the first time; If the child is experiencing an emotional problem (divorce, depression in the mother or father, depression in the child, grief, trauma, anxiety, etc.), the first cause can be checked with school readiness tests administered by a specialist. However, it may seem scary to the child that the mother or father was overprotective until school age and that the child is left alone among children running around at school without an adult he knows and trusts, and it may take time to resolve this without support. A child who is raised with a protective attitude until school age may refuse to stay in a crowded environment he does not know, with other children who act uncontrollably and cannot support him. It is said that these children generally get along better with adults because adults do not harm them and play as they want. So they don't run over and hit them or take the toy out of their hands. A child who is overly pampered, has everything he wants, or is accustomed to agreeing to everything after long periods of persuasion, may refuse to stay in an environment where he is not treated the way adults do, or where he is not made to feel as special as at home, when he starts school. In this process, it is best for school and home to progress in parallel. At home, the child should be given small responsibilities, he should be told that he cannot have everything he wants, and he should not be overprotective. If the situation is caused by an emotional situation, you should consult a specialist and get support. If the child who develops school phobia is not understood and accompanied appropriately, it may cause him/her to experience emotional problems and develop behavioral problems, and may lead to academic failure in the future.
If the family's child was going to school cheerfully, everything was fine, and suddenly If he says he didn't want to go to school, this may be a sign that the child is experiencing an emotional problem. You can consult a specialist and help your child's emotional problem be discovered through play therapy.
Since children cannot explain their problems like adults, they express them through games, and this game is a It can be interpreted by an expert and resolved through play therapy and play.
Expert Psk., Zehra Orgun
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