A child who refuses to go to school is not being difficult — they are often overwhelmed. Krisie Cheng, BCBA uses evidence-based ABA strategies to uncover the reasons behind school refusal and build a practical plan to get your child back on track.
School refusal is not truancy. Children who refuse school are not choosing leisure over education — they are experiencing genuine emotional distress that makes attending feel impossible. Understanding the difference is the first step toward helping.
Common triggers include anxiety about social situations, sensory overwhelm in busy school environments, bullying, difficult transitions (new school, new teacher), and the demands of group learning. For children with autism or ADHD, ordinary school expectations may be genuinely overwhelming.
ABA identifies the specific function of school-refusing behaviour — what the child is trying to escape or avoid — and builds a systematic, supportive plan to address those underlying needs while gradually increasing school engagement.
Effective school refusal support requires collaboration between home and school. Krisie liaises directly with teachers, counsellors, and learning support staff to ensure consistent strategies across all environments.
Parents play a central role in a return-to-school plan. Krisie coaches families in the specific strategies that reduce accommodation of avoidance and build the child's confidence and resilience at home.
There is no single solution for school refusal — the right plan depends on the specific causes for each child. This is the general framework Krisie uses:
A thorough behavioural assessment identifies exactly what is driving avoidance. Is it anxiety about social situations? Sensory overwhelm? A specific class or setting? Peer difficulties? The plan depends on this answer.
Where possible, environmental modifications and proactive supports are put in place to reduce the demand level to a manageable point. This might mean adjustments to the school schedule, sensory accommodations, or pre-teaching social situations.
A carefully sequenced plan introduces school attendance in small, achievable steps — beginning at the level the child can currently manage and building from there. Each success is reinforced and celebrated.
Krisie works directly with school staff to ensure the return-to-school plan is supported consistently in the classroom, not just at home. This coordination is often what determines success.
Parents and caregivers are coached in how to respond to morning anxiety, refusal behaviour, and school-related distress in ways that reduce avoidance over time rather than reinforcing it.
Book a free 20-minute consultation to talk about your child's school refusal and what ABA-informed support could look like for your family.
Call (604) 367-8302