School refusal behavior in young children.

Abstract

School refusal behavior is defined as any child-motivated refusal to attend classes and/or difficulty remaining in classes for an entire day. Although many researchers have focused on older children and adolescents in their samples, few have specifically focused on young children aged 5-9 years (i.e., kindergarten to third grade). In this article, a general description is made of school refusal behavior, and illustrative data from 55 young children with school refusal behavior are provided. Recommendations for assessing and treating this young population are made as well.