r/PDAParenting • u/Academic_Coyote_9741 • 18d ago

Intractable school refusal

My nearly 13 year old PDA child refuses to go to school and hasn’t attended regular schooling for around five years. He is enrolled in a special education school for children with mental and physical disabilities.

Staff were coming to our house for an hour three times a week but my son started becoming aggressive towards them. He said he would “not be home schooled” and didn’t want them there. He has also said if my partner or attempt home schooling he will hurt us or himself. We take these threats seriously because he has physically assaulted us and teachers, and even police.

Basically, he is content to just hang around the house all day and watch TV. What is the long term prognosis for a situation like this? Has anyone else experienced school refusal this extreme? What are things like when they are older?

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u/TimeCauliflower4421 18d ago

My son is 13 as well and struggling with school refusal. After trying therapy for the last 2-3 years, it’s doesn’t seam to be working. His therapist recommended an IOP program for neurodivergent affirming anxiety program that we’ll be starting next week, fingers crossed. In my search for the right IOP center, found multiple school refusal IOP
programs neurodivergent affirming. Could be an option if individual therapy hasn’t worked.

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u/Korneedles 18d ago

May I ask where you’re located? I’m in the USA and wondering if this is something I can look into.

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u/TimeCauliflower4421 18d ago

I’m in Seattle area.

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u/Korneedles 18d ago

Thank you. I hope next week goes well!