ABSTRACT
Children’s withdrawn behaviour in the classroom may arise from earlier experiences of being rejected, ignored or ‘smothered’ by their attachment figures. Two such studies that correlate with our clinical experience as educational therapists, emphasise the importance of a child’s pre-school patterns of behaviour. The first considers patterns of anxiety and withdrawal either since infancy, or since the transition into school. A second longitudinal study, examines aggressive and passive-withdrawn behaviour by looking at the history of insecure attachment; inadequate or hostile parent care; and chaotic or stressful life circumstances. When the withdrawn behaviour of a child in class is taken seriously a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist usually reveals an emotional ‘problem’, in addition to a cognitive one. Before giving an account of an educational therapist working with a nine-year-old which illustrates these two facets of withdrawn behaviour, this chapter provides a brief introduction to the practice of this intervention.
