School Refusal in a five years old boy

I have been asked by one of my friends that his son 5 and half year’s old has gradually developed a reluctance to go to school. He refuses to go to school everyday. He throws tentrums, weeps and hesitates to leave home. Though, once at school he apprears to cope well. Kid’s mother has repeatdly asked the school teachers if the child is coming accross any difficulty/abuse at school and has been reassured on a couple of occasions that there is no such finding. Secondly the child doesn’t complain of experiencing any problem at scholl. My friend asked if it could be related to the death of his aunt (boy’s granny, who used to share the family’s house) who passed away suudenly in front of the child one and ahlf year ago (Jan 2011). the child observed the whole event as the lady underwent a cardiac arrest at home; there was…