Nonprofit Organization and Psychiatrist Jointly Develop
"Don't Rush School Attendance, Observe Children's Anxiety"
"Let's let the child take a day off from school today. In situations where anxiety stemming from the environment manifests as physical symptoms, it is best for the child to rest and spend reassuring time with family first."
If the checklist answers exceed a certain threshold, the doctor's response is that "it is better to take a break from school." (Photo by ? 校休んだほうがいいよ チェックリスト)
When a child who has just started a new semester suddenly declares, "I am sick today and cannot go to school," what decision should parents make? In Japan, a checklist has been introduced for parents of children who refuse to attend school.
On the 20th, Mainichi Shimbun introduced the "It's Okay to Take a Break from School Checklist," jointly developed by the nonprofit organization National School Refusal Newspaper and psychiatrist Toshihiko Matsumoto. By answering 20 questions about the child's situation with "yes" or "no," this chatbot helps decide whether the child should attend school. The usage is simple, as you just need to add the official social networking service (SNS) account as a friend.
The chatbot asks questions under four main themes: physical and mental condition, school-related situations, situations outside of school, and family circumstances. For example, in assessing physical and mental condition, it asks whether the child has visited the nurse's office or hospital at least once a week due to poor condition, or if the child complains of headaches, stomachaches, or nausea every time it is time to go to school.
There are also items asking whether the child has reduced the frequency of going out with friends, or if the time spent eating breakfast, getting ready, or going to the bathroom has become excessively long.
According to an interview conducted by Mainichi with Dr. Matsumoto, the chatbot is intended for "boys in the 5th or 6th grade of elementary school who somehow attend school every day but complain to their parents about feeling sick and unwell every morning." Parents tend to dismiss the child's anxious feelings as malingering, and children at the onset of puberty often do not explain their situation well through conversation.
In fact, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the number of students refusing to attend school continues to increase. As of 2021, 244,940 elementary, middle, and high school students in Japan refuse to attend school, marking a trend of increase for nine consecutive years. Moreover, the proportion of bullying within schools, which is often cited as a major cause of school refusal, is only 0.2%, leading to calls for focusing more on the children's psychological state.
Dr. Matsumoto added, "A significant portion of school refusal stems from neurotic conflicts and anxiety within children between 'I have to go to school' and 'But I don't want to go.'" He emphasized the need to resolve these internal conflicts before viewing children who refuse to attend school negatively.
He further stated, "There is something I always say when parents consult about their child's school refusal: There is still plenty of time before the child becomes an adult. There is no need to rush the child's return to school or to interrogate them about what happened."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
