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Assessment and Treatment of Deficits in Social Skills Functioning and Social Anxiety in Children Engaging in School Refusal Behaviors

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Abstract

Students who miss significant amounts of school are at risk for developing a myriad of difficulties that leave them unfit for a successful life. Despite evidence for these phenomena, students are continuing to miss school at an increasingly high rate. This chapter focuses on the assessment and treatment of school refusers, with a focus on those missing school because of social anxiety. A history of school refusal behavior and its definitions as related to social anxiety are presented, as well as current evidence-based methods of assessing school refusal behavior. Additionally, an RTI model of assessing and treating school refusal behavior as it relates to social anxiety is outlined.

Dr. Frank M. Gresham is the author of the Social Skills Intervention System, which includes an assessment tool (SSIS-RS) and a tiered model of Social Skills Instruction that is discussed within this chapter. Both the Social Skills Intervention System-Rating Scales and the SSIS intervention guides are used as examples of methods of assessment and treatment for individuals engaged in Social-Anxiety mediated school refusal behaviors within this chapter.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Frank M. Gresham, Michael J. Vance, Jeffrey Chenier & Katherine Hunter

Authors
  1. Frank M. Gresham
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  2. Michael J. Vance
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  3. Jeffrey Chenier
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  4. Katherine Hunter
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Correspondence to Frank M. Gresham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Psychology, Fordham University, East Fordham Road 441, Bronx, 10458, New York, USA

    Dean McKay

  2. , Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, a, University of South Florida, Tampa, 33612, Florida, USA

    Eric A. Storch

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Gresham, F.M., Vance, M.J., Chenier, J., Hunter, K. (2013). Assessment and Treatment of Deficits in Social Skills Functioning and Social Anxiety in Children Engaging in School Refusal Behaviors. In: McKay, D., Storch, E. (eds) Handbook of Assessing Variants and Complications in Anxiety Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6452-5_2

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