Clinic aims to help kids stay in school

Cathy Scott

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998 | 10:50 a.m.

For children who refuse to attend school, help is available in the form of a UNLV clinic aimed at motivating students to stay in school.

The clinic, headed by Christopher Kearney, an associate professor of clinical child psychology at UNLV, opens today to assist children between the ages of 5 and 13 conquer their fears. The clinic runs through Dec. 31.

Children not wanting to attend school -- what Kearney terms "school refusal behavior" -- is not that unusual, he said.

"There are a variety of problems," said Kearney, who has worked at UNLV since 1990. "It could be fear and anxiety, separation problems, attention seeking. It could be the child has a lot more fun outside of school than inside."

The kids who are most at-risk, he said, are those entering a school building for the first time -- kindergartners, first graders and those who are just entering middle and high school.

Part of the behavior could also stem from a family problem or be part of a juvenile delinquency problem, he said.

"It's very prevalent," Kearney noted. "You see it in 5- to 10-percent of students, especially in Nevada because of the high drop-out rate."

Statewide, 7,600 students left high school last year for a variety of reasons compared with 6,647 who dropped out the previous year, bringing the drop-out rate in 1997 to 11.7 percent, according to Department of Education statistics.

To qualify for the clinic, students must be absent from classes for at least two weeks, Kearney said, adding that counselors expect to see up to "a dozen or so cases a semester, maybe more." The clinics have been conducted at UNLV since 1991. It is one of just a handful like it in the country, he said.

Kearney said his long-term goal for students "is to keep them in school as long as possible." The clinic in past years has seen a 90-percent success rate, he said.

Children are given homework assignments that parents are asked to participate in, he said. Also clinic personnel work closely with principals and guidance counselors to "reintegrate the students back into the school setting."

The cost for the clinic is based on a sliding scale, depending on the family's ability to pay.