Articles by John Sharry
My 17 year old feels panic at school
Parent Question:My 17-year-old son is in fifth year in school and says that he feels panicked at times – to the point that he cannot go into the school building (despite getting ready and walking there). Sometimes, he feels panicked when in the school and feels he has to leave. We want to support him … Continue reading My 17 year old feels panic at school
My 6 year old hates homework. How do I manage this?
Parent Question:Our daughter is six, but we suspect – as does her current teacher – that she may have some ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) traits. She has no formal diagnosis. We are writing to see how best to help her with her homework. We moved as a family last summer, so she changed school and seems much … Continue reading My 6 year old hates homework. How do I manage this?
Misaphonia: My daughter hates the sound of her sister breathing and teacher’s voice
Parent Question:I think my daughter who recently turned 11 has developed misophonia (strong and negative reactions to sounds most people do not notice). For a couple of years, she has been very sensitive to certain sounds. Firstly, her younger sister’s breathing – who can be a bit nasal – used to bother her a lot … Continue reading Misaphonia: My daughter hates the sound of her sister breathing and teacher’s voice
My daughter is anxious going in to college
Parent Question:We have a 17-year-old daughter who is diagnosed with autism and has an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP). She found mainstream secondary school too much, so eventually we were able to get her one-to-one support and she managed to get five GCSEs after not having attended school for three years. She is very bright and … Continue reading My daughter is anxious going in to college
My twice exceptional child has trouble paying attention in class.
Parent Question:My 12-year-old son has dyslexia and ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). He complains of being bored in school and hates doing any homework. The teacher says he is often “switched off” in the classroom, particularly during maths, Irish and English. She says he is very bright because he can make great contributions when discussing subjects he loves, such as … Continue reading My twice exceptional child has trouble paying attention in class.
Our teenager doesn’t go to school- is the phone part of the problem?
Parent QuestionOur 16-year-old daughter has stopped going to school regularly. She says it’s because she can’t get up in the morning and doesn’t care about going to school. She says it is because of her anxiety and mental health issues. We took her to see our GP and also a private counsellor. We also talked to her school about … Continue reading Our teenager doesn’t go to school- is the phone part of the problem?
My fifteen-year-old wants to leave school
Parent Question:My 15-year-old son hates going to school. He was diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and dyslexia last March. He is now in Junior Cert year and is not doing any homework or study. The teachers say he has largely switched off in classes and, of course, he is not doing well in school tests. The formal subjects, … Continue reading My fifteen-year-old wants to leave school
My 14 yr old struggles with homework and study. She might have ADHD.
Parent QuestionMy daughter is 14 and in second year in secondary school. She is really struggling with study and homework. She could not get it together to study for the Christmas tests and did not do as well as she wanted. This is despite the fact that she is a bright girl and in primary … Continue reading My 14 yr old struggles with homework and study. She might have ADHD.
Is my 11 year old burnt out from school?
Parent Question:My 11-year-old son is in sixth class and hates going to school. He is always reluctant to go in the morning and there is often tears before I finally persuade him out the door. He is also constantly complains of being tired, especially when he comes in from school and he has to lie … Continue reading Is my 11 year old burnt out from school?
My son is struggling to settle into secondary school
Question:My 12-year-old son has just entered secondary school. Just one boy from his primary school has gone to the same secondary. While he is doing well academically, he is struggling to make friends. In the first weeks a number of the boys in his mixed class were engaging in bullying behaviour as they all clumsily … Continue reading My son is struggling to settle into secondary school
My son never tells me about his day at school.
Parent Question:My six-year-old son never talks about school and I wonder if this is okay. Each day I ask him how was school, and each day he avoids the question and says nothing. If I ask the question a few times, he can get annoyed and once said ‘stop talking’ to me. Should I worry … Continue reading My son never tells me about his day at school.
My gifted son hates school
Parent Question:My son started sixth class this year and he really hates going to school. He says he “hates” the work and that he is bored. I try to jolly him along and he goes in, but he looks really down in the dumps most days and I worry about him. He started this last … Continue reading My gifted son hates school
How can I get my teenager to engage in online school?
Q: How can I get my 15-year-old to engage in online schooling? He is stressing about his workand finding it difficult to focus at home. PreCovid, he was a driven and conscientious student who always did well in school. But in this latest lockdown he is struggling and has little interest in schoolwork. He says he … Continue reading How can I get my teenager to engage in online school?
My son seems very unhappy at university
QUESTION My 19-year-old son started university this year and he appears very unhappy there. He does not seem to be engaging well with the course material and may not be getting on particularly well with the class. He was much happier in school even during the Leaving Cert and has been happy and active in … Continue reading My son seems very unhappy at university
My son is not ready for school
Q. My four-year-old son is due to start school in September and is attending preschool five mornings a week as part of the free preschool year. I thought he was doing fine there, though he rarely talks about it when he gets home. However, when I spoke to his teacher recently she said she had a lot of concerns regarding his progress. She said he finds it hard to stay seated for the structured exercises and often hits out at children who come into his space.