I have a child with special needs. How can I help my child with stress?

Your reassurance and encouragement are invaluable. It is important to convey the message that if your child gets something wrong, they have failed that question and not failed as a person. You will be proud of them for their hard work and for the way that they have tackled their nerves. Sometimes, our disappointment gives children the impression that they have failed us as well as themselves.

Most children who play sports (including lunch-time playground games) get enough exercise. If your child is not ‘sporty’, find an activity that they enjoy doing and try to fit one or two sessions into your week. This can be playing with them in the garden, swimming, walking the dog with you, climbing or skiing at an indoor centre, even ten-pin bowling.

Eating well means eating a range of foods including vegetables, fruit, protein, oily fish, carbohydrates and even fats. Do what you can to ensure that your child’s diet is balanced. Involve them in choosing what is included. Make a list of foods in different categories and ask them to choose something from each category for each day of the week in advance. Include a special treat once a week as a reward for helping to make their own lunches

By the time your child is 10 or 11, they should be sleeping around 9 – 10 hours a night. This is an average. Some children need more and some less. What is important is that they are given the opportunity to have as much sleep as they need by going to bed at the right time. As a parent, you will know if they are getting enough sleep or they are too tired during the day. Although it is difficult, try to make sure that your child is not playing games on their tablets, phones or consoles last thing at night, as video games tend to stimulate rather than relax the mind