Time to go to school, but it is difficult to be happy --- Understanding back-to-school syndrome

        Summer vacation comes to a quiet end, kids that has been accustomed to sleeping late and getting up late, eating, and enjoying the vocation in a casual way began to get nervous and feel depressed at the thought of getting up early every day and never playing computer games at will, instead, they have to finish their homework and there will be a lot of exams. On the first day of school, Dalong was too late for school because he was doing his summer homework too late. And then he got up but began to feel dizzy and had stomachache. After he finally arrived at the school, he was dazzled. Eventually, school was over, but he found that he had forgotten to take homework home and couldn't help crying. The next day, Dalong had a worse headache. He didn’t get up no matter how mom woke him up. If the above situation occurs, be careful the child may have back-to-school syndrome!

        It's not easy for a child to be back to the school life after taking a long vacation. The adaptability of going to school depends on personal characteristics, adaptability and interpersonal relationship in school and family support. Generally speaking, students who were afraid of going to school in the past (refusing to go to school in the past), or who were under great pressure in school (e.g. schoolwork pressure, interpersonal relationship problems, bullying problems, lack of sense of achievement, etc.), or whose personality traits were easily nervous, pessimistic, avoidance and low family support were more likely to feel anxious about going to school, even worse, avoid school. In addition, if there are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, anxiety /depression and so on, the adjustment period may be longer. The following ways are suggested to help children prepare for the chaotic period and stress of the beginning of school.

        Adjustment of work and rest One or two weeks before going to school, gradually help children return to normal work and rest. Make an appointment with your child in advance. The time spent in watching TV and playing computer games should be gradually reduced. Establish suitable bedtime and wake-up time, and do it. 　　 Arrange Activities That Can Bring Their Minds Back Children who regularly attend parenting classes in summer vacation need less adjustment in their daily life and rest. If children completely rest during the summer vacation, it will take more effort to adapt to going to school. It is advisable to arrange parent-child reading time, take one hour a day to review the lessons of last semester, and do some exercises. In addition, reorganizing study, cleaning schoolbags, uniforms, shoes, or buying stationery and school supplies can be choices, and mark the calendar to announce that the semester will begin soon so that children can expect and prepare for a new beginning. For children who are less confident and has less expectation to go to school, traveling with classmates helps to increase their motivation to go to school through peer support. 　　 Assist in completing summer homework Although children do not have much homework in the summer vacation nowadays, there are more and more kinds of homework, which may need to be prepared beforehand or assisted by adults in searching for information. If children can't finish their summer homework independently, parents can discuss strategies and steps together and help them. It is suggested that children's summer homework should be inspected two weeks in advance and sufficient time should be reserved to complete the homework. 　　 Discuss worries and expectations about going to school Before going to school, parents may as well discuss with your child about views and expectations about the new semester, understand your child's worries about school and learning, discuss solutions and strategies, give comfort and emotional support, and see if you can help solve them. 　　 Solution and preparation of special problems Some children need to be treated in special ways due to mind problems, such as: 1. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Such children are weak in planning and execution, they lack self-discipline in life, and are easily indulged in television and computer games to be reluctant to sleep, so they need to plan their daily routine and make homework plans in advance. Some children have begun to receive medication during the semester, but stop during the summer vacation. It is suggested to observe whether children's symptoms will affect their learning and life, and communicate with the doctor in advance to decide whether medication is continued. 2. Autism It is very difficult for such children to accept change, especially the classes are reorganized and their classes are switched in the new semester, they may be extremely anxious and worried. It is suggested that children should be contact with new teachers and classes beforehand, and tell them the rules of school, the characteristics of teachers, the changed parts and the unchanged parts, which will make it easier to adapt after new semester starts.

         3. Anxiety (fear of learning) Anxious children are prone to negative associations with unknown things, magnify the crisis, and then develop anxiety and panic, leading to physical symptoms. The "preview" is very important for children, and accompanying and constant assurance should be provided. If children are willing to talk about the causes of anxiety, they can write it down and write out solutions. When they go to school, take it to increase the sense of security. If there is a new class teacher in the new semester, it's helpful to meet him/ her in advance. Children who are afraid of learning are not always anxious children. If they are afraid of learning for specific reasons, such as academic pressure, poor communication between teachers and students, or bullying, it can be solved according to the specific problems. If the reasons can be found out, and the situation occurs in more than one semester, parents need to make a long-term preparation. First, they should be encouraged to go to school. If they can't go to school regularly, parents should discuss with the counseling room about the flexible school plan. If necessary, take children to the child psychiatry department to see a doctor and discuss the reasons and solutions. To sum up, it is better for children in special situations to communicate with schools and tutors before the new semester. If stable and strategic preparations can be made in advance, make they get enough support and sense of security, which will help them enter the school gate smoothly and study happily.