Is school getting too much for my 6 year old son?

Hello and thanks for your reply Longman.

my son is 6 years old. 

On the issue of bullying. There had been one incident I was aware of where some children would scream at my son,knowing his very strong adverse reaction to loud noises I believe this was done maliciously. Luckily it was nipped in the bud quickly by his teachers. He doesn't seem to dislike school for any reason, in fact at times he can seem excited to get there. The thing is, to me it seems like with the loud, busy and bustling school it is becoming to be a little too much for him? He has very intense hypersensitivity, could this anxiety and stress a school day must bring take so much out of him?

As for the education he is receiving. He is very advanced for his age in most subjects And we were told there is little they can teach him academically at this stage, or at least not what the curriculum suggests for his age.

His teacher has started him on year 3 and 4 mathematic workbooks which I believe has helped stimulate him in lessons again, as he knew everything the other children were being taught and I think he was becoming bored within class.

If it genuinely is the school day mentally draining him because of his senses I don't know what our next step should be. I'm hoping it is just phase that he will work through, hopefully with no detriment to his health or wellbeing.

thanks again.

Make sure he is not being bullied or ridiculed. That may be hard to ascertain if he wont disclose, and if teachers aren't willing to discuss where weaknesses in their provision might show.

You don't say what age he is, but peer pressure increases through teenage years - the expectation to conform and be au fait with the whole youth culture, in which he cannot easily compete. Just managing to keep up with this may be exhausting.

It may also be useful to establish, possibly via other parents, how teachers maintain classroom control. Very few teachers can expect to keep a class in awe of them and best behaviour. Some teachers may allow managed relaxation of the rules, which means he is exposed to more humour, double meanings, and other diversions from key content, that he has to try to distinguish from what he wants to learn.

Then again there are teachers who cannot sustain adequate control, and that environment with complex noise and movement and lots of irrelevant things going on could be very taxing for someone on the autistic spectrum.

I taught adults for twenty years, in a university environment - many differences from school in manner of delivery and liberties taken by students - still a very tough world to teach in. Over the years it got harder for lecturers to deliver just by reading friom their notes, as students just rebel. I opted for the controlled relaxation of procedures, using asides and humour to keep a hold on my audience. I used a thorough lecture plan so I was able to do this and deliver the day's material effectively.

However I was also, in my last decade, the disability coordinator, and trying to address disability needs in that environment, and I found that students with Asperger's found that teaching method difficult. Being so diagnosed myself I was particularly concerned about this effect. Talking to students on the spectrum I discovered that they found it difficult to distinguish diversions from the main drift, and looking back I had this difficulty, finding out afterwards that I'd written down a lot of non-relevant content in lecture notes.

Therefore be aware he may be having trouble keeping up with the teaching mode. The only advice I can offer is that he reads the subject matter ahead of lessons so he has a better idea what he needs to take from them. 

Hi, 

thanks for your reply.

Yes, my wife and I did suggest it could be the fact he has just returned after a long break from school. He had been in hospital before the school break so had most of December away from school. The thing is I noticed his behaviour and hypersensitivity was increasing with school before he was ill. I'm just concerned that it is becoming too much for him. In the end, his education is all important but it cannot be to the detriment of his well being.

I think we shall just have to watch him and see how this term goes.

thanks again for your reply. 

Hi,

 My own children have found School incredibly challenging and they are not alone. Sadly, the need for downtime/alonetime etc grows as they move up the academic ladder in my experience.

I put this down to the disparity between what's expected of them and their ability to cope. Sensory-wise it's quite a drain on an individuals resources just getting through the day.

When College starts after a terms break or the Summer holidays my lads normally come home and have to sleep because of the levels of concentration needed. One of my lads began to display some very exagerated behavioural issues and it was quickly clear he wasn't coping well.

By the time he was at College he was at meltdowm continuously. He wasn't very well supported which didn't help either. IT WAS THE HARDEST YEAR THE FAMILY HAS EVER ENDURED!

When he finally decided he wasn't returning to College in September it was like a switch had been flicked. Don't get me wrong, he still has meltdowns, but nowhere near the volume or duration that he did.

He now works for himself part time (No one would employ him) and manages his own hours and this keeps meltdowns to a minimum. He has support of course, but since leaving education he's a different person.

Downtime maybe necessary and if your son has only just returned to education from the Christmas break he is likely to be extra tired. 

Hope that's helpful.

Coogybear