Q How should parents respond when a child has back-to-school syndrome? Should I make them go to school, or let them rest?
A Even when symptoms are present, gradual school attendance (allowing time in the nurse's office or early dismissal) is more effective than complete absence at preventing avoidance learning. Both over-empathizing with symptoms and ignoring them can reinforce symptoms, so a calm and consistent response is important.
Detailed Answer
Keeping a child completely out of school may seem to reduce symptoms in the short term, but it reinforces the learning that avoiding school relieves anxiety, so in the long term school refusal becomes entrenched. Conversely, forcing a sick child to attend unconditionally increases distrust and resistance. The most effective method is gradual attendance. At first the child attends only one or two periods, or is allowed to rest in the nurse's office when symptoms arise, and gradually extends to full hours.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we view parent counseling as part of the treatment. If a parent over-worries about the child's symptoms and asks daily about their physical state or keeps bringing up school, the child focuses more on the symptoms. Conversely, completely ignoring it leaves the child to bear the anxiety alone. A calm and consistent message that going to school is the default even when symptoms are present, together with herbal medicine treatment, produces the fastest recovery.
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