We live in the UK and our 11 year son has just moved to high school/secondary school. It’s a smaller secondary and is close to home and we chose it for this reason. He is very bright and can do all the work with ease but is a huge change from primary. He is ASD, but we know we don’t say high functioning or asperger but he is😊 For first week he attended all lessons and really enjoyed school. He had a couple of boys in class he knew and one was a good friend who was sat next to him in most lessons. Following week, anxiety came in and one day refusal. Next week, good friend is transferring to another school. Then it went downhill after he left. Some days in all lessons and others one or two out of six. He goes to the support hub when not in lessons. Then starts to be back on track and then they throw in tests without warning of where he will sit to take them. Start to get back on track and then its half term. It’s the first week back after a holiday away in the sun. He didn’t want to go to school, don’t blame him that’s natural. He says he has no friends. 😢 He managed to go in but has been in the support hub all week and has been to no lessons. He has completed all homework since starting school and work in the hub although this is just English and Maths. School are trying to get him into lessons but he is refusing. He said he feels that he can’t go back into class as the other classmates will ask where he has been. We think he is embarrassed and he does not want to be the centre of attention either. Nothing we say is helping really. I have praised him just for going in as this is taking a lot. He used to love maths, history and PE lessons but nothing is tempting him back to lessons. My husband thinks he is trying to get out of lessons, and he just needs to get back to class, but I know its not that he doesn’t want to its just that thoughts are stopping him. My son says at night he wants to go to all lessons but when he wakes up he doesn’t. He doesn’t know why it starts then, only that he feels everyone will wonder why he hasn’t been there. I see the anxiety creeping in the nearer the time to go to school. It’s definitely the social side. His real best friend is a school year below him and if he were there it would be different. Today he plucked up the courage to go to Lego club at lunchtime. I had encouraged him to go to socialise. The teacher pulled him aside and said he couldn’t attend as he had not gone to his lessons this morning. Of course this will also impact him😢 i have raised with school as it’s actually on his plan to have lego therapy. It wasn’t the right decision by them. Everyday is challenging for us all, school see his potential and want him to access the classes with the subject specialists. Any advice on how to help him get back to some lessons? We know he wants to but he’s just stuck.

Posted by sairex1 at 2023-11-02 20:43:51 UTC