Welcome to the Attention Deficit Disorder Expert Podcast Series by Attitude magazine.

Hi everyone I'm Carol Fleck and on behalf of the attitude team I'm pleased to

welcome you to today's ADHD experts presentation titled School Avoidance and

Refusal, Root Causes and Strategies for Parents and Educators.

Leading today's presentation is Alana Cooperman.

Alana is a senior social worker for the Anxiety Disorder Center at the Child Mind Institute.

She works with children and families with anxiety disorders,

ADHD and emotional regulation issues. She provides evidence-based treatment in individual and group therapy.

She also has worked with school administrators, teachers, families, and other clinicians

to support students at school. As many of you know, student absenteeism is a

growing problem. Anxiety is often the underlying cause for this behavior.

Anxiety might stem from academic struggles, from

bullying or peer rejection at school, or due to trauma or trouble at home. Whatever the reason, the outcome is often the same,

students refuse to go to school,

miss class work and tests,

and fall even farther behind.

In today's webinar, caregivers and educators

will learn how to identify and address

the underlying causes for school avoidance

so that students can return to class, feeling supported, and

hopeful.

So without further ado, I'm so pleased to welcome Alana Cooperman.

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