Some children will cope with change exceptionally well because their support network is solid. Other children will struggle with certain changes because circumstances prevent them from coping or they have not had time to practice their life skills.
Below are examples of transitions that will affect a child or young person’s development.
Moving from secondary school to Sixth form or College:
This is a highly stressful time for young adults. It can be a huge change for them to cope with. Young adults may also struggle to make decisions about what courses will suit them but also which will be more helpful in the future. This is probably one of the first times that they have thought about a choice they will make in relation to their futures. Being at college/sixth form is completely different from school, the workload is larger and the classes are more detailed, this will start to add more stress as each term comes to a close this is because deadlines will become more urgent and a part of their normal routine. It is also a time for negotiating new surroundings, it is more likely to be bigger and have larger departments. Young adults may also find themselves with a little more free time than they had at school, which means socially they will thrive. They will meet new friends and form lasting bonds.
Young adults will start to accept their responsibilities, they will start to act more like a grown up and expect to be treated as an adult (even though they will still rely on parents/care givers), there will also be a point in which young adults will realise that all their decisions have certain consequences.
Being at college is also about learning to be more independent, learning to be confident in themselves and what they choose to do. This independence may start to worry some students because they may start to feel more alone, some people struggle to ask for help and may feel overwhelmed by the pressure which is upon them.
Young adults will start to have a different way of communicating to adults and peers because their knowledge is expanding. They will start to build relationships with tutors which will be a different from the way they regarded teachers in the past. They will rely constantly on the tutors to offer all the academic help they need.
If a young person does not have the necessary support network at home then they may struggle with the amount of work and the stress which also follows. They may struggle to understand any new information which is given to them which could have them worrying unnecessarily.
Family illness or death of a close relative: Family illness: When a member of the family becomes ill it affects the dynamic of the whole family. Depending on the circumstances each person (child or adult) will have a different part to play in the running of everyday tasks. The main concern is if the child or young person is living with the family member, or if this family member is part of the child’s daily life, if this is the case then the child will struggle socially, emotionally, intellectually and may start to develop behavioural problems.
Socially the child may miss out on socializing with his/her peers because of responsibilities that they may have at home which could include having chores to help clean and maintain the home. There may also be caring duties which could involve helping with bringing food for the family member who is ill.
At school the child may struggle when it comes to communicating with others. His/her peers will not understand the daily struggle that this child has, they will not be able to relate, the worst outcome of this could be that the child will become an outcast,