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Teen always exhausted

Skate

Hello, 

Looking for advice or perhaps just sympathy. 

My teenager is currently not in school following a mental health crisis last year. She has some homework learning provision. She's often tired, and struggles to get out of the house, but this week seems completely exhausted and has hardly managed any school work. She's previously had blood tests and is under CAMHS for depression. 

I'm just so worried, every bad week is one week further behind. Her current plan is to sit GCSEs summer 2027, but she has missed so much. I'm worried about how it will affect her mental health if she doesn't sit them at the same time as her peers. I'm also struggling with the uncertainty of the situation (recently diagnosed ASD myself). 

Initially not being in school seemed to help and for a while she went to Explorers (Scouts) and we could go out at weekends as a family, but now she's back to too tired to do anything despite not being in school. Nothing seems to be helping and I don't know what to do. 

Parents

  • Hi Skate
    Welcome to the Online Community. It’s understandable to feel worried your teenager is so exhausted, especially alongside all the uncertainty. 

    What you describe sounds like autistic fatigue and burnout. There’s some guidance on this here: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/mental-health/autistic-fatigue/autistic-adults

    You might also find our Know Yourself series helpful for your teenager. It’s a set of free videos and downloadable guides aimed at supporting autistic teenagers to understand what being autistic means: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/resources-for-autistic-teenagers

    You’re not alone, many people here are autistic parents also and will recognise what you’re describing.

    Kind regards

    Sharon Mod



  • in reply to Sharon Mod

    Thank you for replying. 

    We know it is probably burnout and there are good days and bad days. 

    Currently struggling to get them to leave the house, even for a five minute walk. It's clear to me that staying in their room and "resting" are not working to reduce the tiredness, their nervous system needs more than just hiding away. But even though they might agree on one level, they still won't leave the house. I feel like a rubbish parent for not being able to help them. 

    I will try to get her to look at the resource you sent. 

  • in reply to Skate

    It can just take time. My daughter dropped out of 6th form college, it took her about a year of doing nothing much at all. Then she applied to do fine art at a local college, got into Cambridge Art School and ended up with a first class degree (albeit her degree was in audio technology rather than fine art, as she transferred between courses). It feels like staying on the school treadmill of GCSEs and A-levels is the be all and end all, but it is not.

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  • in reply to Skate

    It can just take time. My daughter dropped out of 6th form college, it took her about a year of doing nothing much at all. Then she applied to do fine art at a local college, got into Cambridge Art School and ended up with a first class degree (albeit her degree was in audio technology rather than fine art, as she transferred between courses). It feels like staying on the school treadmill of GCSEs and A-levels is the be all and end all, but it is not.

Children