Helping Your Child Overcome Separation Anxiety or School Refusal: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents » (New Edition)

Andrew R. Eisen, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Psychology and director of the Child Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Fairleigh Dickinson University. His research and clinical interests include child anxiety and related problems, learning disorders, and sensory integration issues. Eisen has published numerous articles and chapters and four books including Separation Anxiety in Children and Adolescents. He maintains private practices focusing on children and families in Bergen County, NJ and in Rockland County, NY

Linda B. Engler, Ph.D., is codirector of the Child Anxiety and Related Disorders Clinic in Rockland County, NY. Her research and clinical interests include child anxiety and related problems, ADHD, and the early detection and remediation of nonverbal and language-based learning disorders. Engler has published and presented in the areas of anxiety disorders, ADHD, eating disorders and school partnerships. In addition, she maintains a private practice focusing on children and families in Rockland County, NY.

Every parent is familiar with the clingy child who doesn't want to be left alone. Separation anxiety, a clinical term for this kind of behavior, is usually a normal part of the developmental process. Sometimes, though, extreme or persistent kinds of behaviors can cause problems for both parents and children. In some cases, these problems can be severe enough to meet the criteria for separation anxiety disorder (SAD), one of the most common psychological problems observed among young children. This book offers parents effective techniques for dealing with both normal separation anxiety issues and with SAD. With their unique approach to the problem, the authors give parents the tools they need to make real progress with this issue.

The authors break down separation anxiety behavior into four subtypes-all of which will be familiar to some parents. The Shadow describes a child who is afraid to be left alone, fearing some physical injury or illness. When a child is obsessed with a fear of robbery, assault, or some other calamitous event perpetrated by a stranger, he or she exhibits the Intruder style of SAD. The book describes a child who fears misfortune for their parents or caregivers as the Timekeeper, and the Misfortune Teller describes a situation in which a child fears abandonment. Unique among books that approach this subject, Helping Your Child with Separation Anxiety deals with each of these varieties differently, prescribing intervention techniques specifically for each. Step-by-step strategies for confronting and easing a child's fears are given throughout the book. Parents working with this book will be able to make significant progress with their children in a short time, helping them resume normal childhood activities like going to school and socializing with other children.