Seeking help with my 17-year-old He was overwhelmed at school last year, handing blank pages at exams. Previously he was doing ok at the school, no bullying issues but a lot of stress. He liked his school and had friends but unfortunately couldn’t keep up Academically and the school couldn’t accommodate him sufficiently. He had a burnout from what we know. He was aggressive and stressed, his thoughts seem confused. So he took a 5 months break. In September he says he’s ready for school again. He seems in a better shape than before (able to express himself more clearly, calmer).. This time it’s an alternative school with less pressure where he goes at his own pace in a workbook. He has no homework. They are very understanding and want to accommodate. He is only going a few days per week and during those days he’s barely writing anything in the workbook. My question: i don’t know if he should keep going even though he’s barely doing anything. He says everything is fine but cannot explain why he cannot seem to work. The school is providing structure and explaining clearly what he needs to do before each class. But still he’s not producing work. He seems tired and stressed out at home after school and we try to make it as calm for him as possible. We have a pretty close relationship but I cannot get him to articulate much about school. He says the problem is not the school. I’ve watched a lot of the AE courses. Should we 1 - keep sending him even if just a couple day a week and he doesn’t really do much, so long as the school accepts? Is there any point except that it gets him off computers each day and gives him a routine? He’s not engaging with others at home on screens, just reading and watching YouTube vidéos. 2 - encourage him to take a longer break (which will inevitably mean on the computers at home) and maybe try again in January? Even if he’s not asking for this? 3 - ask for more accommodations from the school. But which ones? We’re stuck. The school seems stuck too. Why he does say he wants to go to school, but is unable to produce any work. Previously he was a bright student. I know he needed a break after the burnout but a break involved mostly him behind a computer despite all our efforts to keep him engaged. And we don’t to go back to that. I don’t think he wants to go back to that either. Also we’re not going to homeschool him. Not feasible. Maybe look into other learning options but I don’t want to put a lot of effort into finding smtg if he’s just not ready. Thank you for any help

Posted by Eve at 2022-10-01 14:46:56 UTC