What can I do to help my child when their performance has changed a lot?

Short answer

A change in performance can be a change in conditions, not a loss of ability.

What this can look like

A child may still be skilled but produce less when tasks are noisy, rushed or unclear.

Why it can happen

Compare the task, school load, environment, interruptions, recovery and health context around easier and harder days. That leads to better support than “what is wrong with you?”

What might help

Compare better and harder conditions before judging effort or ability.

What the research helps explain

Burn-out is an occupational term, so it is not a diagnosis for a child. Fatigue, cognitive clarity, capacity, school demands, health and recovery can all affect how a young person functions day to day, and persistent tiredness deserves appropriate health advice.

What can vary

Tiredness, fogginess and reduced capacity can have many causes, including health, sleep, medication, stress, learning, family change and overload. A public page cannot diagnose illness; new, severe, persistent or concerning changes need appropriate professional advice.

For this situation

For you, describe the particular task that changed and look for one thing that could make it more usable.

More info and original sources

Poko summarises the relevance of public original sources and links out for anyone who wants to read more.

• Fatigue — Australian public guidance on fatigue, varied causes and when to seek medical advice.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome in young people — Australian child-and-family guidance on significant fatigue symptoms, daily impact and when to seek medical help.