Treatment Plan for Child's School Phobia

Regarding the examination, most psychological explanations of school phobia held that it occurred as a result of anxiety about separation from the mother (Sue, Sue & Sue, 1994). However, review of the research on school phobia shows that it often does not develop until after the child has attended school and has been separated from the mother without problems for periods up to several years (see: Papalia & Olds, 1992). Thus, the psychological approach was judged as not providing a firm foundation for the development of a program to remediate school phobia.

On the other hand, a good deal of research suggests that behavioral explanations are the most valid accounts of school phobia (Kauffman, 1995). These explanations postulate that traumatic incidents at school (e.g., threatening or stressful demands for academic or social performance which the child feels unable to meet) causes the child to seek escape or refuge at home. Adding to the support for the behavioral explanation is the fact that behavioral principles have long been used successfully to remediate the condition (Papalia & Olds, 1992).

The program that was developed for the seven ye