Many high school students continue to attend school with feelings of school avoidance. Although these students continue to attend school, these feelings of school avoidance can lead to reduced engagement with the curriculum, school absences, internal conflict and mixed feelings about attending. Authors from a recent study of Japanese high school students reported analysis which revealed that the following factors showed statistically significant predictors of feelings of school avoidance: perceptions of maladjustment in learning settings, experience of mental health problems that needed assistance, unsupportive parenting attitudes, having a mobile phone at a younger age, being male, low self-esteem, poorer understanding in the school learning, and experience of being bullied.” Supporting students with mental health challenges, bullying and encouraging strengths within the school culture (even if not academic strengths) can all contribute as protective factors against the feelings of school avoidance. If you are worried about a child or student in your life please reach out to an Occupational Therapist in your local area. They will work with you and the child at home and at school to help with engagement with school. And if you are a helping professional interested in the article please DM me for the link and to find out more about how you can apply the research to your practice. Link to article: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jash/16/0/16_SH_095/_article/-char/ja/ Are you an OT interested in creating your own content for social media that demonstrates your clinical knowledge and value in your community - check out my free masterclass on Personal branding for OTs https://cally-kent.thinkific.com/courses/masterclass-personal-branding-for-ots This masterclass explores the 3 mistakes many Occupational Therapists make when creating content for social media and the solutions you can implement and take action today to become a trusted source for your community You can sign up at the link for free and enjoy unlimited access for the next 2 weeks - it's very new so I would love to know your thoughts 👍 https://cally-kent.thinkific.com/courses/masterclass-personal-branding-for-ots

Noah, a 12-year-old boy, is experiencing anxiety and school avoidance. If you were a teacher or therapist working with him, what would you want to know about his family? How might his family’s interactions be influencing his anxiety and school avoidance? A case study published in 2020 illustrated family systems interventions in a school setting to address anxiety and school avoidance. “Family systems research provides a map that helps school-based mental health professionals conceptualize how family interactions influence psychological problems. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition among adolescents with a lifetime prevalence of close to 32%. Children with anxiety disorders tend to avoid situations that evoke anxiety. When they express distress and behavioral avoidance, parents respond with attachment behaviors such as accommodations that help the child to avoid distress associated with anxiety-evoking situations. Speaking for the child in public, helping the child avoid social situations, and permitting the child to avoid school are all examples of family accommodations. Family systems interventions that focus on changing parent behavior have shown to be effective in preventing and treating childhood anxiety disorders and school avoidance even when the child is not receptive to treatment. These approaches typically offer psychoeducation about anxiety and behavioral avoidance. They explain how family accommodations influence the child’s behavioral avoidance and provide a rationale for the child engaging in gradual exposure. Family systems approaches emphasize the important role that parents play in helping their child face anxious situations.” If you are worried about a child or student in your life please reach out to an Occupational Therapist in your local area. They will work with you and the child at home and at school to help with engagement with school. And if you are a helping professional interested in the article please DM me for the link and to find out more about how you can apply the research to your practice. Link to article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2692398X.2020.1849935?casa_tok If you're an OT interested in creating content for social media like this that combines your clinical knowledge and latest research check out my free masterclass on Personal branding for OTs: https://cally-kent.thinkific.com/courses/masterclass-personal-branding-for-ots This masterclass explores the 3 mistakes many Occupational Therapists make when creating content for social media and the solutions you can implement and take action today to become a trusted source for your community You can sign up at the link for free and enjoy unlimited access for the next 2 weeks - it's very new so I would love to know your thoughts 👍 https://cally-kent.thinkific.com/courses/masterclass-personal-branding-for-ots

Sometimes school avoidance isn't about the school work. "Fears associated with less structured aspects of school (e.g., break times) and poorly monitored areas (e.g., toilets; change rooms) have been linked to nonattendance" . If that's the case, providing guidance and options for more structured engagement like playing basketball at recess can be an important part of the solution. If you are worried about a child or student in your life please reach out to an Occupational Therapist in your local area. They will work with you and the child at home and at school to help with engagement with school. And if you are a helping professional interested in the article please check out the article here https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1077722918300427?via%3Dihub and check out my instagram @drcallykent.ot and research storyteller facebook pages to find out more about how you can apply the research to your practice. If you want to find out more about how you can create content like this for your OT career check out my free masterclass on Personal branding for OTs: https://cally-kent.thinkific.com/courses/masterclass-personal-branding-for-ots This masterclass explores the 3 mistakes many Occupational Therapists make when creating content for social media and the solutions you can implement and take action today to become a trusted source for your community You can sign up at the link for free and enjoy unlimited access for the next 2 weeks - it's very new so I would love to know your thoughts 👍 https://cally-kent.thinkific.com/courses/masterclass-personal-branding-for-ots

Research Storyteller video about one of the early warning signs for school avoidance. Link to article: Emerging School Refusal: A School-Based Framework for Identifying Early Signs and Risk Factors - ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1077722918300427?via%3Dihub

5-minute CPD video on new research article: Can I join in? Multiple case study investigation of play performance generalisation for children with autism spectrum disorder from dyad to triad https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1440-1630.12635

Quick review of a recent research article on writing interventions for people with autism - great for therapists and educators looking for treatment solutions and easy professional development options

Quick intro about the 3-hour workshop I'll be facilitating at the American Occupational Therapy Association national conference on Friday 27th March 2020 in Boston. Looking forward to seeing you there!