School Phobia education and treatment.

What We Can Do to Help Your Child

If your child has been recently diagnoised with school phobia or your current school does not meet your child's special needs please contact us. Montgomery Academy is equipped to appeal to the more unconventional student by offering a more unconventional format in which to learn. While we do use textbooks and employ the more traditional styles of teaching, these are not the only, nor the primary, means of educating. Whenever and wherever possible hands-on, experiential techniques are used. Building models, dioramas, exploring the campus environment, role playing, field trips, cooking, and other hands on methods are used regularly. Our classrooms and halls reflect what is being studied, drawings, murals, reports and projects are all proudly displayed.

Treatment Options

There is no one magic cure or fix. The most important aspect of dealing with a school phobic child is to find out what the underlying cause is. Although the cause may be directly school related, in some cases it has to do with home, personal or family issues. Once the cause has been identified, it is then easier to try to plan a "customized" approach to help the child. At times it may necessary to involve not only the school personnel, but a pediatrician and even a psychologist. The good news is though, that with age, school phobia does improve, and is much less common in older children.

What is School Phobia?

School Phobia (Didaskaleinophobia) is itself a symptom of anxiety disorder in childhood. It is also known as separation anxiety, which is an inappropriate fear of leaving their parents, a person or place of trust or home for example.

Most children find going to school exciting and enjoyable although of course nearly all children have times when they don't want to go. This happens commonly at ages where children are faced with tougher school activities or exams or may have fallen out with friends. All of this is a normal part of growing up.

Children who develop school phobia, however, become terrified, trying every avoidance tactic in order to stay away from school. Parents should be aware if their child regularly say that they are too sick to go to school, they could be doing so in order to avoid anxious feelings.

What are the symtoms?

* Constant thoughts and fears about safety of self and parents
* Refusing to go to school
* Frequent stomach aches and other physical complaints
* Extreme worries about sleeping away from home
* Overly clingy
* Panic or tantrums at times of separation from parents
* Feeling unsafe staying in a room by themselves
* Clinging behavior
* Displaying excessive worry and fear about parents or about harm to themselves
* Shadowing the mother or father around the house
* Difficulty going to sleep
* Having nightmares
* Exaggerated, unrealistic fears of animals, monster, burglars
* Fear of being alone in the dark
* Severe tantrums when forced to go to school

Though we follow New Jersey’s Core Content Curriculum Standards, we are able to remain creative and flexible in our approaches to the subject matter. Please read about our programs.

• Instructional Programs
• Transitional Programs
• Therapeutic Programs
• Guidance Counseling
• Summer Programs

Our holistic, custom-tailored, arts and technology rich approach uses innovative hands-on teaching methods delivered with sensitivity in small, dynamic classrooms on a serene mountain top in pastoral Mendham Township.

Come and see how we can help your son or daughter realize their unique potential in an atmosphere of trust and security that promotes self reliance and a love of lifelong learning.