In schools we are seeing an increase in school absence and mental health difficulties among children and YP in all areas of the UK. There is current research going on including the Barriers to Education project. A big part of this project is taking into account the views of our young people and giving them a voice.
- Young people describe their anxiety based absence as an understandable response to the situation. They feel they have no choice but to withdraw and take themselves away from that difficult situation
- They want to be in school and have tried to be, but without the right support being in place, they didn’t see how this was possible for them.
- Lots of them described their anxiety based absence in school as something that happened very gradually over a period of time. They were ground down by things in their environment that made it really hard for them. Some felt if support been in place earlier, they don’t think they would have reached a point where they couldn’t attend. So, the sooner we can put support in place and to recognise they are experiencing difficulty, the more effective we can be.
Their wellbeing is impacted by not going to school, but lots of young people can’t always articulate their experience. This may be due to distress or their ability to communicate, but they do tell us this through their behaviour. It is really important to recognise the warning signs and listen to families who know the child best.
This guide is intended for practitioners supporting autistic children and young people who are anxious
about attending school, and their families. The information may also be useful to families looking for
ways to understand why their child is anxious and think about approaches which might help. NAIT-Anxiety-Related-Absence-Guidance-2020.pdf
Building resilience
Fife Council Educational Psychology Service Resilience assessment toolkit can be used where there is early concern in relation to social, emotional difficulties or where additional support is being considered in this area. Through consultation and discussion, areas for development can be pinpointed however this tool is not intended to be diagnostic.
Energy accounting
Energy Accounting is a helpful strategy for Autistic young people. It uses the idea of a bank account, where the withdrawals and deposits are energy rather than money. A battery analogy can also be used at times. Read more…
