Background. It appears that students with intellectual disability (ID) are more frequently absent from schoolcompared with students without ID. The objective of the current study was to estimate... Show moreBackground. It appears that students with intellectual disability (ID) are more frequently absent from schoolcompared with students without ID. The objective of the current study was to estimate the frequency ofabsence among students with ID and the reasons for absence. Potential reasons included the attendanceproblems referred to as school refusal, where absence is related to emotional distress; truancy, whereabsence is concealed from parents; school exclusion, where absence is instigated by the school; and school withdrawal, where absence is initiated by parents. Methods. Study participants were 629 parents (84.6% mothers) of Australian school students (Mage = 11.18 years; 1.8% Aboriginal and/or TorresStrait Islander) with an ID. Participants completed a questionnaire battery that included the SchoolNon-Attendance ChecKlist via which parents indicated the reason their child was absent for each day orhalf-day absence their child had over the past 20 school days. The absence data presented to parents had been retrieved from school records. Results. Across all students, absence occurred on 7.9% of the past 20 school days. In terms of school attendance problems as defined in existing literature, school withdrawal accounted for 11.1% of absences and school refusal for 5.3% of absences. Students were also absent for other reasons, most commonly illness (32.0%) and appointments (24.2%). Of students with more than one absence (n = 217; 34.5%), about half were absent for more than one reason. Students attending mainstream schools had lower attendance than those attending special schools. Conclusions Students with ID were absent for a range of reasons and often for multiple reasons. There were elevated rates of school withdrawal and school refusal. Understanding the reasons for absenteeism can inform targeted prevention and intervention supports. Show less
COVID-19 brought disruptions to children’s education and mental health, and accelerated school de-registration rates. We investigated Elective Home Education (EHE) in families of children with a... Show moreCOVID-19 brought disruptions to children’s education and mental health, and accelerated school de-registration rates. We investigated Elective Home Education (EHE) in families of children with a neurodevelopmental condition. A total of 158 parents of 5–15 year-old children with neurodevelopmental conditions (80% autistic) provided information on reasons for de-registration, their experience of EHE, and children’s mental health. Few differences were found between children participating in EHE before and after the pandemic started. Low satisfaction with school for not meeting children’s additional needs was the main reason for deregistering in both groups. COVID-19 had a more limited role in parents’ decision to de-register. The main advantage of EHE reported in both groups was the provision of personalised education and one-to-one support. Levels of anxiety, internalising and externalising problems were similar between children participating in EHE before and after the pandemic started, and also similar between all children in EHE and school-registered children (N = 1,079). Show less
