It's due to an often misunderstood condition
Beyond School Avoidance – Understanding Autistic Burnout
Thousands of children are in crisis, suffering from a misunderstood condition that left undiagnosed will cause more harm.
Dubbed ‘school refusers’ these autistic children are actually burnt out, chronically exhausted, unable to sleep and complaining of painful physical conditions. Too unwell to cope with school, they struggle to get the correct diagnosis and fall foul of the education system.
Recent studies
Now, a leading expert on the subject is presenting the finding of recent studies on 17 October, from 6pm at the Mercure Hotel in Tonbridge Wells. Dr Georgie Siggers is a Consultant Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician at the Starjumpz Centre in Crowborough, who has been working with neurodiverse children since 2001 in Community Paediatric teams, CAMHS and in independent practice.
She has observed an increasing number of autistic children become so overwhelmed by school, that they become unwell and are unable to attend.
Complex condition
Dr Siggers said: “Neurodiverse children who refuse or avoid school, are typically considered to have emotionally-based school avoidance, and there is a strong emphasis on getting them back into school. Inability to cope with school is just one symptom of a much more profound and complex condition, which is increasingly recognised as autistic burnout.”
Autistic burnout is characterised by chronic exhaustion, increased sensory intolerance, loss of functioning and skills, physical complaints and sleep disturbances. Recovery
can take years. There is an enormous impact on families with many parents having to give up work and a huge cost to local authorities in education support approaches, many of which are not accessible to the child.
Not recognised by doctors or schools
Dr Siggers added: “Autistic burnout is not formally recognised by the health system and it is often not accepted or understood by health and/or education professionals. Raising awareness of autistic burnout in children is crucial for developing effective interventions and to prevent further harm.”
Jo Brett, founder and CEO at Starjumpz in Crowborough and Brighton, a nationally recognised diagnosis and treatment centre for neurodiverse children and adults and hosts of the event said: “We’ve been working with many incredible autistic children who have increasingly struggled with attending school since Covid and we are constantly learning from them. We’re determined to use our experience to help children, families, health, education and social care professionals develop a greater understanding of autistic burnout.”
“This presentation by Dr Siggers is the first of a number of upcoming Starjumpz events and the interest has far exceeded our initial expectations, with the in person tickets selling fast and the online attendance already into the hundreds. It demonstrates very clearly that the issue of burnout is real and the need for swift assessment needs to be made readily available to struggling families along with effective therapeutic interventions, support and treatment.”
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