I came here right after reading the guide and I have a question. I think our 15 year old is beyond defense mode and well into the “nope” mode with school refusal, rarely coming out of his room, refusing to go to therapy and comes out to eat when the rest of the family is asleep. He has PTSD from school (previous charter school with a verbally abusive teacher, and then with just mean kids at the public school we moved him to), is twice exceptional (ADHD/mild Autism), has Executive Function struggles and does have long term aspirations (which he tends to “give up” on when in the moment). The guide was great, in that it gives one hope (and tools to work with) when the child is in defense mode. But are there any tools for parents of teenagers who are in the “nope” stage already? We are about two months into the “nope” stage - offered to look into homeschooling (as he had asked at one point) - and I’m just worried that if we do nothing, we might not get him out of this stage. Or, that it might just more difficult the longer we wait. Has anyone gone through this with their child? What did you do that helped get your child out of the nope mode and back to school (any kind of school)? I know every child/situation is different, but would love to hear what has worked for others. Thank you!

Posted by Jinter at 2025-05-13 00:50:04 UTC