Did your child’s Year 7 anxiety settle in Year 8?

[Wingingitt]

My daughter is coming to the end of Year 7 and has really struggled this year with anxiety, overstimulation, overwhelm and becoming very self-conscious socially. She’s bright and kind but seems mentally exhausted a lot of the time and secondary school has felt like a huge adjustment for her.

She worries about friendships, fitting in, being judged, noise/crowds, homework, everything really. At home she often seems completely drained after school and sometimes quite emotionally overwhelmed.

I’m trying to work out what’s “normal” Year 7 transition/puberty stuff that settles with maturity and familiarity in Year 8, versus signs that she may need more support.

Did anyone else’s child struggle like this in Year 7 and then settle during Year 8? Or did you find it pointed towards anxiety/ADHD/something else? Any advice or reassurance appreciated.

My daughter struggled all of year 7, pretty much for the same reasons as your daughter. It did not improve in year 8 and we ended up with her refusing to go to school. I swapped her school and she settled in her new school pretty much straight away, they also put her on the pathway for autism and she was diagnosed with Autism last year, in year 10. The new school spotted it straight away. She liked the school better as it had more rules and she said the teachers seemed to care about her more. She is currently sitting her GCSE’s and is like a different child. I would definitely consider moving her if she is in distress, honest or was the hardest 18 months of her life . Also definitely consider that she could be neurodivergent, my daughter had been masking for years .