Any coping strategies in secondary school?

Hi, I’m new to this community so apologies if this is already answered somewhere. Has anyone found anything particular that helps their secondary school child get through the school day more easily? My daughter is 11 and so stressed out about school. We have given in to giving her lifts to/from school to ease the anxiety but sitting in a classroom where she finds it hard to process information quickly enough or remember what she should be doing is so tiring. Time out would help but she doesn’t want people to see her as different. Any ideas gratefully received! Thank you.

Parents
  • Hi I'm also new as is my 14yr olds diagnosis, since being told, I have felt moments of guilt for all the times I lost my patience or thought she was pulling a fast one, my daughter is also  suffering with depression and anxiety and is struggling to come to terms with the fact she is different, I fact she has only told 1friend of her diagnosis for fear the others will be mean, she is struggling at school and because its a new diagnosis, it appears some teachers are ignoring her needs, on good days she goes to all her lessons, engages and excels, drives me insane with a current obsessionor hysteria, other days I struggle to get her out of bed let alone to the bus stop those days are days she is sent to isolation or put in detention for being disruptive then follows the eruption of anger and sadness and those are the days I struggle with, if I manage to get her to school, I receive constant text begging to come home telling me she can't cope, it triggers a panic attack and before you know it I'm racked with guilt and the school repeatedly call before  they suggest I pick her up then, theres the dark days where I'm afraid to leave her because she wants to die to give up she feels so alone and looks so broken. As I said at first we have only just been diagnosed, so it's all new but with gcse options looming she is becoming prone to emotional outbursts and I fear it's too late to get the help In school she needs. I was contemplating having her timetable reduced but don't want her to fall behind, is it too late for getting a statement?

    It feels like I'm failing her as much as the school, we are both a little lost. 

Reply
  • Hi I'm also new as is my 14yr olds diagnosis, since being told, I have felt moments of guilt for all the times I lost my patience or thought she was pulling a fast one, my daughter is also  suffering with depression and anxiety and is struggling to come to terms with the fact she is different, I fact she has only told 1friend of her diagnosis for fear the others will be mean, she is struggling at school and because its a new diagnosis, it appears some teachers are ignoring her needs, on good days she goes to all her lessons, engages and excels, drives me insane with a current obsessionor hysteria, other days I struggle to get her out of bed let alone to the bus stop those days are days she is sent to isolation or put in detention for being disruptive then follows the eruption of anger and sadness and those are the days I struggle with, if I manage to get her to school, I receive constant text begging to come home telling me she can't cope, it triggers a panic attack and before you know it I'm racked with guilt and the school repeatedly call before  they suggest I pick her up then, theres the dark days where I'm afraid to leave her because she wants to die to give up she feels so alone and looks so broken. As I said at first we have only just been diagnosed, so it's all new but with gcse options looming she is becoming prone to emotional outbursts and I fear it's too late to get the help In school she needs. I was contemplating having her timetable reduced but don't want her to fall behind, is it too late for getting a statement?

    It feels like I'm failing her as much as the school, we are both a little lost. 

Children
  • Sorry for my delayed reply but I wanted to think coldly on the things you were saying to help you at the best: it strikes and moves me a lot because it reminded me very closely what my son and we, his family, have suffered about school and adolescence more.

    The first answer I would like to give you is: No, it's not too late with school. There are a lot of little things you can do: a lot of little strategies and supports put together can change the situation a lot more than you can imagine now.
    The second thing is: let go of guilt and questions like "if I had done in another way now everything would be better!". This type of reasoning only serves to destabilize your mind: now you need clarity by going (as far as possible) beyond the anguish because you have to examine problem by problem (individually), set priorities and then design useful interventions.
    The third thing is: break your loneliness and isolation and find effective allies (therapists, neuropsychiatrists, educators, some teachers more motivated and empathetic) to carry out the interventions useful for your daughter ... you will see that if you are less isolated you , will start (very slowly) to be less isolated, too.
    The fourth thing is: remember that this is a passing period also linked to the hormonal imbalances that adolescence imposes on the body: with the passing of age almost always (even to my son it happened like that) things improve.
    As for you may seem impossible ... trust in the future and trust the team that you and your daughter are. With the difficulties our children face ... we must think of them as true heroes, great fighters. For this we deserve all our effort, clarity and closeness of which we are capable. This was and is for me. You can do it!! Trust and look for allies !!