Hello, I am the mom to a 13 year old boy who was diagnosed a couple of years ago. He had a terrible 6th grade year at school, but was able to make it through the 7th grade. Now, in 8th grade he "refused" to go back to school after Christmas break. After finding this site, it seems clear to me that he is in Defense Mode. He's had a few months off now, and I think we are doing a better job staying on the blue line so his mood and sleep pattern have improved. He is receiving home instruction through the district now so the pressure is off to get him back in person, at least temporarily. I guess my question would be...when he recovers from Defense Mode is sending him back to the same environment (assuming we could even get him to go) just a setup for winding right back in a bad place? Can his coping skills and accomodations ever be a match for getting up too early, dealing with 8 difference teachers, doing things he doesn't want to do, feeling on the outside of social groups? The lack of viable alternatives to mainstream school is very frustrating. I would be willing to homeschool if I thought that was best, but he doesn't seem overly enthused about the idea as far as I can tell. He just knows he doesn't want to go back to the "bad, bad place." He does not verbalize his feelings except in very simple terms so it is hard to gauge what it going on exactly. I can get limited info from him sometimes when I present him with true/false, multiple choice style questions, but it doesn't feel like I can truly understand the full extent of what he is experiencing and what he thinks would be the next best step (other than unlimited video game access and to just forget education). Thank you for any input. I have so much to learn.

Posted by sep0713 at 2023-03-24 17:53:28 UTC