Research on the treatment of school refusal is mainly confined to efficacy studies conducted under controlled and ideal conditions. Efficacy studies often do not match the requirements of real...Show moreResearch on the treatment of school refusal is mainly confined to efficacy studies conducted under controlled and ideal conditions. Efficacy studies often do not match the requirements of real-world settings. In order to bridge the gap between research-based studies (i.e., efficacy studies) and everyday clinical work in education or community settings, this study was conducted under real-world conditions outside of the more constrained university environment. The aim of the current study was to: (1) gain knowledge about characteristics of youth and their families seeking treatment for school refusal in a real-world setting; and (2) to preliminarily evaluate the effectiveness of a CBT based treatment protocol delivered in an educational setting. Characteristics of ten young people were explored, and treatment effectiveness was assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results suggested that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly prevalent in youth participating in treatment for school refusal in a practice-based setting. Furthermore, increases in school attendance and decreases in symptoms of anxiety and depression were observed after treatment. The promising preliminary findings of the study indicate that treatment of school refusal may be effective even for more complex cases with comorbid ASD, and when delivered with limited training and supervision. Thereby, the implementation of treatment for school refusal may become more likely in real-world practice.Show less
