Mentally draining, shutdown, overload..... school

from: Autism Discussion Page...........School or Home School? Education is not just an either/or process! "Self contained classrooms for children with special needs or mainstream inclusion? Formal schools or home school? We tend to look at education as an all or nothing decision.

When it comes to full days at school, it is plain that for many children on the spectrum, it is simply too mentally and emotionally draining for their nervous systems to handle.

If you have followed the series on cognitive issues in autism, we discussed how the brains of people on the spectrum have difficulty processing multiple information simultaneously. Essentially this means that 80% of what the neurotypical child processes subconsciously with minimal mental energy, children on the spectrum have to process consciously (think it though), which is mentally draining.

Everything about school, sensory bombardment, task performance demands, and ongoing social/interaction requirements are very overwhelming for many on the spectrum. Their brains often become taxed and overloaded, requiring them to “shutdown” in order to avoid overload. A child cannot learn in shutdown mode!"