In day-to-day conversations about attendance, it can help to have clear language for anxiety based school avoidance and the stress response behind it. Elaine McCrisken’s STRIVE NI pack gives parents, carers and teachers a shared way to talk about ABSA, school refusal, perceived threat, fight or flight and why a child may struggle to get into school.
Parents, carers, teachers and pastoral staff supporting children or teenagers with anxiety based school avoidance may find this booklet useful for building shared understanding before planning next steps. It explains ABSA as a situation where stress exceeds support, rather than a child simply choosing not to attend.
The booklet carefully separates anxiety based school avoidance from truancy and school withdrawal, which is helpful for attendance meetings, SEN or pastoral discussions, and conversations with families. It also comments on the term school refusal, noting that it can wrongly suggest control or wilful refusal when anxiety is driving the absence.
A clear section on the brain introduces the reptilian brain, limbic brain and prefrontal cortex in accessible language. The explanation links emotional regulation, decision-making, impulse control and adolescent brain development, making it relevant for primary pupils, secondary students and teenagers whose distress can look like avoidance, anger or shutdown.
The tiger-in-the-jungle example is used to explain the fight or flight response and why school can feel like a perceived threat even when adults see the environment as safe. The reminder that anxiety may reduce once the child arrives at school, while the same cycle repeats the next morning, is particularly useful for home-school planning. Created by Elaine McCrisken, BSc, MSc Psych, founder of STRIVE NI.
