School Refusal Behavior in Youth: A Functional Approach to Assessment and Treatment

From the child who gets sick on test-taking days to the teen who skips class to have a smoke with friends, the reasons and manifestations of school refusal are diverse. In School Refusal Behavior in Youth, Christopher Kearney discusses both the historical context and common strategies for treating the problem, offering a cutting-edge, empirically based approach. This functional model can help clinicians weigh multiple symptoms and, ultimately, generate a clear focus on the factors that are maintaining the behavior. Drawing from an extensive clinical database, Kearney fully describes each of the functions served by school refusal: avoidance of stimuli that provoke negative affectivity, escape from aversive social situations, gaining attention, and positive tangible reinforcement. Using realistic case examples, he provides practical recommendations for assessing and treating each type of case. A final chapter takes a hard look at extreme cases and how to prevent relapse. This interdisciplinary volume is a must-read for school psychologists and counselors, educators, and teachers.