How do you handle your child not wanting to go to school?

@keely21 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! We are all patients, caregivers, or family members, sometimes wearing more than one hat at a time. We will not give medical advice, but share our experiences and knowledge.

In order to see how we can help you, are you comfortable giving us a bit more information? How old is your son? Has he been formally diagnosed with autism. Any Individual Education Program [IEP] in place for him? How did he handle to lockdown of the COVID pandemic, in relation to learning or socializing?

Thank you. We are here to help you!
Ginger

Thanks for the reply. My son is 11. We started the journey of getting him diagnosed right when covid hit. We have been lucky. We live in a small community so our schools have been able to stay open for the most part. He did virtual school for about 2 weeks which was hard. It's hard to help him understand . I do my best as a parent. I'm looking into ABA therapy and he does have a iep in place for school. Ideas from other parents?

@keely21 I will be interested to hear what other parents have to say, also! A few thoughts came to mind after reading your reply. At 11, any young person may go through big swings in emotions and behavior, made more pronounced by his autism diagnosis. Is there a resource in your town that you can tap in to, to guide you towards a support group for family?

Many people on the autism spectrum [myself included] like structure, "sameness", and found the pandemic brought so many changes and restrictions. Could it be that is part of what you are seeing? It doesn't have do just with school. Have there been changes in the family dynamics that have triggered anxiety?

I am tagging @mamacita for her thoughts on this stressful time for your son and you. Another good source for some information is autismspeaks.org.
Ginger