PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Felicity Katz
AU  - Elizabeth Leith
AU  - Eleni Paliokosta
TI  - Fifteen-minute consultation for a child not attending school: a structured approach to school refusal
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2013-304055
DP  - 2016 Feb 01
TA  - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition
PG  - 21--25
VI  - 101
IP  - 1
4099  - http://ep.bmj.com/content/101/1/21.short
4100  - http://ep.bmj.com/content/101/1/21.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed2016 Feb 01; 101
AB  - Paediatric consultations in school refusal cases need to explore the presenting medical symptoms and discuss with families any psychological function of the problems that have led to non-attendance. Understanding possible reinforcements of the child's avoidant behaviour, liaising with school and reassurance of the parents are often enough to manage the situation. However, more chronic and persistent refusal often require support from an extended team around the child, often requiring input from mental health professionals. Behavioural strategies are the recommended approach to improve school attendance and to tackle the underlying anxiety or depression, or both, that may be the root cause of their non-attendance.