12 year old refusing to go to certain lessons

Looking for some advice really. My 12 year old daughter is refusing to go to her science lessons as they are learning about germs and diseases and she has massive anxiety about this. I'm happy for her to miss these lessons but the school wants to get her to attend. Any tips or advice to help her would be appreciated .

Parents
  • Autistic people experience higher levels  of anxiety than the general population, so anxiety problems are to be expected. I think that a a one-to-one talk from the the science teacher to your daughter about beneficial microorganisms, gut flora etc., might be a good idea. An explanation that just because diseases exist, it does not mean that your daughter will get them. Or that they will have a particularly bad effect if she does, as most infectious diseases have reliable cures these days.

  • Thanks for that. I've explained to her how we do have cures for diseases but in her head the worrying takes over about how she can catch anything Pensive

  • Most antibiotics are derived from microorganisms, bacteria and fungi. If we were not able to access microorganisms we would not be able to prevent and cure infectious disease. At present 'germs', and I hate the word, are a frightening unknown for your daughter, ironically knowledge of them would make them understandable and therefore less frightening.

  • I like how you put that. I'll find her some information (she loves reading) on how germs can actually help. Thank you Thumbsup tone3 

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