Shutdown

In a shutdown a child may stop talking, stop responding, hide, curl up or seem to be ignoring you. From the outside it can read as sulking, daydreaming or being good and quiet, which is why schools often miss it: a shutting-down child causes no disruption at all.

A shutdown is not a choice and it is not defiance. The kindest response is less, not more: fewer questions, lower light and noise, and time. Talking it through can wait until your child is back with you.

If school says there is no problem but your child collapses every day when they get home, shutdowns at school are one possible explanation, and that pattern is worth describing to the SENCO SENCO The teacher in your child's school who leads support for children with special educational needs. They are usually the quickest person for a parent to reach. Read the full definition of SENCO in exactly those words.